I still remember the first moment I became aware of nutrition or what I ate. I was 15 and I had always been active (on the cheerleading team and things like that) up until middle school. I was so skinny my dad used to say things like, “You eat like a bird. You are going to fly away.” Anyway I stopped exercising and all summer I ate bagels with cream cheese late and night and gained weight. I didn’t notice until we took our school pictures in tenth grade and I saw my face and thought, “Who is that?” That was the beginning of the nutrition journey and exploration, in terms of starting to eat healthier (and also being self conscious).
I still didn’t do much different in any other aspect of my life, in terms of taking care of myself. It wasn’t until my third year in college that I started to question things I had been taught (related to health and body self love). I had been invited to a network marketing seminar. Have you ever been to one? Well there was a ton of amazing energy, and someone on a stage talking about saving the environment and making a huge amount of money doing it. I was completely engaged. Then they started talking about things like vitamin absorption, chemicals in our products (hair and body), and how unclean our water was. I never thought about what was in the products I used or the food I ate (except maybe how fattening it was).
After that evening I started this long journey of questioning… looking at labels and starting to decide for myself what is and isn’t healthy for my body, and not taking for granted that my doctor or the government was right. I became an active participant regarding my health and health-related choices.
To clarify, I am talking about EVERYTHING related to our health-
- What we eat
- What we drink
- What we put on our skin and body
- What we put in the air and ingest (from cleaning products, to air fresheners, to perfumes)
There are layers to this process and it’s important to start slow, wherever you may be on this journey of discovery.
A good place to start is with basic essentials like what we put on and in our body. What kind of deodorant, toothpaste, and skin care do we use? For example, deodorant should not contain aluminum, which doesn’t breakdown in the body and is a potential cause of Alzheimer’s disease. Regarding toothpaste, do your research regarding fluoride to decide for yourself if you still want to use it. More and more organic and natural skin care options are available (where you can actually read the label and pronounce the ingredients).
Regarding food… there are tons and tons of different theories of what to eat, but all seem to agree that organic is better than conventional wherever possible, and that antibiotic/hormone-free, wild caught meats and fish are better than conventional/farm-raised food.
Finally regarding what we drink- water is the best option, but what kind? Bottled water is better than tap water but not always by much. If possible invest in a water filter in your home, which saves tons of money over time and helps the environment by reducing plastic ending up in landfills. They cost under $100 for a good one and last for years.
We’ll get more in detail with future posts, but for now the challenge for the week rockstars… find one body self care product and modify it based on your own research and intuition. Enjoy the journey and giddy up!
