Healthy Living: You Don’t Need to Label Yourself

I’ve been wanting to share a heart to heart post like this for a while now and I finally took the time to put it into words and share with you.

The truth is I struggle with the idea of “labelling” your lifestyle and believe me there are so many labels in the health and wellness world … paleo, gluten-free, raw, vegan, vegetarian and keto.

I do feel that labels can be helpful, especially for those with food allergies and for menu items at a restaurant or recipes on a blog, but in general, I don’t think it’s necessary to label your lifestyle in order to eat healthy and at times it can feel a little too diet-y to me.

There have been periods of my life where I did label my diet. I considered myself a vegan for seven years and at the time, that was great for me. I cut out gluten for two years and at that time I considered myself gluten-free, which also worked for me. As I got older though I realized my body was needing different foods, but I was so worried about starting to eat fish/gluten again because I’d be “breaking my label”, which defined me for so long. I literally ate eggs secretly for a while before I shared to some of my friends that I had reintroduced eggs because I was so worried what people would think. I was eating how I had labeled myself instead of listening to what my body really needed. 

I also know that just because one way of eating works great for someone it doesn’t necessarily mean that eating that way will be best for me or anyone else. As a nutritional therapist and health coach in the food/health/wellness world I understand the impact I have on my clients and I want you to know that you don’t have to eat exactly like me to be healthy. Experiment and find what foods make you feel your best! 

Today, I eat a wholesome diet focused on real food. I’m drawn toward plant-based options and feel my best when I eat a lot of vegetables. I eat a ton of salads and am mindful to load up half my plate with veggies. I use plant-based protein powder because that’s what feel best for me. But I also eat eggs, yogurt, fish on the very rare occasion. Because I fall somewhere in the middle of all of the lifestyle labels, I often gravitate toward the flexitarian title but I don’t use it to label my lifestyle. I embrace “clean eating” and use the term often to describe how I eat but clean eating has so many definitions depending on who you’re talk to so again, I don’t use it to label my lifestyle.  And I personally hate the idea of labeling foods as clean or dirty, good or bad. If a food isn’t spoiled or hasn’t fallen on the floor, it’s not dirty! 

Here’s the thing. I don’t feel like it’s necessary to put a label on the way I eat and I don’t think you should feel pressured to do so either. I eat foods that I enjoy, foods that make me feel good and sometimes I eat foods that aren’t considered “clean” or “healthy” and I think that’s great and part of a living a healthy, BALANCED life. 

Healthy eating should be about eating a balanced diet with a variety of nutrient-dense whole, real foods. It should be about tuning into your body and eating what your body craves and what makes YOU feel good!