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Is “Eating Healthy” Like a New Form of Religion? Do We Have to “Believe” to Get It? Are We Just Strange for Doing It?

Endometriosis Cysts

I guess we only change our habits when we get sick. Otherwise we assume everything is fine. We don’t question our eating or what we do to our bodies until that point. Or most of us anyway…

I know I never considered the importance of what I ate or how it affected my health until I got sick and realised, some years later, how much of an influence my diet had on my Endometriosis. I now eat totally differently and for those few moments where I don’t stick to my different way of eating, I feel terrible. My body rebels and I get every symptom I used to have but everything is multiplied by 10. I get extreme nausea, extremely bad stomach issues and also pain with Endo.

I only really notice that my eating is dramatically different when I spend time with others, who don’t see the importance of it or appreciate “eating healthy.” I feel like I am convincing them of some new religion. Some different way of life that comes with “eating healthy.” It is like I am talking a foreign language and they just can’t understand why I value it so much. I really struggle with it sometimes. I see people eating margarine or not drinking any water at all and I feel like shaking them. I feel like shouting at them in a big loud voice, “Do you not get that that is going to make you sick?”

I feel like one of those people trying to convert others to Christianity or any other religion. I am such a strong believer in my “healthy eating” that I am totally convinced it is vital for everyone to do it. Yet I seem to hit a brick wall with people who are not sick. It is just not a priority and my “eating healthy” seems silly to them. It is like I am just this healthy nutter who wants to be difficult, avoiding all sorts of “standard” food groups.

Do you find it hard to stick to your new way of eating because of those around you?

I can see why. It is not just that there seems to be so much more choice when you go out to eat from all the foods that we know make us feel worse… it is also that when you do request just a salad or something reasonably healthy, others look at you strangely… like you are just being difficult or you want “special attention.” I really hate it. They might ask, “Are you on a diet or something?” NO! I am just giving my body what it needs!

I hate that “being healthy” is considered by society as strange or abnormal. Why is it still considered odd to give our body the best that we can? Why is it still that these nasty foods that exist out there everywhere are still considered what the mass market wants?

Why is it still so hard to convince others that “eating healthy” shouldn’t be optional. It should be a life choice to give our body the best that we can. I find it surprising how little people still know about their health and how what they eat affects it.

On some level I feel compelled to convert the world! I feel like I want to spread the real information of what these foods are really doing to our health. I want to get the message out there and help people get well again. I want to make sure others know more and can make better choices.

Thing is, as much as I want to do all these things and as much as I want my message to be heard about how “eating healthy” can change your life, it is still not something I will always succeed in with every single person.

It is simple. People will only change their habits when they get sick or they see others around them get sick. We are just like that. Yes, sure there are those that do stick to a healthy diet with just that as motivation but it is probably quite a small percentage. Most of us only change when we feel we “have to change to feel better.”

The reality is, I can’t make you change your diet. I can’t make you stop drinking milk or stop eating meat. I can’t watch what you eat and advise you what it is really doing to your digestion, your liver or any other organ. I just don’t possess such powers… unfortunately!

“Eating healthy” is a choice and requires a commitment. I guess much like a religion. You need to first believe it will make a difference and then you have to commit to doing it, each and every day. It is only once you truly believe and take action that good things will happen to you and your health.

I sometimes feel I have become obsessive with “eating healthy.” I seldom eat anything that isn’t within that realm. Thing is, to me it is not about “being good” or “being bad.” It is a choice of, “How do I want to feel tomorrow or for the next 3 days?” Good or bad? That makes the decision so much easier and less complicated. I don’t look at chocolate cake the same way anymore. I just know that I will feel terrible for eating and it is not worth the 10 minutes I might get in enjoyment at that very moment.

I guess you have to ask yourself how much you believe in “healthy eating” to heal your Endometriosis and how strict you want to be with it… how important is it to you to get better?

Our nutrition is what the body uses to build, work and function each and every day. Assuming your diet doesn’t play a role in your healing is just plain silly. Of course it matters and it makes a HUGE difference to how you will feel with Endometriosis.

