Hi, boos! I missed ya. It feels bizarre not to blog every night. I don’t like it, but some weeks I just can’t make it happen.
Anyway, it’s NEDA Awareness Week and I can’t help but think of my personal food revolution. I’ve been everywhere. As I edited photos of today’s eats, I smirked. Every phase is bundled up in one day. Every phase, that is, except for the phase made up of 100 calorie packs and 1,000 calories a day.
Breakfast
Overnight oats: 1/4 C oats, 1/2 banana, 1/2 C vanilla 2% Chobani, 1/4 C almond milk overnight. Peanut butter added in the morning.
Lunch
Vegan pita with garlicky black bean hummus, sweet pickled red onions, acidic arugula, juicy roasted tomatoes and punchy champagne-jalapeño vinaigrette.
Dinner
Chicken and pork Italian sausage, brown rice cous cous, black bean and chickpea salad.
I’ve been leniently vegetarian, stridently vegan and now carefreely everythingtarian. I’ve worn those labels, and you know what? It’s all good. It’s all good when I’m savoring my food, reveling in it, not thinking too much beyond it. It’s all good when I’m living in celebration of it instead of fear of it. It’s all good when I’m living without one very important label: disordered. And thankfully, that “when” is now, and that “now” has existed for the past few years. Through vegetarianism, through veganism, through everythingtarianism (mouthful)— it’s all possible. I’ve found my way.
I’d like to open this up to a discussion of hope and possibility. If you’d like, please share a bit of your own story or ask questions in the comments section. Much love to YOU!
Love,
Kailey
{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
Haha, yes…you eat exactly like I do. So naturally, I think it’s awesome!
beautiful post!!! i’m still in a disordered phase unfortunately, but i love your take on your journey. my goal is also to not be attached to labels, but simply put to HONOR my hunger and SAVOR my food
Amen, lady. I too have been vegetarian, vegan and not – and it really is about doing what’s best for you and your body. It took a long time for me to come to terms with it and it’s an ongoing process, but what I’ve learned is that I’m not doing anyone – animals and the planet included – any good if I’m too exhausted to move!
This is great! Living without a distorted way of thinking about food is definitely something to preach about. Labels mean nothing. Do what works for you!
Love the text on the pics (font), how did you do that?
Hey,
This has nothing to do with this post, but I wanted to get your opinion on something. Like you, I work in the “corporate” world. I use to do pageants and model, but when I was hired, I was told that I needed to pick one or the other. It was explained to me that I couldn’t pursue both because they didn’t want to hire me if I was going to move to California a year later to be a movie star. Since I got this job right out of college through an internship, I was okay with this. However, I am running into some issues where I feel like I am being discriminated against, as conceded as it sounds, for being a young, attractive, female. My boss pulled me into her office to inform me that one of the higher level managers was talking to her boss about my “brand” and that I come off as a fun, young and easygoing person. This was a concern since the words hardworking and professional were not used. This conversation lead to my boss and her boss talking about what exactly I am doing to portray myself in that way and they decided it’s because of the clothes that I wear. I am being completely honest here, I wear some sort of slacks and button down shirt to work everyday. I have stopped wearing heels, jeans on casual Friday and the majority of my makeup in an effort to seem less attractive because I felt like I wasn’t being taken seriously by people. According to my boss, my “boobs are big” and it was her suggestion that I get a bigger size so my button down shirts don’t show off my breast/body so much. She said numerous times that she felt bad about having this conversation and that she thinks it isn’t fair, but that is the way the corporate world works. Now, she wants to take me shopping and suggested that I use my bonus to buy an entire work wardrobe that she helps me pick out. I just want to know if this is completely ridiculous and if so, what should I do. Have you ever faced this type of discrimination? I work at a male dominated Fortune 500 company if that make any difference in your advice. Also, in comparison to the other people that I work with, I dress pretty conservatively and this is not only my opinion. My boss even wears boots up to her knees on occasion. Most women wear dresses and flashy clothing. I am 22 with the next two youngest females being 28-32 while the rest of the women are 35+.
Hi Heather! Would it be OK if we email about this? My first reaction is: Whatever you do, don’t spend your bonus on more wardrobe items that aren’t to your taste but are solely pleasing your boss’s needs. This is such a strange situation that I even talked to my mom about it. I would never change my style completely to suit, well, anyone. I’d love to email about your goals and priorities, etc.!
Love this! I kind of do the same thing all day long…dabbling in various eating styles to suit my cravings and tastes!
