The month I turned 16, and I can categorically say that this was the month where I had my final ‘it’s not worth it moments’. I’d say that 90% of my diet was totally clean; wheat-free wholegrains, lots of veggies, fresh fruit, natural dairy (I’d switched to 100% organic milk), nuts, seeds, quality fish and meat and small amounts of things like honey and cacao. However there was still that 10% that I needed to improve on – for the sake of my physical and mental health.
I remember going to the Royal Adelaide Show and having fried rice with stir-fried veggies from an Asian Takeaway stall … probably one of the most nutritious options available, but too greasy for my tummy to handle. I went to the dairy pavillion for dessert (a visit to the dairy pavillion was tradition). I tried to compromise; ordering a milkshake without the ice-cream, so it was just milk and chocolate flavour … and it DID NOT go down well. That night I felt nauseas and shaky (I blame the additives in the chocolate syrup).
The next day was my birthday, I had a near perfect day, except for my free birthday ‘Boost Juice’. Way too high in sugar and no where near as satisfying as I would’ve liked (this was the day I outgrew their smoothies, and switched to fresh juices instead).
The next day (yep, all my a-ha’s occurred very consistently) was my 16th birthday dinner. I, along with some of my closest friends, went out to this lovely restaurant near the beach (it was a freezing cold September night, but we braved the evening chills for some obligatory photos on the beach front before heading to the restaurant) for dinner. My dinner was lovely; crispy salmon with a pumpkin and parmesean crust, on a bed of fresh rocket and a housemade spud salad.
Then dessert happened. I actually decided to just order a herbal tea, becuase after my run-in with the chocolate shake the other night (and my smoothie disappointment the previous day) I figured my body deserved a break from sugar and wheat.
I was doing great, execpt for the fact that there were several slices of very rich chocolate cake (with the thickest chocolate cream you could imagine) making their way around the table, as they were too rich for my friends to eat by themselves. They offered me some and, chocolate cake being my weakness (and the rationalisation centre of my brain screaming “GO ON!!! IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!”), I indulged in just a few bites.
Within 10 minutes I had to make a beeline for the loos … and I projectule vomited that cake right back up. I was shivering and felt revolting. Apart from a few sips of my mum’s Mango Magic Boost Juice a few weeks later (which didn’t make me feel sick, but I found it hard to stop … sure sign of sugar addiction right there), that was the last time I compromised on food. I’d had enough experiences where I linked sickness to sugary, wheaty, refined foods, to know that no food was worth feeling so unwell for.
Something else happened this month that was a real game changer … I enjoyed my very first slice of raw chocolate cheesecake. Who knew that something so decadent and tasty, could be made from just nuts, cacao and dates? I figured if I could still enjoy treats like this, but without the sickness that usually followed, then I was just fine sticking to 100% whole foods. I kid you not it was the nicest cake I’ve eaten in my entire life, healthy or unhealthy, raw or cooked.
On average, the rest of the month, looked a lot like the following example …
Breakfast: homemade carrot and onion soup with chia seeds
Morning Snack: a fresh Organic Fuji Apple
Lunch: Chia spelt bread toasted sandwich with grated carrot and natural cheddar cheese
Afternoon Tea: nuts, seeds and raisins, sauteed in tamari sauce
Dinner: baked salmon with baked spuds and salad or steamed veggies
Dessert: glass of organic skim milk with cinnamon and a heaped spoonful of natural peanut butter
As you can see, things were much cleaner and there were no more compromises. I remember feeling really fantastic on 100% whole foods, and felt empowered in the knowledge that I could relieve nausea, tummy aches and anxiety/depression just by getting rid of that last 10% of questionable foods.
Tip #9 for Transitioning to a Whole foods diet …
You’ve been at this for 9 months now … it’s time to step things up, identify any last few niggling health concerns that are directly linked to the small amount of ‘negotiables’ left in your diet. It’s not a matter of deprivation, but rather choosing vitality over mediocrity. You needn’t question food groups, just ingredient quality and pureness. Oh, and if you haven’t already, try some raw chocolate cheesecake or fudgy bliss balls … they will convince you to give up those last few ‘questionables’. When health tastes that orgasmic, why waste stomach space on something substandard?