My entire life I spent more attention to food than I did nutrition. Nutrition has had little value or ever been a priority, until now.
My generation was raised on processed foods so, as kids, we rarely gave them a second thought. When it came to breakfast, wasn’t all cereal supposed to be healthy? I guess titles which included “Super Sugar” and “Cookie” should have clued me in. White bread often bookended PBJ or bologna for lunch, topped by a hostess cupcake. Oh, those heavenly cupcakes! Dinners growing up were delicious. Large, homemade helpings of spaghetti, chicken with rice, or scrumptous BLT sandwiches all had their share of processed, white carbs.
Convenience dominated my food choices as a college student. Breakfast was skipped altogether.
Orange crackers and Coke sustained me for lunch, something which my friends still kid me about to this day! Usually, for dinner, I could be found at a fine dining establishment on campus. Studying and fun all trumped nutrition. I honestly didn’t give it a second thought.
My horrible habit of no breakfast continued as a new teacher. After many years of preaching to my students about the importance of breakfast, I knew I had to practice what I preached, even with my tight schedule. Something was better than nothing…my justification for my sugary, morning Slimfast. A quick 20 minute lunch was served up from the elementary cafeteria and dinner consisted of picking from a variety of Healthy Choice meals loaded in my freezer. Again, it says, “HEALTHY”!
For the first time, I am paying attention to calories through an on-line food diary. Shockingly, I realized that I was consuming about 900 calories a day of nutritionally depleted food. Now, I’m constantly stuffing my face. Eating an average of 1550 nutritious calories daily is a lot harder than it sounds! In addition to supplements and cleanses, I try to maintain an organic, high protein, low fat, low sugar, dairy free, gluten free diet. Oh, did I mention fun free? Actually, there is little sacrifice, especially after seeing my body respond so positively!
I’ve also learned how important it is to eat balanced meals: 30% fats, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% proteins. Proteins are especially essential for me since they build muscle. My body weight has increased from a dismal 95lbs to a healthier, feel good 116lbs. Through diet and exercise, I am gaining 1/4 in. to an 1/8 in. of muscle mass monthly. God is working small miracles every day! It’s amazing how what you put in your body results in actual transformation!
In the words of a wise man, “God designed the human body to respond to the material we place in it and the demands we place on it. If you put the right stuff in it, and place the right demands on it, and do it frequently enough and consistantly over time, that you can see amazing, amazing progress.”
-Thomas Christian Jensen, owner of Elect Wellness