Hugs, Melissa x
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This Post Has 14 Comments

  1. Melissa

    Yeah it is true! I guess when people are ready they will find the information they need too 🙂 We can only help those who want to be helped isn’t it? Glad your dad is on the aloe. It helps heaps. It actually helps absorb medication more so that might mean he can lower the stuff he is on, eventually.
    Thanks for the tip on Vitacost 🙂

  2. Wend

    I feel that way too, like I’m preaching. I also feel like they too think I am trying to convert them. I’m merely educating them. There was a study out there that if people knew i.e. if foods contained GMOs they wouldn’t eat them. But who’s gonna tell them? Not the big corporations! So me & you have to. But have to find a way to communicate it w/ them so that it doesn’t offend them & just helps them think. Ever noticed that we humans don’t ‘think’ much anymore! We have computers & everything else that ‘thinks’ for us.
    He takes Aloe Vera Juice & it seems to help him, tho he still suffers. He’s on so many medications tho too so that may be hindering.
    I’ve tried pure choc before but it’s not the same. That will be a goal for later. I’ve cut out so much that choc is pretty much my only comfort food now.
    Oh, if you girls want a nice place to order products, go to Vitacost.com . They have a HUGE selection of a wide variety of products at discounted prices. I heard of them thru Natural News.

  3. Melissa

    I guess when we get it, we really get it and perhaps it is like an evolution of sorts. Well done on committing for real change and for moving past the remarks. It is nice when you have a support base around you. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  4. kami sanders

    Melissa~
    I feel like I could have written every line myself. Seriously. Thanks so much for putting my thoughts and feelings on “paper”. I do have a great support network that now “believes” in my endeavors to eat healthy. But its been a process. Years and years. I have decided to act in grace towards those who mock or misunderstand. I think, personally, they are afraid. No one really wants to be confronted with something they need to change. Even though I’m not trying to communicate that THEY need to change…it is somehow interpreted that way. All I ask is that I have the freedom to eat the way I want to eat. After realizing how much it helps both my emotional and physical symptoms of Endo, I am not going to stop for some silly remark anymore than I would turn a car around for an ant crossing the road. I’m so thankful my family is with me in this.

  5. Melissa

    Hey Wend. Well done for trying convert people. I find it really hard sometimes cos I always feel like I am preaching. I hate going to the supermarket! I always want to yell at people and tell them what the foods are really doing to them! Do you think your dad would try Aloe Vera Juice? It is easy to add to other juices and it would dramatically help his arthritis. I just love it!
    Interesting about magnesium. Have you tried eating pure chocolate beans? Cocoa beans?

  6. Wend

    Such great articles! I love learning & researching things & am always on the lookout for new info.
    My husband is getting more into eating healthy. My mom & her cancer scare pushed her. Tho she has a hard time ‘cos my dad who is 73 & Dutch does not do well to change. He has so many health problems but doesn’t see the connection. Like he has bad arthritis & I had read that for some people, when they cut out nightshade veggies (potatoes, tomatoes, etc), they have relief. He’s not willing.
    I do take magnesium, even tried a higher dosage for awhile, & didn’t see a difference. I think I crave choc ‘cos it’s choc. LOL It’s not really the sugar ‘cos when I make my shakes, I use Stevia.
    Wend

  7. Melissa

    Hi Wend,
    Thanks for your thoughts and the sad realities that are simply a lack of knowledge by many people. If we all help educate those around us as to how bad those options are, then we can all do our bit to help save others from poor health. Each one of us can make a difference to 1 or 2 people each and every week. You will feel heaps better for it 🙂
    If you eat real Kakoa Beans straight from the source, they are actually considered a superfood. Make sure you use it in a smoothy with cocoa butter or something sweet as it tastes quite bitter but it has heaps of benefits for the body. I know David Wolfe swears by it. Check him out on http://www.foodmatters.tv. I cut out chocolate 6months ago and barely miss it – perhaps only have some at Easter but I don’t feel like my life is devoud of it for not having it. I guess it was the sugar I was craving more than the chocolate 🙂 I used to be like you with Chocolate. I would usually eat a slab a day and believed I couldn’t live without it. They actually say that a strong desire for chocolate is a lack of Magnesium in the body. – worth looking into….

    Thanks for sharing those articles. I also looked into them a while ago:
    http://endoempowered.com/selenium-linked-to-curing-endometriosis/
    http://endoempowered.com/is-your-mouth-a-source-of-infection-bacteria-could-it-explain-the-lowered-immune-system-in-your-body/
    http://endoempowered.com/the-scary-link-between-endometriosis-and-dioxin-be-sure-to-avoid-it/
    http://endoempowered.com/inflammation-and-endometriosis-what-is-the-connection-what-inflammatory-aids-can-we-take/

    Exchange of information is always great 🙂
    Thanks for sharing.

