This week, here at Eating Enchanted, I’m getting personal. I want to share with you the event that changed everything for me, and why I’m so passionate about healthful eating and exercise. In order to do this, I will need to take you back to the time before my clean eating transformation, to a time when I was not feeling my best.
I have always been someone who tried very hard not to believe stereotypes or cliches, especially about age. I’ve always been a positive and energetic person, but after turning 40, I was not feeling my best. I was fatigued, tired and way too emotional. I was also suffering from intense PMS. I was feeling like I had only one good week a month. This was taking it’s toll on me and effecting my family as well. I began speaking to my doctor about it, who actually suggested I take anti-depressants for two weeks out of the month. Being someone who avoids taking medication, I chose another route.
I’ve always enjoyed working out and have competed in various sports over the years. I had been working out religiously without the results I wanted. I was also struggling to lose the last 20 pounds from my second child. (I had gained about 60 pounds total). I was really tired of not feeling like myself, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I began a 90 day diet and exercise program, one especially for women that consisted of regular workouts and a very strict, super clean diet.
Within three weeks of starting this eating and exercise program, I literally felt like a new woman! It was truly astonishing. This is the event that changed everything. The PMS was gone! My energy was up. My positive attitude and calm demeanor were back. Best of all, my intense evening sugar cravings were gone! It was a true awakening. I started wondering why exactly I felt so mentally and physically strong. I started to analyze the recent changes I had made. I had already been working out regularly, so I ruled out the new exercise program as the main reason I felt so great.
I started to take a close look at the food I was currently eating and the food I had been eating, prior to starting the program. There were a few key changes. My diet now consisted of tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, lots of lean protein, no dairy, extremely small amounts of grain carbohydrates, low sodium and obviously, no processed sugar. There was also a call for no coffee, however with that request, I did not comply! My morning cup of coffee is sacred and not to be denied! Fortunately, I was already taking it unsweetened, so I just switched from dairy to unsweetened almond milk and I was good to go.
I began considering why these changes in diet triggered such a drastic clean eating transformation in me in such a short period of time. One thing that immediately came to mind was dairy. Prior to starting this new clean eating program, I was a devout cheese lover. In fact, I can safely say my two favorite food groups were cheese and chocolate. The lack of dairy and grain carbs were they key to why I was feeling so great (I keep making this distinction because fruits and veggies also contain carbohydrates, however their nutrient and fiber rich composition causes your body to break them down more slowly).
I was looking for a connection between dairy and carbs and what it all came down to was sugar. Most dairy products 
contain milk sugar or lactose. Most grain carbohydrates break down into sugar in your body. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that by not consuming dairy or grain carbs, I had drastically cut down on the amount of sugar in my diet.
Stick with me here, please don’t go screaming for the hills or your nearest pizza joint thinking that I’m trying to take all of your dairy and carbs from you. I’m not, but I do have an important point. I realized through this analysis of my eating habits that by lowering my overall sugar consumption, my body had started to transform itself into an entity that no longer craved sugar. This is such a freeing place to be. It was almost unbelievable. Also, by eliminating my sugar cravings, I clearly ate much less sugar. I used to snack on crackers or handfuls of dry cereal for example, which in turn only made me want more crackers or cereal. In the evenings, after dinner, I would want chocolate and once I started eating it, I wanted more and more chocolate! It was getting bad. By eliminating my sugar cravings, I had done away with all of my overeating of chocolate. I was still eating a small amount of chocolate, but it was no longer triggering insane cravings. Why?
The conclusion I reached became the driving force for my desire to start Eating Enchanted. I want to help others feel great, eat great food with tons of flavor and nutrients, and enjoy doing so. This can be transformative and give you the energy you need to show your true gifts to the world. After eating in this new way, I could now partake in small treats and be satisfied. By eating a diet loaded with fruits, veggies and protein my blood sugar was not spiking and dropping; it was staying much more level. I was eating a lot more fiber from the increased portions of fruits and veggies, which was helping to keep me full and satisfied. By learning more about what sugar does in your body and where it comes from in the food we eat, I had come to an understanding that in general, we are consuming far too many grain carbohydrates per day. That by eating larger amounts of fruit, vegetables, lean protein and reasonable small portions of specific whole original grains my body has the fuel it needs to perform its best. I am not a nutritionist or dietitian, but I know first hand that the results of cleaning eating were nearly immediate and were very dramatic. Thus, I knew I just had to share this secret with everyone.
In the three years since my initial clean eating transformation, I have found that I can occasionally eat small amounts of dairy, and one or two servings of specific grains per day. Although, there have been periods where I have fallen into a pattern of eating too much dairy and too many grain carbs. Before I know it, I am feeling bloated and am battling sugar cravings. As soon as I clean up my eating, I feel great again. Knowing this, keeps me motivated to eat what is right for my body. Also, allowing myself occasional indulgences keeps me feeling as though I’m not missing out.
The relationship between what you eat and how you feel is essential. Finding the right balance can lead to an amazing transformation. Learning the importance of the relationship between what I eat and how I feel, led me to create the Eating Enchanted Philosophy. Healthy and clean eating truly is a gift. By embracing it, you may discover you feel better than you ever thought possible.