I figured now is a better time than any to go ahead and get something off of my chest (for those of you who don't know me, of course). If I could stand at the top of a mountain and SHOUT, I would; but I can't do that, so just imagine me doing so as you read the next line of text:
HUMANS ARE NOT MEANT TO CONSUME GRAINS! OUR GENES WEREN'T MEANT TO RELY ON THEM AND OUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEMS WEREN'T BUILT TO METABOLIZE THEM!
Whew! That feels a little better, I suppose. Where did I come to this grand conclusion, you ask? Well, it's kind of a long story, but I'll give it a shot. You've read prior to this post that I'm an ex-chunk and I didn't get that way by grazing on lean meat and raw veggies (don't worry that's not my point of view either!). I am the product of a boxed-dinner, supper-of-convenience extraordinaire--shells and cheese, pasta salad in a box, canned biscuits, you name it, I grew up on it (minus Hamburger Helper--you know it's bad when it wasn't fixed in the Andrews household). Anyway, I digress.
Back to the point: I snacked on cereal almost every day/night. By snack I mean I'd eat the whole box--DUH, you have to pour more cereal just to use up the rest of milk in the bowl, right?! I'd also fill up on those square inch cheesy-goodness crackers day in and day out. In my early dorm years (freshman year mainly) I'd eat grits at breakfast, rice something-or-another for lunch, and TWO (count 'em) packs of Top Ramen noodles for dinner! Now, let's put it all together: Convention would tell you that I should have been fit and trim since my diet was low in fat, right?! (Insert loud, obnoxious game show buzzer HERE!) Wrong, all wrong! I topped out around 175 to 180--I'm about 5'5" on a good day, so that's THICK to say the least!
Fast forward to end of sophomore year: I eventually got tired of blaming the damn drier for shrinking my jeans EVERY TIME I washed them (we've all been there, right?) and I decided I was going to lose weight. I now cringe every time I think about the things I tried to lose weight back then. I would lose weight initially on one of my chicken-breast-steamed-rice-can-of-Veg-All kicks, telling myself "I will NOT eat anything past 3PM" because that's what it'll take to lose weight! I did, however, begin to exercise. When I have more time/shame to discuss what my first experience with exercise was like, I'll go there at that time...not now (it wasn't purty).
Fast forward, again (I'll get there, don't worry). Typical college-aged drinking aside, my weight fluctuated as does the wieght of your typical yo-yoer with me bouncing back and forth between calorie deprivation and intermediate exercise. I eventually came around, fell in love with exercise and decided to make it my career! At this point, I'm still jaded by what actual, healthy eating is, falling for the "lite" version of salad dressing and buying the lowest fat version of whatever the item may be--usually some sort of "wheat" (i.e. BROWN) cracker.
Almost done with a second degree and already working in the fitness industry, I've cleaned my diet up a bit in an effort to be a little more "natural" (another one of those catch words society uses to keep us all dazed and confused). The next step in my journey towards ultimate health, you ask? You've got it: VEGANISM! Oh yeah, I'm talking nothing that ever had a momma crossed my lips. Breakfast: oatmeal. Lunch: pintos and rice. Dinner: veggie burger on a sprouted grain bun.
Amidst this stage in my life I decide to train for a marathon. I was a little on the fluffy side--not fat, just fluffy--and thought between the veganism and the training I'd be model thin by the end of all of that. Not only did I not lose an ounce, my pants got tighter and I SWEAR I got even fluffier. I'd lost strength and I had definately NOT accomplished what I had set out to--other than completing the 26.2 miles of pure H-E-L-L! (I did learn, however, that I'll never do that again!)
After about a year of depriving my body of what it needed, I wanted to give the 'ol meat eatin' a try. At this point I knew that was necessary. Let me just tell you: The MOMENT that Plainville Farms Herb Roasted Turkey crossed my lips, an era had ended! I was back on the carnivorous bandwagon--and PROUD of it! Immediately my body felt the difference and began to re-morph into what it should have looked like all along. My workouts seemed productive and I felt REALLY GOOD. Finally! (Let's just say the "what were you thinking" thought crossed my mind numerous times...even to this day!)
So, skip ahead about a year, maybe a little longer. I'm meat eating and happy, healthy, and feeling good. I was still eating grains--the whole ones, that is, because those are the "healthy" ones, right. However, I'd noticed a few things changing for a period of about 3 months. My hair was falling out (ALOT), my energy would screech to a halt midafternoon, my nights were sleepless, and I was having digestive issues (we'll leave it with that) on top of all of that. "What in the world was going on" is all that was on my mind. I can't recall how I stumbled upon it, but I bought a book online called The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. I'm always intrigued by all the diet and health books out there, and I read 'em all just to stay abreast of all the biased "research" out there. This book, however, was different--I'd say it changed my life! Since making the change to grain (and many other things-FREE), I've been healthier, more energetic, more muscular, and have realized ALOT about the human body, how we process nutrients and how/why our bodies respond to the types of things we put in it. I'm not a registered dietician, but I truly feel like I'm fighting an uphill battle against those that are, the medical community, and the mass media that touts the benefits of so much biased, unethical, profit-boosting "research"--all the while stripping the American population of what their bodies need to be healthy and fit for the long haul.
My ultimate goal is to alleviate people of this jaded state and educate them that what they've been "fed" (literally and figuratively) is mostly WRONG--hints the nearly 3/4 of the population that's fat and extremely unhealthy. Big Pharma, the Government, and food manufacturers' goal is the exact opposite. It should start to piss you off that these folks would rather you be fat and unhealthy than them lose a chance to make a buck or two. It's no wonder there's a health care crisis in this country, right?!
Okay, so this entry was compiled over the course of about three days. I think I've summed it up as best I can at this point. As my blogging journey goes on, I'll let you in on a great deal of what I've learned during my own health journey--hopefully inspiring you to take my words and rethink what you've been drilled all these years. This is my way of paying it forward!
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