Many of you might have the notion that I am uber healthy, a model for wellness, that I have “it down” and rarely stray from the perfect eating and exercise routine. Not so. Read on to see How I Changed My Diet & Why…
While I do eat “well” compared to much of America- I do not necessarily always walk the talk.
“Let food by thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. YES! But what does this mean?
I am healthy. I almost never get sick, I don’t go to the doctor, I eat my veggies, practice yoga, go to the gym, spend time outdoors. Then why do I feel like crap a lot of the time? Low energy, constant body aches, mood swings, a back that hurts almost constantly, weight fluctuations.
It’s in the food. Well and the in the wine perhaps.
How do I know this you ask? Because promptly returning from a three week holiday trip filled with essentially whatever I felt like I wanted to consume- my husband Anthony and I went vegan, kicked the gluten, sugar, dairy and booze (don’t worry, I still have my coffee!).
And guess what? Even four days into it I felt FANTASTIC, the transition was smooth. Now 3+ weeks later I have energy, I can run easily without wanting to kill myself, my mood is shiny (weeeellll most of the time), my stress reduced, my yoga practice is stronger, my body doesn’t ache all over and of course I have lost weight. My back still suffers a bit from too much time on the computer but it is so much better than it was. And the kicker is that it has been EASY. How?? Because when you feel like crap and you start to feel better… it’s kinda silly to go backwards, right?
What the heck am I eating you wonder? I’m not gonna lie, we have definitely been airing on the lighter side of things, veggies, lots of nuts, sprouts, beans, legumes, grains (gasp- she is eating GRAINS??), fruits, avocados, etc, and we started eating more superfoods. Some might call it “rabbit food” but that is lonely because I wanted to shed some post-holiday fluff- not because there is not plenty of decadent treats on a plant-based diet. 
There is a whole world of vegan food out there that is not virtuous. The shelves are now filled with highly processed “regular” food alternatives filled with crappy ingredients that can pack on the pounds and fill your body with undesirables, so don’t be fooled. As I say to everyone- even the avid carnivores- “start in the produce section, fill your basket and the add a few other things from around the store- items with short ingredient lists.
And learn to COOK! Don’t rely on other people to decide what goes into your food (unless of course it’s one of our Naked Bite chefs). I know your busy but for crying out loud- IT’S YOUR BODY- and you only get one. We do teach cooking classes BTW 😉
So ask yourself- how do you feel? Are you vibrant? Healthy? Does your body feel good? How about your mood? Are you at the weight you want to be? Are you being good to yourself? Are you being kind to the planet?
I am not suggesting that we all go vegan (though it would save the world in so many ways). I am however asking you to take a good look at what you are using for fuel, what you are asking your body to run on and how you care for the most essential gift that we have in this life. Take five minutes, just five, to take a good hard look and report back to me with some thoughts. 
For your efforts, introspection and honesty we are giving away a free 30 minute session with me to the lucky guy or gal who bares all and seems to need it the most! During this session we will assess your overall diet and lifestyle and suggest some easy yet profound changes that you can make to your routine. I will also send you six recipes tailored to you preferences to help jumpstart some change. So give it to us, dig deep and take a good look at how you are treating yourself. Help us help you make it a more vibrant start to 2017 by sending us a a detailed email of what and how you want to change.
Another way to get inspired that really helped me; watch this new documentary Food Choices. It is the perfect blend of dietary health info as well as the humane and global incentives for making better choices. I don’t watch a ton of these documentaries but it is EXTREMELY important to be educated and remind ourselves how much we impact our bodies and the world through the foods that we eat. We are powerful beyond belief and our lives are gratefully FULL of CHOICE. What kind of life do you want to live?
