Boundaries
So there was the shared experience regarding going through health obsession in Keeping up with the Joneses: Superfood Edition. Now I want to argue why some passion around health can be a wonderful thing.
There is an idea I have seen on social media that we shouldn’t have strict rules that we strive to always follow when it comes to health and what we put in our body - that that is restrictive, ridiculous, or whatever.
It can be a wonderful thing to have boundaries that you take seriously regarding your health. To some, their health is the most important or valuable thing, and as such, they act like it. Discipline is one of the highest forms of self-love.
Whether we are talking about the candles you light (what you inhale), your soap, makeup and beauty products (what your skin absorbs), or the food you eat and liquids you drink (nourishment).
Take the Power Back
It is a battlefield out there. They are trying to poison us one way or another and they are succeeding. We got chemtrails, pesticides, and a slew of harmful ingredients in our foods, candles, makeup, perfume, plug-in air fresheners, everything. At the end of the day, it's about what we can control.
America’s food system is still pure insanity and I am excited people are waking up to that. People are learning and questioning more about the everyday products they consume through eating, breathing, and existing.
Yes, I believe in balance and yes, we shouldn’t obsess about health to the point where it hurts our mental health, and thus our physical health. But you can still be passionately for or against whatever you want. I want to live in a world where toxic, disease, and problem-forming ingredients are banned. We are in a first world country that still has ingredients being used that are banned in third world countries, some with four figure or higher fines. We share many of the same restaurant chains as the UK, but our ingredient lists are unrecognizable compared to theirs and our lists are way longer.
Caring is Hot
To me, life can be serious but it can also be fun. Everything comes back to balance and with true balance, comes times to show true strength and commitment. To be truly strong is to stand up up for what you believe in, which at times you can have fun doing.
I will never get comfortably complacent. I will never subscribe to the ‘everything causes cancer’ or ‘we’re all gonna die anyways’ mindset. That is a bit of a cop out. We should care. When we care, we bring ourselves that much closer to justice. If nobody cared, nothing would change.
The Customer is Always Right
Look at Subway announcing how they removed formaldehyde from their bread/ingredient list. No, they do not care. But they at least had to pretend to and act on it when their business was threatened and they saw a ‘trend’. Look at the power of social media from a customer service, publicity, and justice standpoint and at least consider the potential power of our words and passion. There are many examples of it.
Of course I won't support Subway or trust their ingredients (would eat the UK version any day). This is still a great example because imagine if enough of us actually campaigned against everything toxic and awful for us and stopped eating at these chains that they also have in the UK, I truly believe we could have the power to eventually get all the same US fast food/chains to reflect the same ingredients as the UK. And that eventually, we could get stricter laws, rules, and regulations in place for our food.
Thriving
Sometimes we know anything could happen in life, but still want to give ourselves the best shot possible to thrive and not just survive and want to feel good while we are here. It is also cool that we can extend our lifespan and prevent or significantly reduce the risk of diseases (and our medical bills) merely through the small choices we make everyday.
I will eat vegan versions of deliciousness - pizza, veggie burgers, cauliflower wings, some processed proteins, cookies etc. I love my sauces more than anyone. But even then, there are boundaries I will try to never or will never cross.
Where Quality Meets Quantity
Some of those are never eating high fructose corn syrup. Effortlessly avoiding regular or diet sodas/anything with acesulfame potassium or Splenda aka aspartame. I do not know and I do not care what other ones there are. If it's not a plant based and nontoxic version then nothing at all. Avoiding artificial flavors, which is very easy except certain times when eating outside. Avoiding white sugar as well, which is easy as you can buy a couple ingredients and make some healthy amazing cookies, cookie dough, milkshakes etc. without it. I do not believe that is health obsessed, as some of us want to have more of what we love, and this allows us to make it a regular food and have a lot more.
I miss nothing.
We can still eat sweetened any and everything that we want. We do not want Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, any of that and have no desire whatsoever. If we crave a healthier soda sometimes, there's always fresh pressed juice + sparkling water. However, my favorite prepared soda product is Oli Pop.
Ketchup Later
I do not want ketchup that is tainted with high fructose corn syrup. If I get fries and I am craving ketchup with it but they have HFCS ketchup, I will get another sauce and wait for ketchup till I am home. I do not feel deprived/wish I could eat the one on the table. I want nothing to do with that.
Feel, Then Heal
It is good to speak with powerful or dramatic words sometimes - “toxic”, “tainted”, “chemicals”, “consent”. If you want to shake the habit of some of the items mentioned or whatever your vice is - start with research. Get angry. Feel the feelings. Then heal. Look yourself in the mirror when you start your journey and as you go, speak into existence how you feel and your choice and commit to it. Cheer yourself along as you are kicking some addictive stuff out of your life. Understand it is addicting because they made it that way. You are perfect as you are and stronger than you are giving yourself credit for. You do not need anything regularly that hurts you. Imagine how good you may feel when you quit.
Anyways, I will have some posts dedicated to alternative options for you as we continue to explore them.
Rewiring
For everything awful for our health out there, there are more options that will get the job done just as well or better. And remember, much like you can rewire your brain, you can rewire your taste buds. We are so accustomed to junk and flavorings that at first, real food may not even be that good. But if you cleanse yourself of the junk and try to eat healthier, I promise you will develop a better appreciation and experience an explosion of flavor from real ingredients.
A great place to start is with your mind. Please, arm yourself with knowledge.
Knowledge is Power
With the knowledge some people have learned about the toxic sugar-free sweeteners, chemicals, high fructose corn syrup, and everything else, some of our brains now see everything with that stuff in it as black and white. If it's toxic/chemicals there is just no desire for it. Some of us do not feel deprived, as if we crave something like it, we can get a healthy version.
The same goes for the Yankee candles and most candles on the market, plug-in air fresheners, most perfumes, all of it. How can we support something that does so much harm?
Boundaries are not just something you set with other people, but something you can and should set for yourself. It is 100% okay to have certain health boundaries you strive to nearly never cross.
Health is Wealth
People may try to talk you out of it. They may think you are extreme. They may laugh. They may act like you think your better than them. They may feel bad that it seems you can't participate in the same pleasures. Strangers may mock people like that. That is okay! Ever heard of the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”?
Everything boils down to perspective. For every person that has a negative reaction or two cents to add there may be one or more who are inspired, impressed, and motivated from it. And some of the haters may secretly admire you for it.
It may be a contagiously inspirational choice! Health is wealth.