I love that saying.
Obviously no matter how healthy your diet is, you could still have health problems….there is no disputing that and that is not what that saying is meant to imply.
However, I don’t think you can argue that “you are what you eat”. If we choose to fill our bodies with fresh, whole foods, we are more likely to live healthy, long lives than if we find our sustenance in processed junk. I’m not even talking about saturated fats and all that jazz, because Lord knows I eat my fair share of bacon, eggs, milk, cheese, and butter. I’m talking about real food, food that has been minimally processed-as in no added flavors, colors, or other chemical alterations.
I’ve been eating this way for about five years. You know what? I haven’t gained a pound, even though I used to eat lots of lowfat cheese and reduced-fat chips and crackers and mayo and sour cream. Now I eat the full-fat (less-processed) versions of all of those things (and even make a lot of them myself) and I weigh exactly the same as I did five years ago. And I have my numbers (cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, etc.) checked annually, and they are better thank they used to be (admittedly, I eat a 75% vegetarian diet now…but still). Gasp.
Still, it isn’t easy for me sometimes. I just went to Whole Foods (a little less than affectionately known as “Whole Paycheck” to many) today to stock up on a few items that I can’t get at Publix or Bi-lo (the grocery stores close to my house). I bought several bulk items (I love bulk bins more than I can put into words), some store-brand virgin coconut oil (usually it’s refined coconut oil sold at the larger stores….it’s, well, refined, and the coconut taste is gone, and it costs more), and some local milk and buttermilk (from Cruze Family Farm in Knoxville). $59.00. I cringed. But then I reminded myself of the title of this post.
I spend a lot of money on food. A lot more than most people spend per person at the grocery store, probably…definitely a lot more than I used to spend. The vast majority of what goes into my cart is fresh (perishable) food, and the rest is usually baking supplies. It’s been a process. It’s still a process, and I still crave (and occasionally eat) Doritos. I like to remind myself, though, that (a) it’s still a lot less expensive than eating out, even at fast-food restaurants; and (b) dang, I eat well. It’s all in the perspective.
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