Eating "clean" has changed the way I feel from top to bottom. I no longer have out-of-control cravings for sugar. I have a lot more energy. I'm waking up easily in the mornings. All these crazy aches and pains have gone away.
What is eating clean? For me: no milk, no sugar, no chemicals, no genetically modified food, no processed food, no hydrogenated oils, no white flour. I've been eating a lot more organic produce. Replaced high fructose corn syrup and added sugars with fresh fruit and stevia. Replaced my beloved cow's milk for unsweetened almond milk. Started cooking fresh food for myself or buying freshly cooked food, rather than processed and preserved food. I refuse to put any artificial sweeteners or man-made chemicals into my body. Juicing occasionally to use up my fresh produce. Basically, I'm eating food that is closer to the way it exists in nature.
And it's PAYING OFF!
My moods are stabilized without the crazy sugar/insulin/sugar swings. My brain is working at a more optimal and less foggy level. My digestive system is balancing out.
I'm not being fanatical, just responsible and balanced. I wanted a cupcake so badly last night, and I got a little one baked fresh at Whole Foods. I knew there were no hydrogenated oils or crazy additives and it wasn't nearly as sweet, but it was satisfying.
The other night, I was tempted to stop and get something for dinner. I usually stop at Boston Market, which is a better option than most places because I get freshly cooked food. But, I remembered I had plenty of food in my fridge. I came home and took 15 minutes to thaw and cook some black tiger shrimp in garlic and some reheated brown rice and peas. Stir fried everything in the garlic and olive oil and put it on a plate with fresh tomatoes and sea salt. It was very yummy.
There's a saying that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness", and maybe that's true but not in the way we have been interpreting it. I believe God lives in us, not in a church. So, in that respect keeping your body clean is keeping your "temple" clean, right? I feel closer to everything around me now that I'm starting to get my body working like it was intended to work.
