Healthy Food is Real Food (...and Self-Love).

When will healthy food become real food?

I read some reviews of a healthy cookbook recently and one of the reviewers commented that he or she was disappointed that many of the recipes in the book called for "weird ingredients". I found this comment very interesting. Apparently we live a world in which "healthy food" is "weird food". I find it a bit amusing how brown rice flour and apple cider vinegar are freaky while hot dogs and candy sprinkles are totally normal. Why is it that everybody and their dogs know about Heinz ketchup and Kraft dinner, but so few know about kale or quinoa? Why isn't being healthy the norm and why are the healthy ones still the weird ones in a crowd? It boggles my mind when I think of society as a whole and its approach to health. Yet, I whole heatedly believe that a change is going to come. There will come a day when the wholesome cookbook will have recipes that call for ingredients that the majority of people not only use on a regular basis, but know why these ingredients are good for them. You may call me crazy for believing in this, but hey: a girl can dream, right?
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PJ and M's Momma recently told me that she spent a whole day doing nothing. I told her this was extremely healthy as this was what her body was craving. Now, we can't always do exactly what our body wants to do, but as much as we (responsibly) can, it is important to honor thy self. After receiving an intense Hydrotherapy treatment a couple of weeks back, the naturopathic doctor coordinating the treatment told my class to listen to our bodies after the treatment and to honor how we felt. Whether we felt energetic or fatigued, she emphasized that it is an exercise in good health to listen to our bodies. We live in a very fast-paced world, one that doesn't allow for us to slow-down and check-in with ourselves very often. But, if only for one moment a day, we listen to how we are feeling and honor the current emotion or physical state, I bet we'd all be a bit healthier. Self-love is really the definition of health, as when we take good care of ourselves, we become healthier.

While most of my Saturday was spent self-hating behind a stack of Anatomy notes, I was able to take a walk in Toronto's High Park with a friend. It was a gorgeous day and it was exactly what my body was craving. I encourage my readers to practice a little self-listening and self-love this upcoming week. And even if there is only enough time to check-in and recognize the state of the body (without actually doing anything), this exercise alone can be helpful.