Positive Mind Equals Positive Results

 Just like everyone else, I have my good days and my bad.  Keeping a positive mindset isn't always easy...life isn't easy.  But, I have found it's important to genuinely look in the mirror--every morning--and say at least one positive thing about yourself.  It can be anything from the bright smile you posses to the talent you have for keeping a balanced bank account--ANYTHING.  We are all beautiful on the inside, no matter what we look like on the outside.  However, as cheesy as a daily self-affirmation sounds, by giving yourself that positive reinforcement internally, you begin to feel like your goals are obtainable and you are truly worth meeting and exceeding the goals you set. 

 I stare into my mirror and finding that positive something about myself starts my day with a smile.  I walk into my kitchen and I'm geared up to take the time to make a healthy, filling, delicious breakfast to get my day going.  Not only does that healthy, nutrient-filled breakfast fill me up until lunchtime, but it gives me the energy to do my job and a clear mind to keep myself one step ahead of the challenges of that day.

 You are ultimately in control of your success and happiness.  I'm in control of mine.  If it's weight you need/want to lose, the only obstacle that stands in your way is you.  If it's making changes to your eating habits or the amount of exercise you incorporate into your life, again, you are the only thing keeping it from happening.  Choose to make each day fulfilling and meaningful.  It all starts with a positive attitude!

 Much love,
 Marisa

A New Food Optimist, But Always A Foodie

 I volunteered to be part of Food Optimist’s 28-day health reboot during the month of April, and it was an adventure I looked forward to, but also entered into with curiosity.  The curious part was learning to understand how a lemon or a pinch of cayenne or a handful of kale could make such a difference inside and out of the body.  I trusted Chef Natalie to guide me with her expertise and culinary training to create smoothies, salads and entrees that would not only taste good, but be beneficial to “rebooting” my whole body. 

 The first week and most of the second were very tiring.  My body, particularly my brain was hazy and sluggish.  I felt like I was living in a fog.  I was tired and a tad moody, but my focus was just trying to keep myself moving forward while detoxing!  By the time I came through the detox tunnel at the end of week two, I had this incredible burst of energy.  It was almost as if someone had turned on a bright light in a pitch-black room!  My brain—my thoughts—clear.  I had energy flowing through my body and I wanted to start moving.  And sleep?? Wow! I slept solid and well for the first time in I don’t know how long.  Although, I’ve always had a mostly clear complexion, my skin started to glow for the first time in a long time.  I had been trying to figure out how to treat a strange little breakout/inflammation I had on my right cheek.  Well, once I got into the cleanse I noticed that on top of the “glow” I was getting in my face, the inflammation I had was lessening.  By the end, it was completely gone! The toxins, the junk in which I had quit putting into my body, and had replaced with cleansing, nutritious whole foods, cured me of the ugliness I felt. 

 My overall experience with the reboot was positive and beneficial.  I had great guidance and a support group of several other women all participating. I think having this network of support during my initial journey to good health made all the difference in the world.  I plan on making a detox/cleanse part of my regular diet.  Being humans means being imperfect—in life and in making food choices.  By including a periodic detox/cleanse, I believe can continuously make a difference to your overall daily health.

Another Optimistic Perspective

 Hello to all you Food Optimists! I'd like to introduce myself and let you all know a little bit about myself as I have the genuine delight of guest blogging for the food optimist. I am Chelsea Hunter of The Naked Fig, a site where I share my recipes and adventures in healthy cooking. I am currently studying to become certified in holistic nutrition and have transformed my own health by embracing whole natural foods and slow cooking.
Changing my relationship with food has taught me gratitude and patience, and helped me lose weight, manage depression, gallstones, and migraines.   

 If you ask me, the language of health and nutrition can be very negative: Don't eat this, restrict that, never mix those, use will power...You know what I'm talking about.  It can make the very idea of getting healthy feel like a futile uphill battle.  That is what I love about The Food Optimist.  It's all in the name.  Think positive and stay optimistic.  Instead of getting bogged down in the negatives, think of the wonderful changes that come from healthful balanced eating.  Being healthy doesn't have to mean deprivation.  In fact, to me, it means the opposite.  My diet is plentiful and varied.  I hope to inspire you to see that healthy eating is a practice of adding and expanding rather than cutting back.  The joy and pleasure of eating well is what I hope to bring as my vision of "food optimism", a reminder that healthy eating is simple, fun, and intuitive.  Our bodies are programmed to tell us what we need if we will only listen.  

You can look forward to a mix of raw and cooked healthy meals and desserts from The Naked Fig, and feel free to contact me with any questions.  I can't wait to get to know you all! 

Here is a little teaser of the kind of foods I make: A Raw Vanilla Rosewater Tart + Edible Flowers + Bee Pollen

http://the-naked-fig.blogspot.com/

Our Newest, Happy Foodie!

 As promised... Here is our first new foodie blogger, Marisa Prior! Not only is Marisa going to be sharing her fascinating story with us all... she is ALSO now one of our associate personal chefs here at Food Optimist! She has come a LONG way on her journey- is on her path to helping others! She is so excited to share her story and connect with you all :) Be sure to check for her post, every TUESDAY!! Make this a beautiful day!

 With love and gratitude,
 Natalie

Welcome To A New Day...A New View

 My name is Marisa, and I’ve become a true Food Optimist.  My journey truly began almost three months ago.  Although I had “dabbled” in eating healthy—or “healthier”—I hadn’t quite truly grasped what it meant to eat healthfully and FEEL healthy.  Recognizing and understanding what a “whole” food is compared to a “processed” food; eating “clean” opposed to commercially grown or partially processed foods.  I started my journey to become healthy over 10 years ago!  I was in my mid-twenties and morbidly obese.  I was desperate to lose the weight, join mainstream America and do “normal” tasks and activities like most other people.  I had done the all the research I could do that gave me options and information on weight loss.  Everything was a fad—short-term and unrealistic.  I had already tried most of them, and then I had heard about gastric bypass.  After I watched as many informative news reports on the topic, or read about the celebrities that had made that choice and succeeded, I knew that as drastic and permanent as the procedure was, it was my best option for long-term happiness and longevity.

Honestly, if I had known then, what I know now, I wouldn’t have chosen the gastric bypass procedure.  BUT, I made my choice, and yes, I lost a substantial amount of weight with little to no medical repercussions, and that’s a blessing.  However, what the surgery doesn’t do for you is educate you about WHY certain foods are better for you than others, and what benefits come from eating whole, natural foods opposed to eating commercialized food and other processed products.  Again, I lost weight and that weight loss made a big difference in where I could go, the activities I could participate in, and yes, my energy levels naturally increased, but looking back, I never had that “burst” of, or “zest” for life.  Fast forward to today…

I met Chef Natalie, the ultimate Food Optimist in April.  She was looking for “guinea pigs” to test out some recipes she was working on, all compiled with benefits working together.  I volunteered for the experiment and was A-MAZED at how I felt after purging the “food” I had been consuming from my body and actually feeding it nature’s bounty.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth.  Sure, I felt like crap the first week, week and a half of eating differently, but, seriously, it was like a fog had lifted in my head; I had energy I didn’t know how to expend it was so new to me…and sleep?!?!...OH! The incredibly solid night’s sleep!! Chef Natalie turned my world upside—in a good way—and if turning my world back to what it was before she came along meant losing all the life I gained, then upside down I shall remain!!

So, now I invite you to follow me, my journey…JOIN my journey if you’d like.  Take the path less traveled and become a Food Optimist too.  You’ll be happy you did.  What do you have to lose other than negativity, lethargy, depression, frustration and maybe even some weight!? Sounds horrible, huh?