We all have heard the phrase “you are what you eat” right? Do you believe that? Molecularly it's completely true. What we put into our bodies is what we become and how we feel. Now for each person different foods can impact the body differently. However, you can't expect a bag of chips and a soda to magically become nutritious as soon as it enters your body. That applies to everyone! But depending on your lifestyle and what you require of your body, that can change the amount/density of nutrition and energy a person needs. For a while I was feeding my body like an NFL player would, only I wasn't an NFL player. I was a high school girl and I played volleyball. I was eating lots of meat and animal products as well as carbs because I thought that would increase my energy. I felt heavy and I was breaking out on my face and body. But I had read that this was good for me…false. Shortly after that, I became a strict vegan and as a “newbie” I thought this was basically eating salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. During this switch, I was playing basketball and volleyball and training year round. I was constantly hungry and I felt like I was never full no matter how much I ate. Fast forward a few years, I started this thing called “intuitive eating”. I was so surprised when my skin cleared up, my stomach issues went away and my energy levels rose. Mind you, I'm still on a mostly plant-based diet but I educated myself on how to get enough protein, vitamins and fiber to support my body and lifestyle. I'm still active and I still get most of my nutrition from plant-based sources but I realized that balance and density in a diet is where I was struggling. Eating salads 24/7 is not maintainable. Eating mostly meat and animal based food was not making me feel good. So I found a balance. As a vegan, getting enough protein was why I was constantly hungry and tired. So I found ways to get enough protein via plant based sources and not feel sluggish like when eating a diet high in animal products.
Listen to your body and it will tell you exactly what it needs. Our bodies are machines and when fueled correctly they can function at high capacity.