Giving up your favorite foods is never easy.
There is one question I get from almost every new client beginning their journey with healing foods.
“Do I have to give up my favorite foods forever?”
And my answer is always the same.
No! You don’t have to give up your favorite foods to heal! Share on XSurprised?
Keep reading.
MAKING A CHANGE
Changing your diet to heal can feel like a loss.
As I shared in my recent blog, How to Go Dairy-Free, when I first got sick, it broke my heart to say goodbye to freshly baked naan – one of my favorite childhood foods (naan is often made with gluten, which I could no longer tolerate).
Many of us go through a natural mourning period when we say goodbye to troublemaker foods like eggs, dairy, baked sweets with butter and gluten, and junk foods.
Food is often deeply tied to our emotions, providing comfort and connection to our upbringing. But if we’re not careful, food can also hold us back and undermine our health.
There comes a point where we must decide – do we want to eat for pleasure or health?
This doesn’t mean we lose all joy in eating. It’s about creating a new list of favorite foods so that you’re not giving up anything in the long run, just making changes.
“DO YOU EVEN ENJOY FOOD?”
I remember talking to a former colleague in my past life in the corporate world about a cleanse I was embarking on.
She was shocked at how limiting she felt my cleanse guidelines were and asked me the following question.
“Do you even enjoy food?”
After I got over the shock of the question, I exclaimed, “Yes! I love food! I love eating!”
I couldn’t think of anything else to say because the thought of not enjoying my food had never entered my head.
This was when the light bulb went on.
I’ve always loved food. But the foods I love have changed. Share on XSOMETHING NEW
It’s not about giving up your favorite foods forever but establishing new favorites.
Can you continue to eat French fries, cheesy omelets, buttery pork pies, guacamole with sour cream, and large amounts of non-fruit ice cream and expect to improve your health? No.
But ask yourself – would you really want to? Don’t our long-term health, day-to-day energy levels, and a sense of caring for our beautiful bodies override the 15-minute pleasure of a few bites of food we know isn’t healthy?
Are we really enjoying ourselves so much when we drink alcohol and eat fried foods? If you haven’t read my blog, What Alcohol Does to Our Brains and Livers, it’s a must.
There is an abundance of delicious foods available to us. We’re alive during a time when access to food has never been easier.
A few decades ago, it would have been impossible to get fresh mangoes, dragon fruit, wild blueberries, and papaya throughout North America, Australia, and Europe. We are so fortunate!
And creativity with recipes that are healing, or at least not disruptive to health, has never been more abundant!
CELEBRATE YOUR HEALING FOODS
We’re heading into summer, which is full of occasions to celebrate. From Memorial Day to Mother’s Day brunch to the 4th of July in the United States and beyond, we’ll have picnics and potlucks to attend.
That doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of wonderful foods that also nourish your body, mind, and soul.
This week we start with Cinco de Mayo, a festive holiday with rich food traditions.
Are you celebrating this week? Come prepared with delicious replacement recipes of your own that still honor the spirit of the holiday!
My Taco Platter and All the Fixings blog includes recipes like Healthy Guacamole, Jackfruit Mushroom Taco Meat, Spicy Tomato Salsa, Creamy Fat-Free Cheese Dip, Vegan Three Bean Chili, and Cashew Cheese.
If you create a platter with those recipes, I guarantee your family will want to try some – you won’t be alone eating healthy alternatives! And check out my Amazon store for great healthy finds like Siete grain-free taco shells and tortilla chips.
Looking for a Mother’s Day brunch option? Look no further than my Cheesy Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms or my mother’s Date and Walnut Cake recipe that I adjusted to offer healing benefits.
This Classic Potato Salad will be a hit at any picnic or potluck, as well as my Homemade Dill Cream Cheese paired with Za’atar Pita Cassava Crackers.
And nobody will give you side-eye at your next cookout when you have these delicious Jackfruit Kebabs, Baked Falafel, or Vegan Meatballs packed and ready.
And if you want to wow your dinner party guests, you will not find anyone hungry after serving my brand new Vegetable Biryani Three Ways recipe.
Still don’t believe me when I say YOU HAVE OPTIONS! Check out my Top 16 Healing Recipes blog for more inspiration.
Are you struggling with a health condition, looking for answers to your chronic illness, or seeking a like-minded community focused on living a life based on health and wholeness?
We’d love to invite you into our Intuitive Healing Community!
Get support, get answers, and connect with hundreds of people worldwide who are healing chronic illness and sharing their experiences to empower others.
DON’T DESPAIR – GET CREATIVE!
You’ll be surprised at how easy it can be to adjust your favorite unhealthy meals to become healthful meals.
You can create a decadent and delicious Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese with nut-based cheese and gluten-free pasta. You can still enjoy sweet and satisfying cookies like my Hamantashen with Rose Jam with healthy flour and coconut oil instead of wheat flour and butter.
I understand that changing diet and lifestyle can sometimes be difficult and even sad. Growing up in a toxic world, we inevitably must leave some things behind to be our healthiest.
Check out my Does Your Sickness Make You Angry? blog for ideas on how to cope with and adjust to the changes that your healing protocols may require.
And visit my Open Letter to Partners of the Chronically Ill and Love Is Nothing Without Compassion blogs if you and your partner find it especially challenging to navigate sharing your lives while one of you is healing.
Our mindset makes all the difference.
If we can find a way to see these changes as an opportunity to build a new foundation for our lives, one that will serve us for many years to come as we build up our health with every meal, it’s not deprivation – it’s empowerment.
Showing ourselves that we CAN create new favorite foods AND enjoy them proves that we have the power to make any change in our lives that we choose.
This brings invaluable strength to our minds and bodies as we overcome cravings and forge a new path.
PEACE WITH LETTING GO
So do we have to give up some of what we used to enjoy to live our best life? Sometimes. But isn’t that the nature of life?
We are constantly changing, why not change for the better? And why not celebrate and embrace that choice?
When we apply the right mindset, we’re not giving up the “good stuff” for good – we’re redefining what “good stuff” means.
After enjoying a bowl of perfectly ripe papaya, you will never find me wanting. And although I don’t partake in the wheat flour naan of my childhood, I’ve created my own Coconut Garlic Naan recipe that gives me extra joy knowing that it was borne of my creativity and commitment to thrive in my body.
I wish you that same sense of peace and enjoyment, and I’m honored to support you as you discover it.
To your health and peace,
Muneeza
