In my own life, I grew up mostly vegetarian and completely eliminated meat in 2008 and I felt lighter and healthier. While I was in Naturopathic Medical school I eliminated wheat and gluten from my diet and found that my body felt the best it ever had. My mysterious abdominal pain disappeared, my skin became more vibrant and healthy, and my thyroid and blood sugar levels started operating optimally. I started looking at food differently; I was eating to live rather than living to eat.
My food is now my fuel and I make sure that with each meal I have a good portion of protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. Now, this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my fuel. I love and appreciate food now more than I ever did. By understanding what my food is doing for my body, and what bad food was doing to my health, it was an easy transition for me.
My partner and I enjoy diverse, delicious meals, and dinner time is quality time for us. We prepare our food together and use that time to communicate with each other and listen to the radio or music or podcasts. (And by the way, my Acadian “meat and potatoes” partner loves the food that we make together!).
I know that there is more to health than just food; from emotional health, stress, movement, exercise, and connections with others, but this is a great place to start.