Do you ever feel like you are constantly defending your dietary lifestyle choices or life choices period to your friends and family?  Sometimes even to perfect strangers? You are not alone.  I used to let it bother me.  Then I realized that people are always going to question or fear things that aren’t the norm, or their norm at least. 

 

Earlier this year I was in Louisiana visiting my family for about a week.  I had gone grocery shopping earlier in the day and was preparing a salad.

Now my family knows me.  They know I eat all kinds of different things, they are used to it. They are pretty adventurous themselves but on this particular day, it was a family friend from which the assault came.

 

WHAT ARE you eating???

How many times have I heard that?  I remember exactly what kind of salad I was making that day because of how disgusted and downright offended my grandmother’s friend, we’ll call her Myrle, seemed to be by my lunch choice that day.

It was a grilled chicken on a bed of arugula with sliced almonds, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges and an avocado dressing (frikkin delicious by the way).

Now I have grown accustomed to people commenting on the things I eat that they may not be fond of or familiar. Usually, I can end the conversation by telling them what it is, say that it’s really good, they scoff usually muttering an “I guess”, or “If you say so,”  and that’s the end of it. Myrle was not going to be dismissed that easily.

She proceeded to tell me that it looked like grass on my plate.  That fruit and chicken should never go together.

That the only color salad dressing should be is white, all while the creases in her brow were furrowing so hard that they looked like they could touch the tip of her nose.

 

WHY AREN’T you eating???

As you embark on your journey to a healthier you, there will be foods that you’ll add and subtract from your diet.  More so than not you will get the most negative responses about the foods you are no longer consuming.

I used to devour candy at work.  I mean I could go through an entire bag of mini Snickers bars in a 12-hour shift and not even blink and my partner in crime was my co-worker.

After deciding to clean up my diet because I was indeed bordering on insulin resistance. I worked to break away from my sugar addiction. Learn more about signs of insulin resistance here. 7 Signs You May Be Insulin Resistant

The hardest thing (in my opinion)  for someone dealing with any kind of addiction, and yes you can be addicted to sugar,  is abstaining in an environment filled with those who are not.

My coworker did not understand why I wouldn’t eat candy with them anymore. “Oh, I forgot. You’re on a “diet”, they would say with a heavy eye roll.

When there was a going away party or birthday party I wouldn’t eat the cake because I knew I would not be able to limit myself and my main focus at that time was to regulate my blood sugars.

“How long are you not going to eat?”  That was a common question I received.  It was hard to explain every time to every person that I’m not NEVER going to eat cake or candy again.  

I’m healing my body and this is something I have to do right now. 

I mean, who wants to get that deep every time you refuse a dessert?  “No thank you, I’m bordering on insulin resistance and need to refuse your decadent desserts for the time being in order to heal my body.”

Makes your mouth dry after a while.

 

I Thought You Didn’t Eat That???

God forbid the day you do have a cookie or a burger that wasn’t organic, grass-fed, grass-finished, free-range, kosher, attended an Ivy League, played the harp and read to orphans on the weekends.   “I thought you were eating healthy??” or “Take that away from her! She’s on a diet.” or “I don’t know why you even ask, she’s too good for that stuff now.”

You’ll find out quickly that everyone suddenly knows you’re dietary habits better than you do.

 

I’ve come to terms that everyone is not meant to understand everyone else’s choices.  I no longer get upset or defensive at the verbal assault and begrudging stares at my food choices.  I almost welcome them. These are decisions based solely on my health journey.

My Resolve

I Am Not Judging You

When I refuse to eat a certain way, I am not condemning or judging the way you eat.  There is no ONE way that all human beings should eat.

We are a genetically diverse species with unique individual needs.  My choices may not work for you and vice versa.

 

No Opinion Is Given Unless Asked

Nobody likes when people offer their unsolicited opinions about their choices so I make a conscious effort not to do that to others when their diet or lifestyle differs from mine.

But if asked I will try my best to give an informed response and guidance based on what I have learned.

 

I Am Eating What Makes Me Feel Best

If you have ever been sick and I mean chronically sick, you will stick to whatever you found that makes you feel well.

I’ve found that simply telling people “I feel better when I don’t eat certain things,” usually ends the conversation.  Most can universally relate to not wanting to feel like crap.

 

If I Truly Want it, I Eat it

Life is a culmination of small choices.  The majority of those choices are instrumental and function to improve and elevate my health, but if I want a cupcake, I’m going to have a cupcake and sleep just fine.

In the end, the moral of the story is self-acceptance and release.  I have released caring about how others view the lifestyle choices I make because that’s what eating is, a lifestyle.

There isn’t a one size fits all.

I have stopped trying to “save” everyone but, instead, try to live as an example.  Not to sound cliche but “Be the change” and “Stay in my lane.”

Thanks for sticking around for this mini-rant.  Much appreciated.

 

How do you deal with people in your life questioning your lifestyle, diet or anything else?  Comment below:)