Keeping on Track

Writing up ‘Food for Thought’ for my website found me reading through some old diaries where I had written about life and food, and food and life, and it made me realise how far a journey I have come. Nowadays by choice I eat healthily and it’s no big deal but it wasn’t always so.

I remember when I first cut out wheat, dairy and sugar in the 1980s and we were going away for a weekend. I knew that it wouldn’t be possible to stick to my regime and I was quite pleased. I remember looking forward to events such as birthdays and Christmas when it felt acceptable to cheat and I also remember the difficult time I always used to go through after these events, getting back to sensible eating. My taste buds had been adulterated and it took them time to settle back to a healthy lifestyle.

Nowadays when I go away or out for a meal or it’s Christmas, I really don’t want to come off my regime as I know it leaves me feeling under par. I like to feel clean and fresh and alive rather than stodged and heavy and tired. That doesn’t mean that my regime is limited – far from it. I still have delicious desserts and sweet treats but they are far more healthy versions. I find it much easier now to say ‘no’ to chocolates and puddings knowing that after the first bite, I will regret my choice because they are too sweet.

It’s taken many years for me to get to this point and during that time I have frequently felt like I was a one man crusade, but things are now getting easier as healthy eating is becoming more acceptable. Over the years when I have slipped with my diet, a new book has inspired me back on track or a health niggle has made me research and up my game. Nowadays we are becoming surrounded with magazines articles, recipes, cookery books, websites and programmes all linking diet and health. They are good motivation and a great help when trying to eat healthily.