We are What We Eat

Literally, that is what we are. My mom is a registered dietitian, but like most kids, I was raised part by my mom, part by my peers, and part by marketing departments. I was also a depressed little girl that didn't want to run around. Add in that little obsession with food and I became a fat depressed little girl, and it spiraled from there.

When I was 18, I gained 20 pounds in college and admitted to my mom that I literally did not know when to stop eating. She took me to another dietitian and discussed my diet. I lost those 20 pounds over the next few months, and over the next few years, I lost an additional 30. But I still had a terrible relationship with food.

Over the past month, I've been seeing a new nutritionist that has recommended eating more a balanced diet, and has made me realize that I eat way too many starches. She also mentioned that starches tend to "spike" in our bodies, causing us to crave more starch and even mess with our moods. Since focusing on eating more proteins, assuming I'll get my carbs by default, and focusing on fruits and vegetables, not only have I lost about 5 pounds (in a few weeks), but I feel better. I feel calmer, and I can feel how sugar affects my mood.

I'm also trying to eat more consciously, and stopping when I'm full. I try to stay on the outside of the supermarket and yes, I buy organic and local when I can. All things advocated in this article, Pollan: Nutrition 'Science' Has Hijacked Our Meals -- and Our Health. We're eating more than ever, yet we're terribly sick. We've been pumped full of chemicals too. I've been taking chemicals for over ten years now too, but no one bothered to look at all the mac and cheese I was eating or tell me how that might affect me. I know food alone can't make me not depressed, but a more balanced diet makes better sense than a higher dosage of a chemical that includes sweating and suicidal tendencies as side-effects.