Health Intentions

My mother wasn’t a healthy person. She waited long periods until she was hungry, maybe even famished before she ate. She’d always tell me, “I’m not eating because we are going to eat a big meal at the restaurant and I want to save my stomach”. I remember whenever I was feeling sad or happy, she’d say, “Let’s go eat” or “Let’s celebrate” with food. Food became understood to provide emotional comfort.

I’d notice growing up that her medical visits were becoming more frequent and her medication lists went from 5 to 10 to “I lost count” amount of pills. She never explained her medical conditions to me, but over time, I knew her conditions became a hindrance to her quality of life. She loved window shopping and eating at local eateries to pass the time in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, she was not able to leave the house due to her chronic conditions during the last decades of her life. 

As a child without food rules, I was definitely going down a pathway that would be similar to Mom’s. A few eating habits passed down were:

• Finishing my plate!

• Drinking only what had flavor (juice and soda)

• Eating only when I was really hungry (since that’s when I could eat more!)

• Eating what was available in the household

My mother shared her love through food, so I ate what she brought home, usually carbs galore and anything fried! She’d love to bring home treats from the supermarket, which became my Saturday breakfast: yodels (I’m not sure if that is still around), Entemenn’s Cake, SaraLee, KFC - MOMMY’S LOVE RULES!

This is all to say that my near future would have most likely ended up like hers, with ongoing medical appointments due to weight gain, adverse GI symptoms, skin issues, and more. All the aches, pains, discomfort, and distress I experienced from eating unhealthfully are why I’ve set and maintain my health intentions. I didn’t have healthy role models to teach me otherwise, but I certainly had a model to teach me what not to do and my own experiences to back that up!

Looking back at my younger self, I can’t say I regret my experiences since it was the very seed that was planted that led me to where I am today! Now, coming full circle and decades in the making, I understand that well-being isn’t always a pretty picture because work is still involved, but choosing where/how I put in the work is EVERYTHING since freedom [from illness/disease] and independence are always the bottom line. I also understand that this work doesn’t just impact my self-care but also for my children and beyond.

My hope for you reading this is if you share the same/similar upbringing, that you don’t have to grow up continuing habits that aren’t serving you for the better. We can change, transform, and evolve to improve, prevent, and thrive for ourselves and for generations to come. Let Nutrition Custom Care show you how! We offer Discovery calls, Online courses, Small onsite group sessions and Virtual 1:1 consultations.