I have been slowly working through trial and error on how to become more healthy. What I’ve learned is that healthy means different things to different people and also everyone is unique and the appropriate regimen for their health will also be different.
Health of course is more than just physical health but also mental health and I would add spiritual health.
A big part of my journey with physical health has been around eating. I was fairly strict on keto for two years and saw good results, then I started working with a nutritionist to get back to basics on what nutrients I need and how to feed those things. I’m grateful for the keto lifestyle which taught me that I can put my brain above my cravings and do hard things like give up bread, rice, and tortillas. During Lent one year, I even restricted myself to just eggs, low carb tortillas, and cheese. This isn’t a health blog and I don’t recommend doing anything like that for your own growth unless you discern it and talk to your doctor.
So anyway, in order to increase fiber while keeping my added sugar and sodium in check, there’s a magical substance that I hadn’t been accessing. It’s also simple and doesn’t require any refrigeration and it’s something that’s safe for my children too.
It is fruit!
Coming off keto I honestly hadn’t had probably more than three servings of fruit a month. And of course my kids still had it while I shuddered at the sugar count. Now that I’m focused on fiber and total calories rather than carbohydrates, they’re back in the game and man, are they so simple.
They are like God’s Valentine to me. I love you so much Maria, He says. I know how much you hate cooking and I know how much you love biting into something juicy and sweet. So here is a plentiful bounty of fruit for you!
I laughed with Him saying that if it was me and Eden I feel like I could have handled peaches, blueberries, blackberries, and cherries and stayed away from that tree of knowledge and we would have never got into this mess. Jk Jesus, we need you!
Then I laughed a little that something simple and good was for a time not available to me. And how funny the journey brought me full circle. Just like most things in life! And how patient God is to watch us run around sometimes in the wrong direction. Sometimes in circles! With open arms waiting for us to come back to Him in whatever way we need to reach Him at wherever we’re at in life.