…and by sick I mean poorly, not the actual vom action.
Evenin’g all, hope you had a fab weekend.
So, one week in on the no sugar/fructose/yeast/alcohol addition to my already wheat and dairy free diet. I am eating at least 50% raw food more like 70% or so), and I am working towards Candida elimination and, of course, optimal health.
So hows it going? Really well, I would say. For the last 3 days or so have struggled with ‘flu symptoms which may be a viral thing or may be detox side effects, who knows. Other things I have noticed are that my hunger levels are non-where near as ravenous as usual and I am eating much lighter. I LOVE experimenting with new recipes and have found that raw choc cupcakes and cacao brownies are hitting the spot for me, and I am totally hooked on fresh veg juices.
I haven’t suddenly lost all the extra weight (yet), but this is all about health, so I am certain that my weight will balance out as the detox continues and I increase exercise.
One thing I have been thinking about this week is the social acceptance of being sick, of living in a body that is unwell and at dis-ease with itself.
Embarking on a (fairly) radical change of eating is always bound to instigate responses from observers, especially so, of course, if one blogs about it to all and sundry. It is clear I am currently overweight, and it is also clear to anyone who knows me that my body is having a tough time, as endometriosis, depression, and candida have plagued my health for years.
So, you would think that taking action is a good thing, yes? I believe so, but I think that the willpower it takes to make a big change scares people, so they seek to sabotage. “Why are you doing that? “oh my god, what else is there to eat?!” “Not drinking?? You?!?”.
Yes, I am not drinking for a while. It really is ok! I have more energy at the moment and I use alcohol to relax and escape which is great in some ways but it’s really fine to have a break.
There is so much I can eat, there are nuts, seeds, a huge variety of grains, rice, fruit and veg, the earth has loads of stuff we don’t notice when we stick to the same routine.
Cutting out wheat and dairy isn’t for everyone, but there is certainly sense in increasing the raw fruit and veg we intake, just read one of Patrick Holford’s tomes for that nuggett of truth.
It seems more socially acceptable to be overweight, take pills, complain of an illness and seek medical help than to take control of nutrition, seek alternative therapies and embark on a hourney of healing. Maybe the fact I consume bentonite clay to aid detox makes me sound like a crazy tree hugger, but why should it? If I was eating doughnuts every day and developing diabetes, that’s ok, thats normal.
Ahh, normal.
You see, I think the norm is to feel pretty crap, to be tired, to function below par, to have IBS, depression, lethargy, candida. I think the norm is to give in to standard ways of eating, to over consume and to go with the crowd. No one can treat their body badly for a length of time and not pay for it at some point. In our youth while livers work superfast to cope with alcohol abuse and metabolisms are still fast enough to burn extra calories we may feel lucky, but at some point that waist band gets tighter, the body struggles to detox the abuse and we feel worse for wear.
So why fear a new way of thinking, a new way of being? Does it highlight the need for change in other people’s lives? Do we all want others to feel as crap as us because the alternative is less socially acceptable? Does it feel strange to ask for a soya milk decaff latte, or to have a mineral water in the pub? What else can you fill life with if the overconsumption of food and booze is gone, is there a hole that needs addressing?
I was a smoker in my 20′s for a while, and gave up 6 years ago as a present to myself for my 28th birthday. I hung on to the act of smoking as a rebellious part of me, that creative designer-type social thing which would make me who I am.
In actual fact it made me less smelly, skint and likely to die of lung cancer.
The same thing with nutrition; I often fall off the bandwagon because the emotional and social pressure associated with food habits becomes too strong, but I am determined this time to let myself be well, and to live a life as full of vitality as possible.
What obstacles do you find to optimal health? Do you think its socially more acceptable to be sick?
Let me know what you think.
x
