Oreo and Carrots!!!

Oreo and Carrots!!!!

Look around, all around! We were gifted and blessed with an abundance of colorful food to nourish and feed our very complex, delicate life-balancing body!  Fruits and veggies please!!!!

The more of these flavorful gifts I eat, the more of them I crave.  My sweet tooth for baked goods and chocolate has all but disappeared.  In fact, due to mast cell reactions to chocolate, I have not had even a bite in over five years.  And, I don’t miss it!  I’ve almost forgotten what it tastes like.  I don’t believe it will be big deal if I never have another bite.  Ever!

The million dollar question, I’ve always thought and heard others say is, “Why does everything so bad for us, taste so good?”  Really, it doesn’t!  It is hard to get out of that cycle and mindset but once you begin introducing more and more fruits and veggies into your diet AND consciously thinking about the nutritional benefits they have, the more you will enjoy them.  They actually bring more satisfaction and no guilt.  As for me, if I eat junk, I feel guilty afterward and scold myself for the empty calories I just slapped on my butt.  When eating correctly, the “bad” food begins to lose its flavor and eventually, you will begin to realize that it really doesn’t have the satisfying flavor you were looking for.  In essence, bad food is bland!  It really is!  Compare an Oreo and a Carrot. I know! You are laughing, right? Just think about it.  They are both sweet, however the Oreo will leave you with sugar coated teeth and a funk in your mouth that can only be eliminated by brushing.  If you pay attention you will notice the carrot is also sweet.  This is what I mean when I say consciously thinking about your food.  You will inevitably reach for more than just like you do the Oreo.  Why?  Because they are good and they are in front of you.  There is no denying their goodness, unless you just hate carrots!  Also, there is no beating yourself up because you just consumed 500 calories of junky emptiness.  Be advised, that not long after eating that Oreo, you will also crave more junk.  The high glycemic load the cookies have will cause a sudden crash.  You may notice fatigue and irritability.  If your hormones are a bit off, you may also notice hot flashes as the sugar quickly processes through your system.  Next, you will be hungry for more food because your nutritional value was not satisfied.  Your body knows what it needs to sustain health and it did not receive it.  This is what is meant by empty calories.  Because your body is craving nutrients, you feel the need to eat again.  When eating full calories such as found in fruits, veggies and herbs, your body recognizes nutrition received and because the glycemic index is low, digestion is slower keeping you full longer. 

From a mast cell perspective, the sweets and baked goods often fire up the body by causing unnecessary inflammation that we experience when eating gluten, dairy and sugar.  You may find that it adds to your histamine bucket.  If it’s salt your craving (my downfall), add a little Himalayan Sea Salt to your veggies because the chips you eat will most like be genetically modified second rate vegetables full of unnatural chemicals and cooked in oil that again causes inflammation in our bodies.

Swap this for that

Carrots and Hummus vs. Cookies

Grapes vs. Honey Bun

Sweet Potatoe Fries (homemade) vs. Chips

Air Popcorn vs. Chips

Kale Chips (homemade) vs. Chips

Apple vs. Chocolate

Trail mix (homemade) vs. Chocolate

Carob nibs vs. Chocolate

Melon vs. Muffin

Celery vs. Pretzels

Oatmeal and Greek Yogurt vs. Muffin

Granola (homemade) vs. Commericial Cereal

Jerky (homemade nitrate free) vs. Chips

Strawberries and Greek Yogurt

Zucchini with a dribble of Olive Oil, Himalayan Sea Salt and Feta Cheese

Bananas

Sunflower seeds

Snap peas