Retirement? Maybe a new beginning…
My friends could not believe me when I told them that I was going to retire. Retire, they asked? Yes, I did “retire”, but I like to now think of it as a moratorium from going to work in an office each day.
I always thought that retirement would involve sitting on a beach, reading my favorite book and sipping a cool refreshing beverage. How different my retirement has turned out to be.
Early into my retirement, when I discovered that the program offered by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition was available online, I decided to seize that opportunity. I now feel that I have a new purpose in life, to be healthy and to help others to want to be healthy as well. What does that mean? It means embracing life to the fullest, being grateful each day for not only being alive, happy and healthy, but also for being my best self.
I didn’t know what I was about to venture into, this movement for awareness about health and nutrition, and the sad state of our current health crisis in the United States.
Like you probably have, I had heard of the Atkins diet, the Cabbage Soup diet, and the Mediterranean diet to name a few, but nothing like the hundreds of food theories that exist today. I quickly learned about a multitude of subjects concerning how our food is produced and the chemicals in our foods that are so negatively impacting our health.
Everyone wants to tell us what to eat and drink, especially the food manufacturers.
Profit drives all the decisions made by the food industry and the decisions are not always in the best interest of the consumer.
We live in a world of fast food and convenience that is being made to appear healthy by the companies promoting their fast or processed foods.
In order to maintain my health and say no to medications, I have had to make a number of modifications to the way that I eat each day. One of the biggest changes (and challenges) has been to eliminate almost all added sugar from my daily life. Most people don’t realize that sugar is added to every processed and packaged food and drink on the shelves in the grocery store. Another beneficial change I decided to make has been to add more fresh vegetables and fruit each day. And to drink more water!!
The word sad occurs to me over and over when I see people suffering from health concerns brought on by packaged and overly processed foods. In fact SAD is the acronym for Standard American Diet, how appropriate.
When eating overly processed and packaged foods is combined with the stressful lives of many people, a multitude of illnesses immerge that we are made to believe can only be alleviated by taking a medication. Most advertisements on TV today are for some kind of crazy named medication that will fix your problem, but have a host of side terrible side effects that could be worse than the original ailment.
Over the next several weeks, I want to share with you about what I have learned and introduce you to healthy changes you can make to your lifestyle to improve your sense of health and wellness. Food changes everything! Contact me if you would like more information.