Eating Healthy - The First Step

I am really excited about a new series of posts here at The Little Reviewer. Over the next several weeks, we'll be talking about healthy eating. 

The author of these posts is my friend of ten years, Laura Rice Chapman. I mentioned her once before, and I am one of her biggest fans (no really, I am). She is a wife, a mom (of two dogs), a friend, a doula and a nurse. She is also an inspiration and example of healthy living.

I hope you enjoy her story and thoughts on healthy living. xo - Elizabeth


Eating Healthy - The First Step
by: Laura Rice Chapman
 

I come from a long line of eaters. I love food, I love cooking and, more than anything, I love eating.  I grew up in the South where moderation is for the birds. In the South, everything is bigger, saltier, sweeter and better.

Food was the center of all social and family gatherings. I remember sitting at my Grandparents where there were enough pies to cover the freezer in the carport. Every meal was a feast and we ate like kings.

So how can this girl be writing to you about eating healthy and using moderation?

It is sad to say, but, minus my sister and I, everyone in my immediate family is obese.

Though I come from a long line of amazing cooks and eaters, our long term legacy is not the food we eat but the toll it has taken on our bodies:  obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes issues are the norm in my family.

So am I going to tell you to say goodbye to sugar, wheat, oil, carbs and fat? NO!

Am I going to tell you to go PALEO, ATKINS, WEIGHT WATCHERS, see a nutritionist or to count calories? NO!

I am going to tell you how to become a student of yourself and your relationship with and view of food.

My weight and eating habits have fluctuated in the last ten years of my life. I came from a legacy that encouraged me to eat whatever whenever. When you are young, the consequences are moderate. Your active lifestyle and metabolism can support this.

Then, as you get older, you get a little softer and rounder. Maybe you have a few babies and then pants don’t fit and you don’t recognize yourself. Then, if you are like me, you think CRAP! Now that I have an extra 15, 20 pounds I don’t know where to start. So you do something extreme, join the fad of the month diet and wait for results.

STOP AND JUST DO ONE THING.

The first step in eating healthy is to FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE EATING !!! Everyone fills their day with work, family, kids, books, TV shows and meals.  But rarely do most people consider what they are eating, other than to buy it, prepare it or pick it up.  People on a budget might say that they know what they eat: They buy food at WINCO and then make it last for as long as possible. But what is in what you are eating and what does it do for you?  We will cover that next, but for now: STEP ONE for healthy eating habits is to write down what you eat/drink for a whole week. If you really want to be diligent, write down when you eat it. Include this weeks Halloween candy, butter beer and pumpkin dessert. This isn’t about dieting. It’s about observing one week.

Join us next week for the continuation of the series. If you are interested in contacting Laura, you can follow her fit journey on Instagram (larchapfit) or email her at larchapfit@gmail.com

Thanks, Laura!