Enjoying a post-surfing, fresh papaya and mango smoothie.
I love to eat. While I’m, for the most part, blessed with good genes, I can’t honestly say that I chose healthy eating. Rather, it chose me, for four reasons:
- In 1999, when I was living in Japan, I gained a whopping 40 pounds in four months! I know! It’s unbelievable, yet true. I felt sluggish and physically uncomfortable. I had to find a way to shed the unhappiness and be lean and healthy.
- In college, I was diagnosed as having “irritable bowel syndrome” and prescribed a slew of pills I would never take. I knew that if food was making me feel so bloated and pained, food should also be able to make me feel great.
- In 2005, I was in a car accident that rendered me inactive for quite a while. I knew I had to learn to eat as “clean” as possible since I couldn’t, at that time, combine diet and activity to achieve overall wellness.
- That “duh” moment – I just don’t like feeling over-carbed or stuffed or like I’m on a sugar high. I like feeling energetic, clean, and strong. Eating well helps me to be these things.
Teresa Tastes & Travels 
My journey to healthy eating is so similar. I gained ~30 pounds my first year of college and I had this liver condition that almost put me in liver failure. That’s when I changed. I had an ankle reconstruction last august and was on the sofa for almost 5 months. I HAD to learn how to eat. Thanks for sharing 🙂