eat like a rainbow...

For most of my life my choice for food was never what was good for my body, but only what "tasted good".  Problem is that I really didn't know what things tasted like because I never TRIED new things.  

I always loved fruit but rather than a serving of grapes, I'd eat an entire bowl, consuming 3-4 times the amount my body needed.  Or strawberries, I'd eat the whole container dipped in cool whip...not so bad?  I topped my over consumption of fruit with plain crackers or a cheese sandwich using white bread and super processed cheese "product".  Ugh.  But wait, I did love a good salad.  Lettuce piled high with cheese, bacon, croutons, and ranch...let's never forget the ranch!  Eeek! And I did love veggies.  Especially fried okra, string beans covered in Italian breadcrumbs and eggplant covered in cheese.  You see, my variety was all wrong.  Instead of nutrients and nourishing my body properly, all I focused on was the emotion I'd get from each bite.  The sense of comfort I'd have after eating garlic bread smothered in butter and while these things are delicious, they did NOTHING for my health and if anything they made it worse.  

This trend stayed with me for years...until I changed my MIND.  The mind is powerful and if the mind wanted processed cheese from a can on top of Ritz crackers then that's what it had.  

It wasn't about my stomach and what tasted good to me, it was about training my brain to get fulfillment out of REAL things rather than food.  Fulfillment from life and the happiness it can bring.  Happiness was no longer confined to my pantry or refrigerator, I was looking elsewhere...

And when I chose unhealthy foods like those, my stomach suffered A LOT.  Cheeseburgers, french fries and a diet coke, pizza, enchiladas with chile con queso and endless chips, bread and pasta galore...NO COLOR and NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE.  I ate that way for YEARS, not days, weeks or months but YEARS :(.  

I paid the price but increasing pant sizes, constant bloat, depression and lack of energy all of the time, it was like I had NO desire to get up and go...ever. I had gallstones and had to have emergency gallbladder surgery in 2004, a very scary experience.  

I suffered from IBS and constipation frequently.  I drank Metamucil like it was a soft drink. And do you know that by changing my diet and lifestyle, these days I have NONE of these issues AT ALL!!  It's true!  

I'm living proof that we are what we eat :) 

and that rainbow plays a HUGE factor to our health.

Needless to say, my plates lacked color...and by this I do not mean the style and color of the plate you use, but what you choose to put ON that plate for every meal!  Ha, nice try :) 

Today these foods fuel my body and I find pleasure and happiness through life.  My family, my boys and my husband.  Family and friends close together and my workout group.  My fitness and improvements every day with my health make me happy and I feel strong.  

A few examples of colorful foods...

1/2 c cottage cheese, 2 egg whites sauteed in coconut oil spray with fresh berries.  

1/2 cottage cheese, 1 clementine orange, caramel rice cake, pb and fresh blueberries.  

...and while with family over the weekend, I opted for this,

sliced turkey roll ups, 1/2 granny smith apple, salad with extra virgin olive oil, dried cranberries and toasted sesame seeds.  I could have had a white bread sandwich and chips but created this healthy option instead :)  These days I love breaking away from the pack and making my own tasty goodies knowing I'm treating my body right :)

Your turn...

DO YOU EAT LIKE A RAINBOW?

Choose color by choosing foods with nutrients rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.  The healthy, good-for-you foods leave us feeling fuller longer, energized throughout the day and keep our bodies feeling fueled and strong...what's not to love about that??