We recently had a F U N family trip to Costa Rica and I am so grateful! I prayed that the Lord would bless the trip with rest and restoration of our minds, bodies, and souls. In His kindness, He did just that. We surfed, ate wayyyyy too much pineapple, prayed, played, swam, read the Word together, slept in, and laughed a lot. We were either in our bathing suits or pajamas for a whole week and I loved every minute of it!
While on our trip, I unexpectedly made the intention to return to a plant-based diet. I didn't expect to do this, but the food there was so plant-centric it brought the idea to mind. I was a plant-based eater for almost 9 years, stopping in late 2021/early 2022. With Covid and the disappointment of Gemma not coming to live with us and some other life stresses, came some weight gain. I began placing the blame on my plant-based diet. I became fearful that eating a vegan diet was too high in carbohydrates for my aging, changing hormones. I had also begun feeling weak and fatigued a lot of the time, and I wondered if I needed more protein. I have always been a high-energy person, so the fatigue was getting to me. So, I began to eat meat again. For the record, I think it's totally ok to eat meat, but it always felt strange to me after being plant-based for so many years.
While in Costa Rica, eating plant-based, I felt more alive! Colors were brighter to me, my body felt cleaner, and my heart felt lighter! I began diving deeper into some research online and I realized that it's not the carb count found in a zucchini or potatoes that led to my weight gain over the last couple of years as much as it was the stress. Let me dive deeper into the science of this, in case you are in the same boat...I found this fascinating and wanted to share in case it could help you too!
Stress increases cortisol levels in the bloodstream. Cortisol is a hormone that contributes (significantly) to insulin resistance, especially for perimenopausal women (late 30's, 40's, 50's). Insulin resistance increases blood sugar levels. Our pancreas will try and produce more insulin in an effort to move the sugar from the blood into the cell. If the pancreas cannot keep up, the body will store the excess sugar as fat, especially in the abdomen and around the face). I'm geeking out I know, it's the nurse in me that loves the science behind nutrition and our bodies. ;)
But, this totally explains how you can eat the same way you have for years and, all of the sudden, your body doesn't seem to process it like it once did. This is largely what had happened to me. And, like so many other women perimenopause age, I increased my cardio to combat the weight gain which only further increased the cortisol levels, perpetuating the problem. Resistance training and walking are more of the movements that my body needs now, during this season of life.
So, if we can better manage our stress, and move our bodies in a more gentle, consistent way, we can better care for our bodies (and hearts and minds for that matter - but that's another blog post for another day!)
I am a big believer in seasons. There are seasons of the year, seasons of parenthood, seasons of friendships, seasons of being an herbivore or carnivore. While I do feel like my body needed a little break, I was recently re-energized to re-embark on the whole foods, plant-based lifestyle while in Costa Rica. I think all of the pineapple available at every turn, the hydrating coconut water being offered, and the mangoes falling off the trees definitely had an influence on that decision!
I've had seasons where I over-emphasized food (mentally) and struggled with body image. I think being so overweight for some crucial childhood years contributed to this. With that said, all of us ladies struggle with body-image at some point or another, whether you were overweight as a child or not. Culture says you need to look "this way" to be beautiful. Ah-hem, not true and no thank you. We are all different and uniquely beautiful and God's artistic masterpieces. EarthyAndy, a vegan power-house mom I've followed for years, always encourages her followers: "Become an expert on yourself." It's such good advice! We know our own bodies, we know what makes us thrive and what makes us crumble.
We are made in God's image and are meant to steward and nourish our bodies well. Personally, I feel like I do this with the most freedom - *I have the most food freedom (as in mental food battles and body image problems are practically non-existent) when I am eating a whole-foods, plant-based diet. I just feel free-er (not sure how you spell that word) to live and love a little bit lighter. Can you relate? So, I am re-embarking on a whole-foods, plant-based journey for the next bit of time, maybe it'll be for the rest of my life, who knows! I started a couple of weeks ago and I am reminded of how much I love it. It makes me feel so good, from the inside out. I love that feeling!
I share this to say - I am going to make it my summer goal to post 1 plant-based recipe per week on this blog! So every Thursday, I'll share a new whole-foods, plant-based recipe here (and over on Instagram too). I thought this would be a fun way we could "hang out" together in the kitchen! If you want to make the recipe each week with me, drop a comment below and we can explore some new, fun eats together that our bodies will thank us for! I'm going to keep them S I M P L E because that's my style ;) Cheers to summer and all the healing and beauty the sunshine and friendships bring with it!
P.S. I am placing a much bigger emphasis on protein this time around! In case you are interested in joining me on this health journey...some really good sources of plant-based protein are: organic tofu, tempeh (available and super cheap at Trader Joe's), beans, protein powder (I love SunWarrior brand because it's SO clean - available at Whole Foods and on Amazon also), lentils, quinoa, organic soy milk (make sure you get organic soy - that "organic one" matters ;))
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