'Food' does not have to be a four letter word...

but for a long time it was. As a child, food was my friend! I found joy in it! How could anyone have anything but a healthy relationship with such a fabulous friend? What I didn't know was that in those days 'food' was not my only friend... its buddies 'metabolism', 'activity', and 'parental guidance' were there working quietly but diligently in the background. And so as a result, we were never at odds... it was a balanced and healthy relationship. All was well.

Toward the end of highschool 'Life' came crashing onto the scene. That 'rude awakening' my Dad had always forewarned me about had come to pass. 'Illness', 'Anger', 'Fear', 'Divorce' and 'Death' all filed into the room... 'Life' it seemed, hung with a pretty tough crowd. The timing could not have been worse. In those days I felt pretty alone... and really, in a way I was. My family was gone, scattered to the wind after a series of devastating blows. My friends had all moved on and left for distant college campuses, and at the time 'The Captain' was being kept busy by Uncle Sam a few time zones away. Thank God for my old buddy 'Food'! It was there to help medicate me, and I was more than willing to hook up the IV and let the medicine flow! And so I gained the 'College 15', the 'Stress 20', and please let's not forget about the 'Poor Me 50'! Suddenly the balance that I had was gone. Quickly my relationship with 'Food' soured. My friend had become my enemy! And so, like many women...my battle with food began.

I could go on and on about the details of this bloody campaign. Oh the horror of binge eating! The fruitless attempts at battling back the muffin top! The pantry FULL of 'fat free' treats...(because 'fat free' must certainly also apply to myself if I eat enough of them right?) I needed a reality check. I needed to clean house. I needed to unplug the IV of processed 'fat free' carbs I was flooding into my system and go back to the basics! And that is just what I have done. Gone back to the basics. Eat Clean. Eat Whole. I love the tip "If your Great-Grandma were to hold it in her hand... would she know what the hell to do with it?" Think about that. All the processed food we eat and the many forms that it takes on as it's shaped, extruded, or manipulated by a group of chemists who are well paid by 'Big Food Inc.'  in a far off science lab...Great-Grandma would be one confused little old lady.

So we'll start there for now. My challenge to you is this: The next time you go shopping... shop like Great Grandma would have. You'll be amazed at what you do (& don't) bring home. Once you do that, we'll talk about the next challenge. Learning to love and actually crave Real Food!