Amen to not putting labels on our dietary choices! When I had my eating disorder I went through various food-restriction phases using labels as excuses to cover up fear foods. However, I will fully admit that I love eating meat/dairy products and consume them on a daily basis– while I did also admittedly have an unhealthy phase where I was obsessed with protein and would over consume lean meats/greek yoghurt to make up for the lack of carbohydrates in my diet; I can now say I have reached a healthy compromise. Nowadays, my diet is whatever I feel like- I frequently eat vegetarian lunches at work out of convenience and cost (and the better reheatability), but I also will have my steak and embrace it. No labels here; only thing I won’t eat is pork for religious reasons and green bell peppers due to an allergy
“It’s all good when I’m living without one very important label: disordered.” Absolutely.
Love this
There is so much critique-ing going on about what is good, what is bad when it comes to food. It’s so tiring… that’s why I love your view on eating, lets all celebrate food instead of fearing food!!
pretty much – my story is on summed on on my bloggie (shameless plug)…i have battled for most of my life with binge eating and restriction – it ain’t pretty, it ain’t fun…but i demand to overcome it and have been doing so!
I have been following your blog for awhile now – and I’m proud of where you are at
“my story is on summed on on my bloggie” 3 ons don’t make a right.
derp.
karma for that shameless plug lol
yes yes yes! thank you for a great post. In the end, peace and health is the most important thing….not whether our veggies were organic, if our macro nutrients add up, if our grains were sprouted, if we had enough servings of dairy, if we ate too many slices of pizza, etc.
Unfortunately, I’m still disordered but I’m trying hard to change that. Not just with my eating habits but with everything. It’s hard but I’ll make it through. Thanks for this inspirational post.
So how does it feel to not have any diet restrictions? I am sure you feel amazing.
I have tested to waters with all sorts of restrictions and it ends up being a big fat hassle. If I am craving a glass of milk or grilled chicken….or hell, BACON, I want to be able to eat it and not feel guilty or that I am going against my “diet”.
I send you love and props for being easy going with your food. It makes life so much more fun.
I like this quite a bit, and Holly’s blog name is something that I’ve also seemed to adopt for myself, too, just because it’s so fitting. My food path has been all over the place, too.
I grew up in a household that worshiped low-fat foods, and I was trained that low-fat or no-fat (even if it was laden with chemicals) was the best (and sometimes only) choice. That trend continued through college, where I survived on 100 calorie packs, Splenda, and beer (healthy, I know). It wasn’t until a few years ago that I learned not to be AFRAID of food, but rather how to enjoy it, savor it, and love it.
I’m not even close to being vegan or vegetarian, but I am much more mindful of where my food comes from, whether it actually qualifies as FOOD (and not a chemical interpretation of what food should look like), and how it makes me feel. It’s been a long journey, but I think I’ve ended up in a pretty good place.
How are you a carefree everythingtarian? Whenever you eat any non-fish/white meat it’s OMG LOOK WHAT I’M EATING GUYS PLEASE DON’T MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF IT. People at your table order bacon and it’s WOW THAT’S A BIT MUCH I’M NOT THAT MUCH OF A CARNIVORE. I know you and Holly are blog friends so I’m sure you’ve noticed that she does actually eat meat of all types – not just ‘safe’ stuff like chicken sausages or turkey bacon. And the thing is it shouldn’t be a big deal, and all you do is make every food choice you make a big deal.
But hey, I guess what I’m supposed to do with this post is say congratulations guuuuurrrrrrrl way to be empowering! That seems to be the point for all of them lately.
Whoah, whoah, whoah! Kristi, what makes you think I haven’t eaten “not just ‘safe’ stuff”? I have and I haven’t blogged about it or made a big deal of it. I haven’t talked about it at all because, as you’ve pointed out, it’s not a big deal. However, when people follow a blog that’s largely based on food, they get to know a person through her food choices, which in and of itself sounds strange but it’s true. I believe it’s my responsibility to my readers to at least acknowledge a change.
Congrats on shedding the disordered label. Going vegan helped me when I was still suffering from eating disorders by proving I didn’t need to be afraid of food or eating. Its really amazing to hear others’ stories.
hi kailey! i’ve been following your blog for some time now and i’m glad you’ve found your balance between everything. though i’m still personally struggling to find a “healthy” relationship with food, just getting a peak into your daily eating has given me hope. for now i’ll continue trying different options and maybe one day i’ll finally shed this mental and emotional fear of food.
much love from japan~
Such an inspiring post! This reminds me that food choices, like all things in life, change over time. Deciding to eat one way now doesn’t mean that I have to eat that way forever. Things change, bodies change, cravings changes — What’s important is that I always listen to my body and give it what it needs to stay healthy, happy and active.
Thank you for being a huge inspiration and an amazing role model.
Kellie
This is great! And I eat the EXACT same way. I dabble amongst the “labels” for what my body is feelin’ that day.
