My Path to Healthy Eating
When I was in high school, I became a vegetarian. I wasn't thinking very much about health or nutrition, I just didn't feel comfortable eating meat anymore, so I cut it out of my diet. There was only one problem: I didn't like vegetables! I spent several years (all of high school and college) eating an incredibly unhealthy diet consisting mostly of processed carbs and dairy, and gained 30 lbs as a result. I was suffering from chronic headaches, sometimes on a daily basis. I had little energy and I was depressed. By the time I graduated college, I was very unhappy with my health and my weight and decided I needed to do something about it. And so began my journey on the long and winding road of learning about healthy eating.
I started learning about nutrition and absorbing everything I could. I started learning how to prepare vegetable-based dishes in a way that was both delicious and good for me. I was excited to learn I could eat a healthy, plant-based diet and actually really love what I was eating! A whole new world of food creativity and experimentation opened up for me and food became a hobby, not just something to get me through the day. I lost all of the weight I had gained in college (and then some!) and I stopped having chronic migraines. I felt fantastic, and continue to feel this way, now that I'm fueled by food that is kind to my body.
I'm definitely not perfect. I eat unhealthy things here and there, but my personal philosophy is that if you do your best to make the majority of the food you eat very good for you, then the occasional "slip-up" or treat isn't that big of a deal.
Going Dairy-Free
My diet is constantly evolving and I make changes as needed. In 2010, I developed a chronic wheezing cough. It was disrupting my life and really stressing me out, but after a series of visits to doctors and plenty of medical tests, I still didn't know what was wrong. I spent over a year trying to solve the problem with no luck. Then in January 2012 I got food poisoning, couldn't eat much of anything and felt pretty awful...but my cough went away. I didn't think too much about it until I started eating normally again. The last food I returned to eating was dairy, and that's when my cough came back. I went to see an allergist and was diagnosed with a dairy protein allergy. I've been dairy-free and cough-free since.
Starting the Blog
Food blogs have been a big part of my path to healthy eating, in giving me recipe tips, inspiring me to stick to my goals, and reminding me I'm not alone in being a selective eater with food allergies. It is my hope that this blog can offer help to others, as well as a place for me to share my passion for food.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and the opinions expressed in this blog should not be a substitute for medical advice. If you think you may have a food allergy, want to make major dietary changes in your life, or have medical questions, talking to a doctor or a nutritionist is always a good idea!
