This last year I’ve changed my eating habits. It’s been gradual and imperfect, but for most of my life I have been a painfully picky eater. To the point where, as an adult, I was a little embarrassed by it. But I’ve put vegetables on my sandwiches for a year now, thank you very much.
In the fall, I made a real shift as I began logging my food for the first time (I use the free MyFitnessPal app). The awareness of what I was eating, mainly the caloric value, made me rethink a lot of my choices and focus on portion control. I stopped drinking as much. I didn’t order Dominos every week.
But then, when I did order Dominos, my body no longer wanted it.
Turns out that when you remove bad things from your diet and try to reintroduce them you realize just how bad they really were. Or rather, when you get used to feeling good and not having stomach aches after dinners, it really sucks to get a stomach ache again.
I felt this in Maui with alcohol and wrote about my conflicting feelings on drinking. Last night I was surprised to be confronted again. After my Zumba class I went to the deli at the Wheatsville co-op and picked up some fresh mac and cheese and a slice of cornbread for dinner. It sounded perfect. It tasted good. Mac and cheese is a staple of my Wisconsin upbringing and I hadn’t had it in ages.
My body was not a fan. My stomach was crazy upset. To the point where I was cursing mac and cheese. My favorite fucking food.
Now I’m left considering what this means. Was it just this particular dinner? Was is pasta? Was it the excessive dairy? Was it all dairy? I hope not.
My friend told me recently she gave up dairy and not only did she feel better, but her skin cleared up.
But again, I’m from Wisconsin. I’m not really considering this an option. Yet. And I’ve been eating cheese on sandwiches no problem. It could have been the all carb meal. Not really the best choice for someone who’s been claiming to eat better.
For now, I’ll leave mac and cheese for the special occasions and wait for the good stuff (
With Love,
Natalie