The reason why I take nutrition extremely seriously is because I was the worst eater growing up in my teenage years and early twenties. I had to learn the hard way how to shift from eating whatever I wanted (pasta all day was my go-to) to eating super clean and balanced. It took me FIVE years to figure that out.
I truly did not care about nutrition until I hit 22, when my metabolism suddenly slowed down drastically and didn't process my choice of a starch-carb-based-diet as it had done for over 10 years. When it changed so rapidly, I did not understand why, my first thought was "why is my body changing if my diet hasn't changed". I had always worked out daily (I was a gymnast until I turned 14 and have been going to the gym daily ever since!) and it took me from 22, until I was 27 to figure out (with tons of research and trial and error, since I did not have the money to hire professionals then) to understand what clean eating was all about, and to see the changes my body made from the inside out.
And I talk about the inside too because my immune system was SO weak, I got sick every other month all through my teenage years until I hit 25ish, when I started slowly including more and more healthy habits. I now have not been sick for over five years, other than during pregnancy once.
MAJOR THINGS I CHANGED THROUGH MY FIVE YEAR LEARNING PROCESS FOR A HEALTHIER BODY INSIDE & OUT?
Lowered my starch-carb intake to ONE serving per day
Cut off all added sugar
Cut off all processed food
Cut off all sodas
Cut off all alcohol
Cut off red meat & chicken
Cut off dairy for a long time (I started eating through pregnancy and breastfeeding)
Added tons of veggies and green juice daily
Added kombucha daily (see why)
Added probiotics daily
Added tons of superoods (see my top smoothies)
Added collagen daily
I limited coffee to one shot a day (if any) and added natural sources of energy
Started drinking matcha tea which boosts your metabolism & is a great source of antioxidants
Started taking daily multi vitamins
With all these changes not only my body & immune system changed but my metabolism picked up, and my mood & energy were boosted! I started overall feeling better, being more confident, energized and motivated.
And, this is why I take Sofia's nutrition SO seriously. I know picky eating is created the moment they are introduced to foods and how they are introduced to them is key too, I know that if she learns to love healthy natural food and to understand healthy habits and a balanced lifestyle, she will more likely continue to make healthy food choices as she grows older. I also know her immune health will be as strong as possible eating in such a balanced way.
Luckily my partner eats the same way as I do. When we met we had the same eating and workout habits, this healthy lifestyle definitely helped us bond and live together. And I definitely want our kids to be a part of this lifestyle as well, I want all of us to sit at a table and eat clean, I want all of us to be healthy and feed our brains & bodies right because it does wonders!
If they rebel as teenagers and want to start eating junk, oh well, at least have the tools to go back to healthy eating quick and not take five years to figure it out like.
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