H o w T o R e m o v e H a r m f u l F o o d s F r o m Y o u r D i e t

Before I begin, it's really important to address the title of this post. I am not referring to quick fixes or cutting out treats. I'm discussing removing foods from your diet which are harmful to you. Let's put flavours, textures, comfort factors to one side and appreciate that (as poop as it is) there are just some foods which point blank do not, and will never agree with us. Removing foods from your diet is a choice to be taken seriously and really needs to be calculated and sustainable. But it's not all doom and gloom! Removing various food types from my diet have been some of the best life choices I have ever made, and I eat healthier and more diversely than ever before! And you can too. 

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My experience: So basically my stomach is my arch nemesis. Since I was a child I would always have an uncomfortably bloated belly or an ache or a pain. For me, it was relentless. Growing up I went through a number of stages trying to persevere, I would feel frustrated, confused, tired and eventually numb. I adopted some really awful eating habits and became severley self consious. Well, I was going to be bloated anyway - may as well have a three course meal at Pizza Express right? (and a hot chocolate to finish, really.)

Over the last couple of years my stomach situation went from bad to worse. Not only was my digestive system failing on me I was becoming aware of a load of different symptoms which were really badly affecting me like chronic fatigue, severe bloating, headaches, mood swings, decreased energy and sometimes even affected my monthly cycle - to name a few. It sucked.

Around this time last year I made a concious decision to better myself. Having been to a load of pointless doctors appointments I was determined to make changes. I spent hours and hours online looking into my symptoms trying to figure out what could be causing everything. Eventually I identified that each of these symptoms all had a direct correlation with food, and the foods I was eating. It became clear that foods containing wheat and gluten were right at the forefront making me feel awful. So just like that, I cut out wheat and gluten. Six months later it was become clear that dairy was affecting me negatively. So just like that, I cut out dairy. Was it easy? Nope, I won't lie. But alas, realistically I have no choice but to remove such foods from my diet because they simply aren't worth the bother. I can however make a choice to look at it all as positively and healthily as I can - which is actually very exciting and rewarding. 

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If you have the right motives and determination, you've got this in a bag. If I can remove wheat, gluten and dairy from my diet (this is coming from a bonafide ex-chocoholic, pizza addict) then I'm pretty sure a monkey can. And if a monkey can, you absoloutely can. Let's get started!

Removing specific foods/food types from your diet will be challenging but it's so doable and will make such a positive impact on you and you need to remember the bigger picture and your motives for doing so. Throughout the process remember be fair on yourself, don't be too hard on yourself, accept that it will be trial and error and that you may feel fed up at times. After the first couple of bumps you will feel the benefits, you will be trying different foods, you will be cooking more organically. You can make the change, it's all in your mindset. For me, I see it as free from wheat, free from dairy, free from gluten, full of nutrients, full of flavour, full of textures. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and that this can be helpful to anyone who is considering making changes to their diet. I am not a dietician or a nutritionist, these tips come from my own personal experience and have made a hugely positive impact on me. Please comment below if you have any other tips and tricks!