I’m a total foodie. Back when I was going through college, I worked nights and weekends at a French restaurant. That meant I’d eat a ton of fresh croissants, French bread, alfredo pasta, and brie – and usually at 9:30p. That was pre-babies, pre-health conditions, and pre-slower metabolism.
Old habits die hard.
As I got older and my physical body changed, my body’s needs changed as well. I just wasn’t always hearing those requests – so it’s no wonder that I’ve dealt with inflammation and food sensitivities off and on for decades. Now that I know better, I try to do better by meeting myself where I’m at when it comes to what I eat.
I was a vegetarian for almost a decade, and that seemed like a good fit for a long time. Then a doctor suggested my health might improve if I started eating meat. After doing that for a few years, I noticed more swelling in parts of my body and I had gained weight. And the only thing that changed was the addition of once again eating meat.
Now, let me be clear, I’m not here to promote or discredit any type of food or way of eating. Instead, I’m suggesting you pay attention to your body and see what happens if you make tweaks for a bit.
Because I tend to be an all-or-nothing kind of person, it’s helpful to remind myself that any shifts I make in my life don’t have to be forever. Instead, I’ll give myself a trial time frame and see how I feel at that point. (Side note: if you’re going to apply this principle to your life, be sure to give yourself an adequate amount of time to allow your body to adapt. Results don’t usually show up overnight, or even in a week.)
One of the things I love about the science of Ayurveda is that it applies the meeting-yourself-where-you’re-at principles in everything we do, be it lifestyle shifts, movement tweaks, or food modifications.
If you’re interested in learning more, I’ve written a few posts that go into more detail.
For example, if you’re feeling sluggish, lack motivation, or have a bit more cushion on your bod than you’d like, this post will give you all sorts of foods and spices that can help boost your energy levels and metabolism.
If you find yourself more scattered, dry, and/or anxious, these Vata-pacifying foods and spices will help you so much.
Feeling fiery, cranky, irritable, or having hot flashes? Check out this post with Pitta-pacifying options to help cool your jets.
Lastly, since we know that excess inflammation in the body isn’t super great, this post will give you some ideas on how to help your body feel happier.
By noticing how your body, mind, and emotions are affected by the foods you eat, you can then make easy tweaks to feel better and meet yourself where you’re at each time you enter the kitchen.