Tell me what you eat.

It seems as if these days all I do is moan about unhealthy eating, but for good reason. When I look around and see all the unnecessary deaths, in and out of COVID season, I can’t help but feel sad for where we have found ourselves.

Where I was born, food and alcohol were at the centre of everything. What would you expect of a multicultural society? No matter what the celebration, there was a dish for that, and most of it high starch, multiple simple carbs, fried and highly processed. When my own eating habits started jeopardizing my health, I had to learn to love healthier options. More green and colourful vegetables, fruit and yes, water. My kidneys, skin and immune system were pushing back after years of unhealthy eating. Digestive and gut issues were my state of play and even today if I am not mindful of my eating, old issues arise.

I remember as a child having multiple rounds on antibiotics for tonsilitus. I always had a cold or flu, I was a picky eater and my early recollections of lunchtime at school, was my dad picking me up on my break and taking me to the fast food shop across the street. I fell in love with junk food and it formed a large part of my eating habits. I did not know then it was serving me no purpose but that reality slowly began revealing itself. In those early years, I suffered from anxiety, moodiness and was very withdrawn.

Scary times for me but looking back I can see how gut issues were wrecking my young body. Wow, what a connection, but it didn't end there. It continued on through my teenage and young adult years, from food allergies, sinus issues, emotional stress and PMS, yes it is all related. I was a mess before I entered into the pathway of nutrition and wellness. I found the healing for my gut imbalances and my immune system began responding to the changes. Allergies gone, skin issues, constipation and the constant flus, all GONE! Working with clients made me realise I was not alone and as I continued to apply the same principles I had learned, I saw the same effects on their bodies and they saw it too, including weight loss, PCOS in remission and so much more.

The moral of my story? I must continue to walk the fine line between health and disease. As I watch my fellow citizens struggle through this pandemic I wonder if we adopted the eating ways of old, whether we would be in a better place? The Standard American Diet became our meals of choice and all the diseases that come along with it. No matter where we live in this world there has been a consistent shift away from what we know to be true about food. We have lost touch with the wholesome and nutritious and we are losing ourselves in the process. There is still time to change it.