If you have landed on this page, then welcome and hello. As the blog title suggests, this is a shared space for navigating the murky avenue of ‘midlife’. I created this blog, so that I can share with you, all the weird and wonderful things I have trialled, adopted and dabbled in, during this strange transitioning time of life. My life now, looks 100% opposite, to how it was 5-10 years ago. There was a significant period of change for me and in all honesty, my transforming is still evolving. I’m now in a place where I accept that life is a continuous journey and we all have a story to tell, so that we can share, learn and support each other. Let me get straight to it – my roles have changed, my body (internal and external) have changed, my outlook of life has changed, what I place importance on has changed, my relationships have changed, my relationship with myself has changed and my priorities have changed. Please use this platform to recognise that you are not alone and we can
Dietary Changes in Midlife
Over
the last 4 years, I’ve made significant changes to my diet. There have been
varied reasons for this.
- 1) I felt I was becoming
more conscious of ‘food’ production and did not like what I was learning
- 2) I was becoming more ‘in-tune’
with what my body did and did not like (we all have unique chemical make up and
what 1 person tolerates well, another may not)!!
- 3) My personal ethics and
values, shifted in relation to animal welfare
- 4) I am trying to live more
economically
- 5) I am learning more and
more about the impact that our ‘food fuel’ has on the way our brain and body
functions
So
what were the changes I made……
Meat Free
I
stopped eating meat. Once my decision was made, that was it….done!! My decision
was based purely around appalling animal welfare….bred for slaughter and often
living in disgraceful and heartbreaking conditions. Personally, I did not agree
with this poor treatment, nor did I wish to continue contributing to this
ongoing practice.
Additionally,
I was aware of the fact that I couldn’t digest meat very well and this took its
toll on my gut health. I have found this diet transition really easy. I’ve not
experienced one moment so far, were I have wanted to eat meat. There are so many
varied options available now that enable meat free diets. I’ve not had any
difficulties choosing delicious options when eating out in restaurants, so don’t
ever feel that I’m missing out on anything.
Processed and chemical laden ready meals
On
another note, it’s extremely rare that I ever eat anything processed and I don’t eat
‘ready meals’. All my meals are made from scratch and what I’ve learned, is
that once you have a wide range of spices and herbs you can literally make
anything from scratch that will taste yummy….its all about ‘flavour’ and a
helping hand from online recipes, of which there is an abundance. By making all
your own meals, you avoid all the man made chemical preserves and chemical
flavour enhancers that are not designed to naturally be in our bodies.
Bread
Shop
bought bread is packed full of chemicals and sugars. In some instances, there
have been arguments about calling ‘bread’ bread, because of the high sugar content
and more resembling ‘cake’. To support breads long life, it must have chemical
preserves, otherwise it would only last a couple of days.
I
rarely ever buy bread now and generally only make it myself, so I know exactly what
is going into it. Organic flour, salt, water and yeast…..that’s it! Obviously,
its not the same texture as the shop bought stuff that is so airy it barely
feels like your eating anything….until you get all bloated afterwards. I don’t get
any of that bloating with my homemade bread and it tastes yummy. Its made fresh
every couple of days. I’ve made sourdough, regular loaf,
bread buns, focaccia. It’s honestly so quick and easy (apart from sourdough.....that's more complicated and a bit of an endurance) that I cant imagine I
will ever want to go back to shop bought bread. There is no denying that when
in a tight spot and I haven’t been able to make any (like for instance when coming
back from holidays), that I do need to resort to picking up a loaf….but this is
so infrequent that it shouldnt have as much detriment on my body.
Refined Sugar
There
is so much evidence now widely available about the negative impacts that
refined sugar has on our bodies and brains. My decision to significantly reduce
refined sugar has been the most difficult dietary change I’ve made. I love,
sweet treats and its so difficult to pick something up that only uses natural
sugars. I know many people would suggest eating fruit etc…. but in all honesty,
most fruit doesn’t sit well on my stomach (apart from bananas) and ‘it’s just
not the same’!!
I
do, now and again try and make my own naturally sweet treats but in all
honesty, I’ve had so many horrible tasting outcomes that I’ve kind of give up!!
I’ve managed to find some items that I do actually like but the range is small
and limited. Baby biscuits by organix and kiddylicious are very good, deliciously
ella’s products are tasty. Montezuma do a 100% cocoa chocolate bar that has no
sugar in it at all. It’s an acquired taste but mixed up with dates and
sultanas, they are quite enjoyable.
To
quench my sugary cravings, I do cave and have something on a weekend (either
chocolate or cake). I really wish I could reduce this more and possibly push
back to only fortnightly or even monthly. At times I have done this well but I
find I can’t sustain it!! The weekend only refined sugar intake, seems to be
the balance I can manage right now but I will continue trying!!
Eco friendly
Several
months ago, I seen an advert on a London tube about a company call oddbox. They
basically ‘rescue’ fruit and vegetables that would otherwise be binned because
they cant be sold in stores, because of odd shapes or over production etc…. They
basically, sell the fruit and vegetables at a reduced price and the randomly
selected goodies, get delivered to your door every week. I really liked the
ethos of this brand and immediately signed up for it. You cant choose your
items but you can exclude up to 3 items that you don't want (after all,
its all about reducing waste). I love getting oddobx, it has made me much more adventurous with what meals I make. I get some strange items that I've never heard of before so learning about how to include them in a meal can be quite exciting. Prices are very good value for the amount
of fruit and vegetables that are delivered. Well worth it, and all to help with
reducing waste.
Alcohol Free
I’ve
discussed this in another post. Link here: Alcohol Free in Midlife
Celery Juice
Okay,
so I read some posts on social media just recently about warning people away
from ‘fad diet’s and ‘unsustainable fashionable dietary changes’. Interestingly,
I’ve read ‘celery juicing’ being banded within this ‘fad’ context.
Personally,
I’ve been drinking celery juice consistently now for 18 months. So, for me,
this is not a ‘fad’. It has been a regular practice that has worked wonders on
my gut health and I have no intention of giving it up.
When
I started out, I was drinking raw (no pulp) organic celery juice every day for
around 1yr. After then, I reduced it to 3 times a week just to maintain my good
gut health. This post is not about going into details about celery juicing (how’s or whys), it’s just to highlight that, for me, this kind of juicing has had so
many benefits. It seems to ‘flush’ me out in regards to liver and bowel
functions. My body feels better for doing it and I no longer struggle with
excessive bloating, like I constantly used to. It’s certainly, an expensive health
practice to take up and keep on top of but I personally feel its worth it!!! I don’t
drink alcohol, don’t smoke and don’t eat meat, so I can excuse the extra cost
from these savings.
If
anyone wants to know more about any of the topics on here, please comment and
let me know, equally you can follow me on instagram @learningmidlife for
additional content
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