An Uncomfortable “Why I Eat Clean” Reminder

Just several months after being married, Scott and I went to Gaylord Palms and had dinner at their high-end international buffet. This “all you can eat” spread consists of prime rib and coconut-crusted shrimp prepared by professional chefs (It ain’t Golden Corral!) At that time in my life, I looked forward to feasting (i.e. overeating and gorging) on such  lavish foods. I would “plan” for it, and I made sure to arrive hungry. BUT, the next morning after this particular dinner, Scott noticed that I was in a bad mood. And he nailed it on the head when he pointed out that my attitude was a result of feeling guilty and just plain gross after eating way more than my body needed. There’s nothing like being called on the carpet! Maybe this outside observation (and that yucky inward feeling) wasn’t the end of my poor eating habits, but perhaps it was the beginning of moving forward towards a healthier lifestyle.

This incident was brought back to the forefront of my memory this past week as I have been adjusting to taking steroids for inflammation in my eyes. After a seeking second medical opinion, I decided to go forward with the treatment (I don’t even like to take Tylenol or Motrin), and I am now beginning the process of weaning off  just 5 mg at a time.

This drug has made for a not-so-happy tummy, a few funky moods, and some other side effects.  As I have been dealing with decreased appetite (which is the opposite of what they say should happen on steroids) and just an overall blah feeling in my stomach, I could not help but think how much worse I would feel if I wasn’t eating clean foods. I can’t imagine consuming heavy starches, processed sugars, and saturated fats while on these pills. I think that would be a deadly combination for me and everyone around me. Those kind of foods don’t feed you, they feed on you just  like a parasite. They rob your energy, stamina, mental clarity, your ability to fight infection and diseases, and simply leave you feeling drained. I am thankful that God has given us a colorful, delicious assortment of nutrient-rich foods that help our bodies to perform to the best of their abilities and to even counter balance any medication we need to take to heal properly. So  I will stick with my sweet potatoes, spinach, zucchini, bananas, apples, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, and my chicken and turkey! They have helped a less-than-desired experience become a tolerable one.

I LOVE how God works! Check out today’s Proverbs 31 devotional “Why Shouldn’t I Indulge?“ It goes hand-in-hand with what I just wrote about. Thanks to my friend, Sara, for telling me about it!