I'm not one for labels. My diet is ever changing, just like my body. The one rule that I do stick to, as often as possible, is food that is whole and unprocessed. In that light, my body has been trying to tell me for a couple of months now, that it's time for a bit of a change. As noted in my previous blog post, that started with me giving up coffee, although that's not the only thing that's changed.
Over the last couple of months I've felt unusually sluggish, tired and stressed. Some of this is due to life and all of that good stuff, but most of it is my body saying that it's time for a change in diet. Throughout my adult life I've ebbed and flowed through variations of a whole foods diet. At one time, I was very strict paleo, then, I moved over to a more ayurvedic centered way of eating. After that, I dabbled in the ketogenic diet and still play around with intermittent fasting. Now, I've shifted my focus to be much more veggie centric.
I'm a firm believer in my body and what it has to say. There was a time in my life when animal protein at every meal worked really well for me. I felt fantastic, my weight was exactly where I wanted it to be and my stress levels were low.
“Our body, environment, work, stress and relationships are always changing which means that what we eat for support should change as well.”
For some of you, this may seem confusing and you may be asking yourself, "so, should I be a vegetarian? Or is paleo better? What about keto"? Listen, all of these ways of eating are wonderful, as long as they are based on whole, mostly organic foods. What's important is how you feel and whether that specific way of eating suits your body and where you currently are in your life. Our body, environment, work, stress and relationships are always changing which means that what we eat for support should change as well. It could be that you've been a vegetarian for years but recently, you've gained some weight and aren't sleeping as well. It could be your body telling you that it's time to think about adding in more healthy fats or even some wild fish here and there.
This is the smoothie bowl I've been really into. It's almond milk, kale, vega protein powder, MCT oil and almond butter topped with blueberries, chia and cacao.
One style of eating does not suit all nor does it support you through your entire life. For me, right now, I'm playing around with a mostly vegetarian based diet that is high in fat. My breakfasts and lunches are mostly based on whole, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, quinoa, steel cut oats, olive oil, beans, nuts and coconut oil, with the addition of a little bit of animal protein in the evenings. I'm calling it the Vegetarian before 6PM lifestyle :) So far, I've been feeling great, plus it's fun to experiment with my body and change things up here and there.
Please, don't fall into the trap of thinking that just because one style of eating worked well for someone, that it's the very best way for you to reach your health goals. It's your body, so as long as you are eating whole foods, you need to do what's right for you! I'd love to hear more about what you're feeding your body right now and how it's making you feel. Please leave comments below! xo