For the past few weeks, I've been busy developing recipes for my whole food cooking class this month. Unfortunately, not a lot of people are familiar with it. In a nutshell, whole foods are foods that are either unprocessed or unrefined. Although I teach people to eat more plant-based foods such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, I realized that I don't practice them at all. I mean, not at all. Being in a culinary school, most students are not interested to eat foods that are lower in salt, fat and sugar. I believe we need to reset our palate so that our taste buds will recover and soon enough simple, yet real, true flavors of plant based ingredients will become come satisfying. And being one of the teachers, I directed my focus more on teaching them to become better cooks but have forgotten the vision that I had before when my father passed away almost 5 years ago. And yes, you can still become a better cook and at the same time cook healthy dishes.
And just a few days ago, I just had my antioxidant levels scanned and I got a score of 22,000 (red and orange - low presence of skin carotenoids) which is almost near the red alert. An ideal score would be around 50,000 and up (green and blue - high presence of skin carotenoids). It only means that eating more fruits and vegetables plus supplements should be part of my lifestyle. You may belong to a family whose genetic disposition may lead to cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But I also believe that genes can be changed by the way you eat. I am very grateful that sometimes I am being mistaken for being 25 years old or being a student. But deep inside I know I have to do something about my health on a cellular level. I have to choose the right foods and right supplements so that my cells will absorb them right away. Remembering how much our company spent for my father's recovery, I am reminded that prevention is still best than cure. I would rather invest on my health first than buy a very expensive signature item.
I still go to the gym a few times a week but when it comes to my eating and sleeping habits, I know I have to make some changes and that includes taking my nutritional supplements regularly. There were times that I feel tired and worn out when I wake up in the morning. I also experienced fatigue and the only thing I wanted to do after work is to lie down and take a nap. The same thing happens when I eat a huge meal for lunch just because I didn't eat my breakfast: lethargic, sluggish and lazy. Few years ago, I've experience what it's like to feel energized, vibrant, revitalized and inspired. And I want it back. Although I don't rely on the weighing scale when it comes to my health, I was surprised that I am now 134 lbs which is my heaviest weight so far. People may agree that I look better when I gained the weight, but losing the fat and gaining some muscles would be a better idea.
Two weeks ago, I just started a 1 month program that involves nutrition, supplements and exercise. Sounds like a regular program that you've heard before. But if you don't see result and still doing the same thing, then something needs to be changed. I'm not really the type of person who would go on program for a certain days or months. But it has changed because I know that if I want to feel great again, I would need a metabolic tune-up. My metabolism will function well again once I've provided my mitochondria (little factories in our cells that turn food and oxygen into energy and play a central role in our metabolism, our vitality and our well-being.) with the right environment to thrive. So far, within those two weeks, I've seen positive results which I will share after I'm done with the program.
Right now, I am still in the process of developing and trying recipes, but this time, it's not only for the workshop, but also for me. And I realized that in the course of creating them, it was actually a challenge, because not only should they be healthy, they should also taste good. Being inspired is not a natural process for me; sometimes I have to work hard for it. But I learned that if you forced yourself to be inspired, you will never achieve it. So, just let it be and let it flow naturally, and it will come.
You know, food is not just a physical aspect; it affects you emotionally and mentally. When you are not your best on these three areas, rest assured, you won't be inspired. As I'm writing this post, I recalled two posts that I've written before which is about leaving your comfort zone and finding your purpose in life. As I reread those posts, I've realized that I've come so far but not quite yet. Every day is a battle; every day is a journey; everyday is a surprise. Every day you can decide to cross over, translated from the Italian word Attraversiamo (from the book Eat Pray Love). It could be changing direction, location or our state of mind. Crossing over from being tired, worn out and sluggish to energized, vibrant and revitalized; Crossing over from being in-debt to debt free; crossing over for striving to thriving; crossing over from being discouraged to inspired; crossover being happily single to happily married.
In what area of your life would you like to cross over?
