An Emotional Journey

So, how would a family who's used to eating boxed lasagna, Kraft mac and cheese, and all things packaged, make the huge transition to eating real food--foods that help your body heal, rather than make it more susceptible to illness?

It's an overwhelming task! I specifically remember the mental and emotional journey I made on this process:

1. Are you kidding me? When Dale first came home with the book, Cruise Ship or Nursing Home, I immediately, without even pausing, said, No Way. Heck, no. Not in your wildest dreams, no thank you, NO. I have enough on my plate without trying to figure out a whole new way of eating, I don't want to give up these foods, our budget is already tight, etc. etc. etc.

2. Unfortunately, this makes way too much sense to ignore. Somehow, and I'm still not sure how, Dale convinced me to go to one of the free events at 180 Chiropractic and Wellness. While listening to Dr. Sweeney and Dr. Gebhardt, I realized that everything they said made sense. I still did not want to do this, but I was starting to believe that maybe they weren't nuts, at least!

3. We have to do this. Just to be fair, I sat down and read the book. Honestly, I was looking for holes in their theories. I wanted to be able to point out why they were wrong and how crazy this whole Maximized Living food program was. As I read, however, I became more and more convinced that they were right. Once I had the information, I couldn't not  change.

4. Frustration. Have you been reading labels? Remember the first time you went into the store, armed with your list of sugars and bad oils to avoid? The list really isn't that long, but those enemy ingredients are stuffed into nearly everything! No matter what I picked up, it was packed with sugars and hydrogenated oils. The list of what we could eat dropped dramatically. Surely, these Maximized Living people were expecting too much.

5. Fear. After trying to eat through most of the junk in our pantry before giving it up, (after all, we didn't want to be wasteful!) we finally cleaned out the rest, leaving only our new, acceptable foods in there. Terror churned through my stomach as I would open our cupboards and pantry and see a bag of flaxseed, several bags of nuts, and some tomato paste. The emptiness was terrifying. Were we really doing the right thing? Would we have enough to eat? (The refrigerator, on the other hand, was loaded down with fresh, natural food.)

6. Anger. Once we accepted that the Maximized Living plan wasn't insanity, I became angry at the way the American people have been duped. It took an enormous amount of effort to free ourselves from the traditional, acceptable American cuisine, but up until Dale walked through the doors of 180 Chiro, we had been clueless. Many, many people were still out there, buying foods that appear healthy, and yet are loaded down with hidden sugars and harmful oils. People are still buying into the "low fat" options, and busy families with tight budgets aren't presented with healthy options. Everything processed and packaged is harmful to them, and no one is telling them!

7. Acceptance. Finally, I had to realize that horrible food choices surround us--that's the way it's going to be. All we can do is continue to make good choices, avoid the bad ones, and share with others, through this blog, through 180 Chiro's free classes, and through word of mouth, that making healthier choices is difficult, but worth it.

Can you relate? What emotions have you experienced? Include them in the comments below!