I’m not sure I’ll ever be fully able to enjoy food without counting calories or tracking in my mind, but I’ve made a huge step recently. After 4+ years of one of the least talked-about and completely disgusting disorders, chewing-and-spitting, I finally went cold turkey a month ago. It’s a struggle, but I know it was wasteful and terrible for my body. I feel a million times better. Congratulations to you on shedding the labels! Don’t let any naysayers bring you down. (Naysayer is my new and more accurate way of describing haters ha.) By that, I don’t mean people who constructively criticize and question your choices, but rather those who jump to conclusions and attack your every word. So unnecessary.
“I believe it’s my responsibility to my readers to at least acknowledge a change”
I’ll take it one more step: I think it’s your responsibility to your readers to explain the thinking behind the change instead of slapping an “it’s all good” label on it and calling it a day. You used to be very vocal in your critique of meat-eating, which I respected because you were voicing and explaining your opinions. However, you can’t just say “Now I eat meat, and it’s all good because I’m not disordered!” and have it be okay. It’s fine to change your view, but either the old view (where you saw meat consumption as morally wrong) was wrong or the new one is. They cannot coexist and “all be good.” It’s not logical, and not going into this explanation is not taking full responsiblity for your views.
P.S. I eat meat, and I’m not crititquing your ethics. I just feel that all people must be able to rationally explain their views and any changes that occur in them; otherwise, they haven’t earned them.
I agree with Rebecca.
Rebecca, thank you for your comment. I completely get where you’re coming from here, and to be entirely honest, I’m not sure where my ethical stance is right now. It’s in a state of flux, and I’m not sure I’ll never be a vegan or vegetarian again just as I’m not sure I’ll be OK eating meat forever. I certainly feel, personally (NOT attacking anything or anyone…this is just ME), that this is more of a selfish phase of eating. I’m not taking anything into consideration except for me– and I’m not saying this is right or wrong. Some of my ideologies still identify with vegan and vegetarian thinking, so I’m definitely still pondering this. I’m constantly questioning and for now I’ve just told myself not to think about it. I don’t really think that’s quite right, either. There’s something about biting into meat and fixing it that’s still very foreign to me. In fact, I haven’t been able to bring myself to cook anything from scratch/that is raw. So I haven’t fully fleshed my change out because, with anything, I’m not sure how permanent it is. I just know that I feel really great right now.
I do want to clarify that my point in this post was not, as you said, “Now I eat meat, and it’s all good because I’m not disordered!” What I wanted the message to be without delving into it (not smart on my part, really) is that health and recovery and a “good” or “healthy” diet has many faces. It can look vegetarian or vegan or meat-atarian on the outside as long as what’s happening inside– mentally– is all good.
To your point of: “I just feel that all people must be able to rationally explain their views and any changes that occur in them; otherwise, they haven’t earned them.” I don’t believe one has to “earn” her own views or changes. That simply doesn’t make sense to me.
I don’t want this to come across as defensive; I just wanted to address your comment fully!
Thank you for the response. I do actually believe it is only ethical to earn one’s opinions. All I mean by that is that each person should be able to explain–when questioned–why he or she holds that view. To just hold and throw around random beliefs and opinions and shrug your shoulders when someone asks why totally discredits your view, in my book. If you can’t put the time into thinking, don’t bother talking. It is harmful to the dialogue.
That said, I just wish you would have written in your post what you wrote above! Maybe you felt the post was going in a different direction or were crunched for time. But what you said did offer your honest thoughts and feelings about the ethical dilemma you’re having in switching your diet. That’s much better content–to me–than cliches or smiley faces!
Great points Rebecca.
Agreed! Noted and I’ll definitely try to take that with me when I write about these things further.
That lunch looks AWESOME! And makes me wonder why I’ve never had black bean hummus?! And this was a great post- you are so right, the only label that’s important is that you are healthy… because when it comes down to it, that’s all we should really be striving to.
And by “to” I meant “for” oops
I would say I eat about 85% Vegetarian. Although- if my body’s craving it or I’m at a place I just have to try it I have meat! Otherwise I feel best when I eat mostly veggies
Mmm yes I am a proud everythingtarian and delician because after all of this time it is what feels right in my heart and my gut and allows me to live the life I want to live. I want to try everything, travel well, eat decadently and die happy.
I’ve been dabbling in a bit of everything myself, and right now I’d call myself a pescatarian. However, I find that some of my meals are vegan, and most are totally vegetarian. From my sprouts to my nutritional yeast, I have a lot more variety in my diet after my stint as a vegan and I think I’m healthier than ever now that I have a wide range of foods that I’m happy to eat.
YES! Life is too short to stick to labels. It really is – I know that ‘everythingtarianism’ works best for me, and that is what MATTERS!!