Tuesday, July 1, 2014

The Conscience Diet


I first went gluten-free for lent, part of it was because of my fibromyalgia another part wanting to give up something that I knew I really liked, like cake and cookies.

It was a lot of suffering and much harder than I ever imagened.

I have had a huge addiction to Zero Coke for years and before that Diet Coke.

I decided to leave it for lent also, and I didn't even notice it.

All I could feel was the insane crawing for something with gluten.

It was one of the hardest thing I have done and I know I failed few times.

But finally I made it, and during that journey I found a lot of things without gluten that I enjoy even more than the ones with gluten.

And it really helped with my fibromyalgia and well-being.
Finnish karjalanpiirakka or Karelian pastry made from rye flour with rice filling.
With the time I have noticed that my body does digest small amounts of gluten when eaten few days apart.

For me the important thing about one’s diet is listening to your body.

And this is hard for many people because they (and I'm guilty of this many times too) tend to listen just their stomach.

We tend to just hear the voice that says “I'm hungry”.

Or the one that says “I want to indulge myself”.

But when the voice says “this causes bad things to my body” we shut our ears and do the best we can to become deaf.
Friend plantain bananas.
I’m learning this myself but I personally think that mostly gluten-free is the way to go, the best diet I can have.

It might be a fad for some, or seem like a passing fashion.

But for me the important "fad" is to eat wholesome, local and healthy food, that is why I'm not totally gluten-free.

I try to listen to my body and learn from it, and even more, I try to listen to my conscience.

If eating gluten free means taking the buns off your Big Mac it doesn't really make any sense.

You are still filling yourself with chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics.

At the same time you are giving your money to big corporations to continue their global conquest.

And you are helping to maintain the status quo, and sadly, to continue the treating of animals as factory products with no inherent rights.
Coke has been with me for more years I can remember. Well, not that many but you get the picture.

But if it means doing the food yourself, taking time to really know what you eat, what the food you eat has eaten (literally in case in case of meat and more figuratively in case of vegetables, etc.) and how it has been treated.

For me the ultimate “fad” is eating with your conscience.

Being conscious of what you put in your mouth.

Of how it affect your body.

And of how it affect the world around you.

And accepting the responsibility of your choices.

It’s our choices that fuel the food industry.

And it’s our choices that make the difference.

18 comments:

  1. Gluten free foods are actually not that bad and there is gluten free desserts you can try too. I was thinking about going on a gluten free diet myself.

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    1. There are a lot of delicious food without gluten, Louida. The difficult thing is the change because you miss what you have always eaten and the new things feel strange. Almost all my comfort foods have gluten and it's hard to make new comfort foods, for instance.

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  2. My body is telling me allot of things when i eat certain things.. you are right we should listen to our bodies, they know best.

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  3. We really do need to listen to our bodies! We don't do that so much and I wonder if it is because we have food readily available for most people? We just give in because we don't worry about out next meal. I do crave chocolate a lot because I want it not because it's something my body needs. I think that by keeping healthy option in my house I can opt to not eat the chocolate that is calling my name......all the time! Haha

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    1. I agree, Dina. There is so much food readily available that we just give in. And the fact that the food is there and you know it creates even more cravings, for things that you really don't need. But chocolate doesn't need to be unhealthy. I love Finnish milk chocolate, it's heavenly but I have been learning to eat Ecuadorian chocolate. It has a lot more cacao, it's darker and has stronger taste and doesn't make me splurge like the Finnish one. But it is actually healthy for me, and it is chocolate.

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  4. My weight has always been up and down. I try to watch my intake every day and that usually helps.

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  5. Well, I cut out wheat, gluten and sugar for two months (actually on more than one occasion), and I have a huge sweet tooth and love bread. Basically, if I wanted to eat something that wasn't nuts or a piece of fruit, I had to make it. I did find that my taste buds became enhanced and everything tasted so much better (not because I was starving)...I was actually eating breakfast lunch and dinner, and my sweetie says it was the best diet in the world because I was never starving. I had so much energy when I cut out the wheat and sugar. I plan on going back, but it's hard when the heat has me craving ice cream...I did buy an ice cream maker to make my own using almond milk, but I haven't gotten around to it.

    BTW, your eyes are soooo pretty.

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    1. Thank you, Yona, what a nice compliment. I've had to make all my snacks and almost everything here, since there are no gluten-free snack sold here. But at the same time it has taught me more about what I put in my food and made me more consciente of the history of my food.

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  6. I think what's most important is listening to your body. I don't believe decreasing certain things is bad for you but some gluten free products (cakes, breads, etc.) are so full of junk and much more carby/starchy than their gluten filled counter parts but many foods are naturally gluten free.

    You have to listen to your body- it knows best.

    My body hates certain things and I crash when I eat them! Gluten doesn't effect me at all, thankfully.

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    1. I agree, listen to your body! And if gluten-free just means buying gluten-free snacks and eating with the same mentality as before, you really haven't changed your lifestyle at all, just camouflaged it a bit.

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  7. That's a great diet tip. We must all learn to what our body tells us. usually, unexplainable craving for a certain fruit or veggie means your body needs that particular vitamin/mineral present in it.

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    1. I started to notice it when I was bregnant, Kero. I had these crazy cravings for potatoes and oranges. I felt like I was choking if I didn't get orange juice, from fresh oranges. And then I started to crave for strawberries. The body knows, we just have lost the ability to listen to it.

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  8. I agree. Listening to your body is the most important part of any diet. I had to go gluten free when my son was born because he was having an allergic reaction to my breast milk and the doctor thought it might be a gluten reaction. It was so hard at first (especially since it was the week before Christmas- no goodies for me), but then I got used to it and noticed I had so much more energy and my skin looked amazing. I'm back on the gluten now, but, I don't eat as much as I did before and certain substitutions like Quinoa pastas and gluten free bread are now a permanent fixture in my diet.

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    1. That is exactly how I'm feeling, Sojourner. And what I eat isn't so much about losing weight for me anymore. I'm still over-weight. But what I want to be is healthy, not fit in certain bikini, lol

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  9. This is very true and can relate..enjoyed reading and like the pictures especially of the fruits. Everything nature gives is soo Beautiful!

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  10. My family and I have been trying to slowly become completely gluten-free, but you are right it is very, very hard!

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  11. Sometimes it is really difficult to deal with the cravings. But yes, for the sake of wellness, eating more fruit and vegetables is great.

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  12. This is a great way to be more mindful about your food. About a year ago, I cut way back on the amount of processed foods I buy. It may be more convenient, but often they are much more unhealthy. I find the recipes I make myself are usually much better! The only exception? Lasagna...I cannot make one to save my life!

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