Chew on this
Food. Your body is either going to love it, or hate it. And usually it doesn’t take that long for you to feel the difference physically even if we don’t always notice or make the connection.
What you eat matters. Whether you are a pure carnivore or a dedicated vegan, or fall somewhere in between, what you put on your plate and into your system makes a difference not just to your body but also to your mind & emotions.
It’s not unusual to ignore the things your body tells you until it’s too late. In the infinite wisdom of my youth, I thought that if I worked out hard enough, for long enough, I could eat whatever I wanted. I deserved to eat whatever I wanted. After all, activity requires calories. Food is fuel. What I didn’t recognize was the damage that was accumulating. Damage in my body and gut and the effect that had on my mental health. It was a slow deterioration that became my normal state of being.
Not only was I in great physical pain that had no diagnosable cause, but I was constantly sore, tired and never slept well. I was depressed and anxious. I had a terrible temper and random panic attacks. I hated being in my own body. I remember the day we were at the dinner table and my daughter said “Mommy never smiles.” It was like a knife to my heart. It was still years before I found the key that could unlock that connection between the health in my body and my mental & emotional health.
That “Aha” moment came years later when as a last resort I tried a 40 day food cleanse that I found mentioned in a magazine. It was called Clean by Alejandro Junger. I’m not going to lie, 40 days is a long time. It was a real commitment. But for me, at that time, I was at the end of my rope. I couldn’t take the pain anymore.
That particular cleanse removed all processed sugar, caffeine, alcohol and anything that could cause the slightest inflammation or reaction. It rested the gut. It wasn’t a magic pill but it showed me the power of whole nutrient dense foods to help heal your body.
I slept better. I had better energy. My stomach pain would eventually completely disappear. My skin improved. My dark circles went away. And I started to feel better emotionally. More calm, joyful and centered. Sometimes you can’t see how much chronic pain affects your emotional health until it’s gone. Simply changing what I ate made a huge difference in how I dealt with everyday stress.
Now there are a lot of cleanses and food plans out there that help reset your gut and change your eating patterns. You don’t have to do a big 40 cleanse to feel a difference. There's no trademark on removing sugar and stimulants from your diet in exchange for whole foods.
What is fascinating and worth noting is that you have complete control over what you put on your plate and what you put in your mouth. You don’t have to stay a victim of your lifestyle. It’s never too late to begin the healing process.
If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, you can take a first step toward better health and lower stress. Get my FREE e-book Getting Unstuck for first steps, recipes, easy habits and more!
My name is Ericka Thomas and I’m a Certified TRE® Provider, Trauma informed Yoga instructor and Health Coach.
I help people just like you reclaim their resilience through trauma release exercise + yoga online and I’d love to work with you! Click here for how to get started!
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