It has been a while since I watched TV and somehow it has crept back into our lives over the last few months. Mainly because we wanted to stay abreast of property prices with buying a house. I hadn’t really noticed how TV affected me and my psyche, until I turned it off for several months and then suddenly turned it back on. It really does muck with our heads and minds!
Suddenly I started to feel like I was all wrinkly… aka: wrinkle ads. That my hair was lacking in lustre and color… aka: hair dye ads. Plus of course the worst one of all… feeling such a strong desire for chocolate and pizza! I realized it was all those darn TV ads and their repeated messages being droned into my head. I never realized how much TV influences our mindset and our outlook on life, until I had a TV detox and then swamped my mind with it again. Perhaps we should all try a TV detox to clean out our minds?
There is, however, one message which I find totally annoys me beyond the loud, ‘buy now’ ads and the incessant ads of beautiful skinny women eating burgers and pizza (get real!)… it is the underlying message we get about the foods we eat! Every second ad is about food and food prices. Here in New Zealand there is a supermarket chain called Pak n’ Save and it is probably the equivalent of Walmart over in the States. Everything is displayed in boxes and their slogan is: “New Zealand’s lowest food prices”. They have this ad running at the moment, which demonstrates how much you can save by shopping with them, versus another chain of supermarkets.
The trouble with these incessant messages is that we start to believe that we should always buy the cheapest foods possible. That our grocery bill is a place to save money and that we should get the cheapest deal on the foods we eat as much as possible. Do you believe that?
There is nothing else that is advertised like this! Even the insurance companies will demonstrate added value by joining them or how they are better than another one. I really hate this!
It creates a sense that food is an expense and something we want to save on, which is totally NOT TRUE!
I view the foods we eat quite differently and I hope you can see this view after reading this post.
Our foods nourish our bodies
When I look at food now, it is about nourishment. The more nourishment I can give my body, the better it performs and the better it functions. Cheap foods generally don’t offer a heap of nourishment. There is a reason that organic produce is more expensive—it contains more nourishment. The cheapest foods are generally laden with unrecognisable ingredients and are processed to smithereens! The more heat we apply to a dead beat grain, the less nourishment it can provide for us! You are filling your body with cardboard! Are you really sure that this is giving your body the best chance of feeling vital and full of energy?
The energy source of foods
Foods are our source of energy. We can get stale, second hand energy or we can get boundless extreme energy. What do you think will give you more energy? Something that was picked fresh from the garden this morning while it was still producing its vitamins, minerals and proteins, or something that has been sitting in cold storage for weeks on end? Something that has been blasted, heated, treated and then coated in sugar or something that is crisp, fresh and tastes luscious and sweet?
Pick your energy level within your body and I bet you, you can pick the energy source of your foods. What we put in is ultimately what we get out.
Food is not an area we want to skimp on!
I am always amazed at how some of us view food and the costs around food. It becomes a total topic of conversation to talk about how expensive good food is. I believe we have it all wrong! Food is not an area we want to skimp on or be “cheap”! When debating where to spend your money, do you really think a pair of shoes or a new pair of jeans or that super cool mobile phone is going to give you energy and vitality? No!
Do you really think in a year’s time you will remember that funky red dress is going to feature as a highlight in the memories of your life? No!
We deserve to nourish our bodies with the best possible food sources we can get our hands on, and money shouldn’t even be a thought! Shift where you spend your money and you will shift how you feel within every aspect of your life, beyond Endometriosis!
Many of the purchases we make only fill a void and they are generally temporary! Food and education for your health has a much larger impact on your overall well-being.
This is your insurance policy
Eating is something we do three times a day. Each and every single day. If you don’t think those choices make a difference, then you perhaps don’t get the basic economics of this. If you slapped your hand every single day, three times a day, do you believe it would get sore? Of course it would! Our food choices will impact us over time and will either add to or take away from our health. Every single meal, every single bite, plays a part.
Over a long time period we are moving towards health and long-term well-being. This isn’t about cutting out or eliminating foods for a short time, just because of Endo! This is about investing in our bodies! Investing in our health. Giving the BEST possible tool we have to support it and ensure it lives long and happy. It all catches up eventually and we are far better starting early than trying to repair things that are broken at the end!
It all tastes better!
If you go to a good quality restaurant, you are more likely to get good quality food, which is prepared well and tastes good. The same thing applies to foods. If we buy the cheapest foods we can, then chances are they are filled with the cheapest ways of making them taste vaguely enjoyable—think corn syrup and sugar!
When you buy really good foods though, they don’t need much and they taste AMAZING! Think of a fresh pear picked the same morning at a farmer’s market. No pesticides and totally lush and ripe. It is seriously heaven! You don’t need sugar or any other fillers to make it taste good. It just does.
I often get asked about how to prepare meals that are healthy and yet still taste good. When we use quality ingredients, which are super fresh and natural, this becomes super easy! Fresh fish cooked on a barbeque as it comes out of the river is always going to taste good, no breadcrumbs required!
When you buy, get or source the best! You will notice the difference in taste.
Food is one of the most enjoyable things we have in life!
I hate the word diet—you know this by now! It sucks to feel restricted and if we feel this way in one area of our lives, then chances are, it will penetrate into other areas of our lives. Words like can’t, or shouldn’t are just not good words!
Instead we want to use words that inspire us and excite us. We can expand our thinking and find sources of food beyond supermarkets and those nasty discount bins! We want to make foods an adventure and a pleasure and explore different ways of eating. Forget those starchy meals! Forget the sugary fake things and move into a whole other realm of food… think home-grown vegetables, fish from the ocean and not a fish farm and mushrooms from the field. Explore beyond that darn supermarket cos there is a whole other world of food out there! There are varieties of tomatoes that don’t transport well but grow beautifully in most backyards. There are fruits that grow on the side of the road and wildfoods that live in fields in the country. There is an adventure you can experience with food… you just have to be open to exploring it.
So, please, dear Endo sister, don’t be caught in that terrible space of restriction on price and limitation! Turn off the TV instead and go find foods in your backyard! It doesn’t even need to cost you anymore but at least you know you are feeding your body and loving your soul.
What foods have you found outside of the supermarket? Do you shop at a local market, catch your own fish or pick walnuts off a tree? Do you pick seaweed from the beach or stop for apples on the side of the road? Share your experiences and let’s inspire each other to shift our perceptions on food!
