cultivate wellness
i am a dietitian. the word diet is in the title of what i'm trained to be. and the definition of that word to many, and in a lot my training, is related to restriction, either calories or certain foods due to medical issues. recently, i've been thinking a lot about that definition.as with most things, you often don't think about them until you have to. food and i have not always had a positive relationship, with the end of high school and the beginning of college being marked by an eating disorder (i can't believe i actually typed that out on the internet, FYI). after a whole lot of healing, my obsession perspective was channeled into a degree in nutrition. i couldn't get enough of the courses, the information, the content.but even in my training as a dietitian i knew i wanted something different. i didn't want to be seeing people after a heart attack and talk to them about low-sodium, low-fat diets (these dietitians are critical in the hospital by the way, but that wasn't for me). i remember in my internship standing outside of patient's rooms, chart in hand, dreading going in because i felt like what i had to say was lost on stressed ears or not feasible for these patients.i remember the light bulb moment that happened, probably hiding in an empty room because i didn't want to go into the next one, that i wanted to focus on prevention. i didn't know what that looked like, but i knew i wanted to help people before they got to a heart attack.i fell in love with public health and that widened and broadened my world-views in ways i'm exceptionally grateful for. but i've realized recently, my personal perspective on prevention and wellness has always been rooted in my own insecurities.my mindset, up until january 2016 was weight loss. even if i acted like it wasn't, it was and still that's a daily battle, i think it always will be for me. i know what i "should" eat, and while that definition has changed vastly over the past 15 years, calories and nutrition have been at the forefront of my mind every single second of every day.two babies in the span of two years has changed my mindset, and my body in so many ways. while i've changed what i eat, my emotions and physical health have directed that erroneously (ahem, to mcdonalds). after darlin one was born the weight didn't come off like "they" said it would (who are they anyway? i don't like them), and while i gained the appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy i was left with an inappropriate amount that wouldn't leave.
i did a weight-loss program that i have the highest regard for, but that's what it was to me, something i did and then moved on, not something that was sustainable or permanent. and so, after darlin two's birth, while i hoped and prayed it would be different, it wasn't, and i was in the same place feeling defeated and negative about myself and my perceived inability to fit healthy eating and exercise into my days.
but something changed last fall, come with me on a rabbit trail for a minute. i haven't been "well" in a long time. my sweet husband used to joke that i was the sickest, healthiest person he knew. true story. before kids i was within my BMI range, low cholesterol, low blood pressure, active, yada yada yada. but, and a huge but, i had so.many.health problems. i thought my lot was a poor immune system, and that's how my body was and that couldn't change.then i discovered essential oils, and i'm not saying that for any other reason than these little amber bottles changed so many things for me. i discovered i could support my immune, respiratory, and digestive systems in natural ways and not have polypharmacy (most common in the eldery) in my thirties. i discovered that my body wasn't broken or flawed. i discovered that i wanted to cultivate wellness.and there is a huge point to that tangent, that mindset has infiltrated my perspective on what i eat as well. i'm at the beginning of this, so don't laugh or say what took you so long?! i think the hardest part to be honest is that i, as you know, like black and white and that's why "diets" appeal to me. but i need something sustainable, that works for me. and with all things health related, i think we all need to switch from a "one size, box, medicine, food" fits all.at this point i'm not going to eat paleo, or do a whole30. there is nothing wrong with either of those, and i adopt principles from both, but for me and my family right now i need to do something that is sustainable.people have said, "you should create a diet and write a book!" well that book would be very short. it would have michael pollans quote "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" and a sentence about water, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and limited sugar.i'm not interested in a diet, i'm interested in a way of eating. i'm not interested in restriction, i'm interested in whole foods. i'm not interested in complicated, i'm interested in simple.i'm still figuring out what that looks like for me and my family, but what i do know is that i want to cultivate a lifestyle of wellness in our home, and show my girls what that looks like, and not in a "do what i say, not what i do" way. i want to learn more about how the foods i eat effect the conditions i do have and to learn more about nutrition in a holistic way.
i hope this encourages someone reading this, whether you've never thought about cultivating wellness and think in terms of diet, or if you are struggling with the same thing.if you google "diet" a second definition comes up--the kinds of foods that a person eats.let's figure out what that definition is together.p.s. if you want to learn more about how i'm incorporating essential oils into this holistic lifestyle journey, join my private facebook group, a space to ask questions and see ways i use them with our family.
