That Health Thing

In an effort to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, I started seeing a health coach recently. It's not that I don't know how to eat right. When I was little, I was allergic to wheat and sugar and a bunch of other things, and I would break out in eczema whenever I "cheated" and ate the wrong foods. Since my mom and one of my sisters had similar allergies, everyone in my family ate according to a fairly strict diet. In my house, it was goat's milk instead of cow's milk, carob chips instead of chocolate chips, and fructose instead of sugar. You're either thinking, "What in the world?" Or, "Oh, that sounds familiar." As my sister and I grew older, we outgrew some of our food allergies, and my family became more lax about nutrition (i.e., we would eat ice cream and M&M's, although we never drank soda or coffee, or ate things like marshmallows or maraschino cherries). As an adult, I've become increasingly fond/dependent on/addicted to sugar and starches, and I've spent many an hour contemplating the conundrum of knowing what I ought to eat but not eating that way. Enter the health coach, a pleasant and sophisticated woman who reminds me a bit of Anna Friel. At our first meeting, she gave me two main pieces of advice, neither of them shocking: 1) Drink more water, and 2) eat more vegetables. Of course, it was a bit more complicated than that. For now, though, I'm supposed to start and end my day by eating vegetables, particularly greens: spinach, kale, bok choy, collard greens, mustard greens, chard, and arugula. She suggested starting my day with smoothies, and I have been trying to follow her advice. The first day's smoothie made me want to vomit, but I've become a little more proficient at making palatable concoctions, and today's blend of water, carrot juice, kale, spinach, strawberries, grapes, and banana wasn't half bad. Of course, what I'd really prefer after another night of interrupted sleep, thanks to my precious babe, is a bagel with almond butter and strawberry jelly and a hot cup of coffee with almond milk, but somehow I think I'll be happier in the long run if I minimize the sugar, starches, and caffeine, and rely instead on those oft-acclaimed, oft-despised veggies.