31 Days {Day 10} – Change Your Diet

Let me start by saying that I am not a healthy eater. Just so we are really clear about this, allow me to make a few confessions: I love chips, desserts, and anything with lots of sugar. I dislike most fruits (I believe it’s a texture thing) and a lot of vegetables (that’s totally a taste thing). I eat red meat more than I should and salads less than I should. I grew up in the 80s and 90s with two working parents whose long hours meant that convenient foods took precedence over healthy foods. And to top it all off, I am a foodie. Which means that food is my language of love, my social experience of choice. I love to socialize over a meal or coffee, and if you want to win me over all you have to do is give me some chocolate. So as I said in the beginning…I am not a healthy eater. Not. At. All.

And yet…a few factors have converged lately, causing me to begin to reevaluate my diet. For one, I’m on the down hill slide into 40. I know 40 isn’t “old” but it isn’t young either. I’m past the point of being carded and my knees are past the point of being able to handle crazy heeled shoes. I’m also past the point of ignoring the warnings about sugar and salt and red meat (and pretty much everything I love to eat). I’m increasingly more aware that if I want to remain healthy, I need to take care of myself. And that includes a healthy diet.

In addition, society has changed a lot over the last few decades. I remember coming home from school and snacking on cookies and a can of coke. There was no organic anything in our house, and the only reason that we had low sugar/no sugar foods at home was because of my Dad’s diabetes. And I know that my house wasn’t the only house like that. But societal norms have changed. Kids are learning to read nutrition labels in preschool and elementary school. They are learning about healthy foods and healthy food choices at a young age. The question of “Is this (apple, hamburger, double chocolate-caramel-cookie dough ice cream), healthy?” comes up fairly frequently around our kitchen table. And I’m more than slightly ashamed to tell you that the kids are the ones asking that question, not me.

As the primary grocery buyer and food preparer in my home, I must acknowledge that I am largely responsible for the food my family eats. I am also aware that my kids are watching everything I eat. B. asked me the other morning if coffee is healthy. Unsure how to respond, I mumbled something like, “It’s not unhealthy.” To which she replied, “But what about all the sugar you just put in it?” Ouch.

And so I am (begrudgingly) moving towards a healthier diet. I’ll admit that it’s a slow process. But I’m reading those pesky nutrition labels more and thinking more about what foods I’m eating. I’m trying to eat more fruits and less ice cream. I have not changed every aspect of my diet and I have not stopped loving chocolate-peanut butter everything. But I’m becoming more conscious, more aware of what foods I’m buying and what foods I’m eating. It’s not easy, but I know it’s worth it.

This post is part of the 31 Days Series-Choose Your Change. Did you miss a day? Visit the 31 Days Welcome page for links to each day.