  8. Wend

    I’ve always been a healthy eater w/ the occasional choc binges (esp. that time of month! LOL) Only the last few years tho have my husband & I been eating more & more organic & eliminating processed junk i.e. HFCS, colors & numbers, GMOs, etc. We would have done it earlier if the info was out there. We knew of some parents who would take their kids to McDonald’s near daily & that was their meals. Yeah, it is cheaper than organic but you pay the price. People don’t know HOW to eat healthy or WHAT healthy is. Most kids don’t know that hamburger comes from cows & most likely cows that are in cramped, unsanitary conditions. If you see a farm w/ no windows, you know it’s a factory farm! One article I read actually had a farmer state that animals don’t need sunshine or grass. & people believe that!
    If more & more people were educated on what being healthy is & would see farms, they would change their minds. But it’s the ‘see, hear, speak no evil’. If you watch mainstream TV, read mainstream newspapers, you won’t find the ‘deep dark secrets’ of the bad things. The sponsors are i.e. Coca-Cola, McDonald’s. If we stay sick, THEY keep getting paid.
    Food triggers my pains & I’ve had to cut my diet significantly. I will not cut out choc tho. I get dairy & soy free choc (expensive!) but I’ve had to cut out so many other foods, choc is not an option. I do want to live a life! This choc doesn’t bother me tho. Actually, it seems to help get the digestive tract going LOL & believe me, w/ endo, I have difficulty in that area.
    I never heard of mercury & endo link but I wouldn’t be surprised. Toxins disrupt our immune system which creates these diseases. You can try to find a holistic dentist (the nearest one for us is an hour & ½ away!). Some can safely remove amalgam fillings as well as have better options for fillings. One Mercola article stated porcelain is best.
    If I may post some articles that would be of interest:
    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/06/porcelain-best-replacement-for-silver-amalgam-dental-fillings.aspx
    http://www.naturalnews.com/031943_selenium_mercury.html
    http://www.cancerdecisions.com/121001.html This is for cancer but also explains ‘bout how selenium in brazil nuts (read for more info on unshelled vs shelled) can help remove mercury from the body.
    Wend

  9. Melissa

    Hi Ann-Marie. Mercury is basically a toxin which is now sitting in the mouth. It leaks into the body and causes your liver to work overtime. Indirectly your endo will be affected 🙂
    The video should be live today….. then you can hear it from the doc himself 🙂

  10. Ann-Marie

    I’d be interested to hear what you find.. I’ve got 4 mercury fillings, and was never offered the option of white ones, mind you no point getting white ones if they’re inclined to fall out. It was a naturapath herbalist who hit on the idea that the mercury has promoted the endo, she gave me an explanation at the time but alot of it was a new language to me so it went over my head.. looking forward to reading your post on it 🙂

  11. Melissa

    I know! Especially when we have lost some unnecessary weight! They are just jelous 🙂

  12. Melissa

    Hi Ann-Marie,
    That is funny you should mention Fillings, Crowns and stuff with Endo. I went to get my tooth done last week for this very reason and my dentist has agreed to have an interview done with me to ask him some of these questions. It will be good to get it from the Dentists mouth – ha ha!
    I asked him on Wednesday and he definitely dislikes mercury. It is a poison afterall. I will get the full scoop hopefully soon 🙂

  13. annabelle

    AMEN Sister!! 🙂
    Another thing that drives me nuts is that because eating healthy is “different” people think I don’t eat or not enough. I do eat! Trust me I don’t like to feel hungry too long…

  14. Ann-Marie

    Hi Melissa,

    I think we can all relate to this topic whether it’s coz you’re eating healthier or you’ve gone on a night out and chosen to drive, try quitting smoking and see how alien you become to your smoker friends lol I guess it’s human nature when people see you trying to better yourself it makes them feel somewhat inferior like you’ve highlighted the err of their ways by trying to improve your life! I’ve no doubt also done this myself to others at times.
    Food never seemed to trigger pain with my endo, I wonder if this is a negative as it makes it harder to avoid the stuff known to promote it’s existence.
    I was advised by the herbalist I’m attending to cut down mostly on wheat, dairy, and meat. Moderation being the key, I’m ‘good’ 70% of the time, it can be tough at work especially with everyone throwing goodies at ya during tea break, I’ve also stopped using refined sugar and caffeine, which has unfortunately attracted a lot of attention as people want to know why you’re off these things!! Obviously my ovarian cysts and endo are not something I discuss openly with the office lol thank god for the Catholic fasting period we call ‘Lent’!! That’s been my excuse.. 🙂
    Following this healthier regime has me thinking harder about what to eat… and my plate looks much more colourful, I was always a fruit and nut fan so I indulge in these to help keep me away from chocolate and ice cream.. Speaking of matter of the mouth, I wondered if you had any ideas around Mercury Fillings and Endo? It’s been suggested to me that it could be the main cause of why I developed endo in the first place and as I’m due a filling from my dentist soon, I’m unsure whether to go with the Mercury (which is much harder wearing) or with the weaker white filling option? Anyone heard this theory before? AM

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