First of all this post is by no means not meant to offend anyone. I’m not pointing the finger at you. I’m not calling you a fatso, I’m not saying you are a horrible person or that the decisions you make are wrong. All I’m saying is what I think I know. The truth is I am not a nutrition expert. I don’t have a degree in nutrition or health. All I know is from my own research and experiences.
I grew up eating McDonald’s. I’ll admit it was my favorite food as a child and into my teens. My parents fed me well. My mom is an excellent cook and always fed us the best meals. We loved when my Dad had a meeting because that meant we could go to McDonald’s! Woo hop! We were happy to have happy meals with big smiley faces and a surprise inside the box.
I was also diagnosed with ADD. I took Ritalin on and off from 2nd grade until early college.
I had high metabolism, so I never had an inch of fat on me. (I’ll admit I tried on a pair of short shorts at lululemon today and took them off so fast because my cottage cheese was smiling at me).
Anyway, back to my point. The longer I took Ritalin and the longer I ate McDonald’s, the more SAD I became. When I was 22 I decided to change my habits and I pretty much gave up pharmaceuticals and McDonald’s all in the same year. I credit my yoga practice for helping me wake up and make these choices. I wanted to feel good and to be happy. I wanted happiness from inside and not from inside a happy meal. Sorry Ronald McDonald but your plastic smile wasn’t cutting it for me.
At that same age, back when I owned a tv, I used to notice every commercial was about selling pharmaceuticals. It made me cringe. Why do people need to pop a pill to find their smile? Why can’t they eat a healthy meal, exercise and sleep well? It worked for me so therefore I knew it could work for others.
Then I started thinking about the S.A.D diet. Standard American Diet. Why so much dairy?? Why so much meat?? What if we cut back on those things and added more veggies? It sure is a happier meal when more colorful veggies are on the plate.
I am not perfect. I spent many years buying frozen foods and heating them up in the microwave. Then I started noticing that this wasn’t a good choice for me either. I felt like I was killing myself by zapping my food. So I stopped. I woke up and started buying real food. I felt better. I felt happier. You know, you are what you eat. Remember that. Think about that every time you put food in your mouth.
Moving on.
A few years ago I went to the dentist and I was diagnosed with gum disease. The worst news ever. I started crying. I was so ashamed.
I became determined to change my habits. The dental assistant said that food played a big part in gum health. Even though I thought I was healthy, I wanted to try harder.
I spent a lot of hours in the dentist chair getting work done. I got a lot of mouth therapy. I mean seriously, I was at risk for oral cancer.
Since then I have been juicing daily and eating super clean. Some days are healthier than others, but 98% of the time I am good.
I am determined. I know from research that eating healthy can change the results of so many diseases.
I went to the dentist the other day and my gum disease is starting to reverse. My gum pockets are lower than ever and my gums are happy and pink.
My dental hygienist told me that after all these years of eating clean and juicing that this is the result of that.
I used to hate going to the dentist. Now… Well I go without flinching.