Food for Thought

I thought that I would continue where my last blog left off. Please go back and read it if you haven’t already.

We all have many choices as to why we eat the food that we do.

• Some of us want to lose weight.

• Some of us want to gain weight.

• Some of us just want to be healthy...

Then, there are those of us who have been in a traumatic situation that has caused us to take a look at what goes into our body. For me that was the diagnosis of breast cancer in both of my daughters.

As I said before, I was forced to find more nutritious recipes to help my daughters on their journeys. Yes, I could shop healthier for them, cook healthier for them, and encourage them to eat healthier, but that was all for them.

I mean, I have had all the surgeries to lower my risks of breast cancer, so why did I need to change my eating habits. I did not have breast cancer. I was not going through treatments where I would need to replace necessary nutrients or prevent nausea. I know that I still carry the BRCA gene, and that would never go away. I know that my chances of getting breast cancer would never be zero, but no one’s ever is.

The reason I chose to change the way I look at food is simple; I want to feel better. Because I had these surgeries and was forced into menopause, and I can’t replace what my body needs with hormones (because of the gene), I had to live with a new norm.

I always considered myself an active person. Those that know me know that I very seldom sit down. I like to keep busy. This means a lot of moving and walking. I still belong to a dance group that tries to get together once a week and dance.

In my mind, like so many of you, I think (would like) to do so many of the activities that I did when I was younger. My body has an entirely different opinion. Since my hysterectomy, I noticed that my body has changed drastically and how I feel when I move has also. I have more aches and pains in places that I never thought could exist.

I concluded that if the food that my daughters were eating could help them feel better while going through chemo and radiation, why wouldn’t it help me feel better going through menopause. I tried to change my eating habits when I was eating with them, but went back to my old ways when I no longer cooked for them. In the back of my mind, I believe that I have felt better since then. Did I really, or was it just in my mind?

So I tried it again. I started eating more vegetables, more fruits, more fish, and less red meat. I am not saying that I completely cut out red meat, but I ate it sparingly. I started to drink only water and juices. To my surprise, I began to feel better again. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen.

It took some planning to have the right foods available; it is always so much easier to just swing into a drive-thru, but if you change the way you look at food prepping, it can be a fun and enjoyable process. My husband and I spend time together, planning, prepping, and packing our food. We enjoy this time together as well as cooking together. Turn on a little music, talk about your day, and even get in a few dance steps, all while preparing your meal.

I will not say that it is always easy and that you will not be tempted to cheat. I say cheat, but it isn’t really cheating, just making a different choice. A choice that may make you feel worse for it physically.

I know because I am just coming off of my wrong choice two weeks holiday. You see, I am a teacher, and I had two weeks away from school (notice I did not say off of school - I am a teacher - a teacher is never off of school - rant for a different blog.) I knew that I would be hosting a lot of family in and out for the Christmas - New Year’s holidays and serving a lot of food.

People wanting the traditional or cajun foods that they look forward to at this time. So I said to myself that I would just go with it, and after the holidays, I would just get back to my healthier eating habits. Well, it is New Year’s Eve, and my body is feeling every bit of my poor eating choices. I will consider this my experiment to see if it was just in my mind that eating better means feeling better for myself.

I recommend you do this also. If you are not eating the best, try it and see if some of your aches and pains lessen or go away. Sometimes it is just one food choice at a time.

Along with my wanting to lessen my aches and pains, I have another (newer) reason for changing my eating habits. High cholesterol! You see, my parents both passed away when I was 15 years old of heart attacks.

I always had - low blood pressure and never had issues that pointed to heart disease. I also

• never smoked,

• only drank occasionally (my children laugh at how little alcohol I can consume) and

• received regular check-ups.

It wasn’t until this year’s check-up that my cardiologist said my cholesterol was higher than he liked. He wanted to start me on cholesterol medication. I am a walking poster child for medication side-effects, so I asked if he would give me time to adjust my diet and see if I could lower the numbers on my own.

This has been a big incentive for me to eat healthier. He gave me six months; I am at three months now and hope that my holiday splurges didn’t contribute to more than my aches and pains. I will let you know how that plays out for me.

Now is the time for me to ask you and you to ask yourself - what is your incentive to change your eating habits?

• Is it family history?

• Is it how you feel?

• Is it to lower some lab numbers?

Whatever your incentive, set a goal, make some changes, give it some time for those changes to make a difference, and share with us your own healthier journey.

Until next time, Stay Strong and Be at Peace!