What We Eat Powerfully Impacts How We Feel
The power of food to impact how we feel can’t be overstated. I noticed that today, post-last night’s Superbowl pizza. A good chunk of the day I’ve felt tired and I’m chalking it up to my wheat and dairy consumption last night — that pizza did a real number on me.
Here’s how I know. The last several weeks I’ve been detoxing. If you’ve read some of my posts over the last three weeks, you know that I did a raw food juice cleanse for 5 days that was absolutely fabulous. Afterward, I felt refreshed and lighter both physically and emotionally. Coming out of the cleanse, I’ve been focused on eating the cleanest diet I can – no wheat, no dairy, no sugar, only small amounts of high quality meat, lots of raw fruits and vegetables as well as some cooked. Interestingly, it hasn’t been hard. I’m a meal planning guru and with some forethought, it’s gone quite smoothly.
What I’ve loved is that I haven’t been craving anything, especially sugar. There’s something about breaking that addiction that makes all the difference in how you feel — simply put, it’s totally freeing. And because wheat and dairy doesn’t agree with me either and contribute to periodic flare ups of eczema (especially the wheat), that’s on my banned list too.
We decided to forego a Superbowl party specifically so we could avoid eating a lot of junk and having pizza didn’t seem so bad, in a relative sense. And because Bruce has been on a serious mission to banish sugar from his diet (he loves it but allows himself a small treat every three weeks — a great strategy for him), and since there’s a whole host of things I’m not eating, missing the party was a great way for us to stay on track.
Except for that pizza of course. But here’s the thing: the pizza was so heavy I could barely sleep even though I’d digested it hours before. And when I woke up today, I was totally congested — itchy eyes, runny nose — and seriously bloated and tired. And because I haven’t been eating these things, it was all the more noticeable that these foods just don’t make me feel good. I certainly knew it before, but this was one of those really big “aha” moments — I totally got it.
In the end, my experiment with the pizza was all about tuning into my body and trusting it to lead me in the right direction. As much as I like pizza, it’s not worth the discomfort and side effects. But tuning in gave me great insight into my body and what I do and don’t need.
Are you a food sleuth? Are there certain foods that make you feel your best or worse? When was the last time you listened to your body for wisdom and what did you learn? Please share your thoughts below.
Filed under: Allergies, Body wisdom, Food and mood, Healthy Meals, High Quality Food
Hi Wendy,
I appreciated your post today. I remember doing a three week elimination diet and then reintroducing oatmeal and soy. These were two foods I thought I had no problem tolerating. Much to my surprise both gave me bad headaches and slight nausea. It was a real lesson for me on the power of tuning into our bodies. It is amazing what we learn when they are all cleaned out.