Not Cooking Hurt My Health and Here's Why
By: Dominica Reid
Image: Dominica Reid
“I don’t cook! No, seriously I don’t.” These were the words you would often here coming from my mouth. I loved eating food, but never had the desire or the urge to cook. To be honest, just thinking about standing in the kitchen and preparing a meal would cause me extreme anxiety and I would try to avoid it as much as I could. I would come up with any excuse to avoid preparing a meal. From, “Why bother cook, it’s only me anyway”, to “It’s so much easier to get take out, plus it lasts for two meals”, to “I’m just plain too tired to stand in the kitchen and cook after a long day at work”. All of these excuses were reasonable, but what I was doing to my health and wallet wasn’t.
I was starting to feel sluggish and extremely exhausted at work. I was also beginning to lose focus at school, and no matter how much I slept I was still tired. At the time I wasn’t attributing this to my food habits. I was working three jobs, accumulating 50 hours a week, plus I was in grad school. So I just kept telling myself that it was just work overload. I was also feeling a change in my body. Not only was I feeling tired all of the time, but my body wasn’t able to properly digest food. I was having a lot of stomach problems, which included bloating, constipation…(I’ll spare you the details). I didn’t even think about it, because it was the norm for me, until one day when my boyfriend (now husband) asked me in passing what I had to eat that day. I answered: “Oh just cheese cake and some chips.” That’s when it hit me. Of course I was so exhausted because of my food. It all makes sense now but at the time I was so busy with school and work that I didn’t even notice.
Image: Dominica Reid
Steamed veggies and scrambled eggs was an easy way for me to get my vegetable and protein intake.
I started to make a conscious effort to start caring for myself both physically and emotionally. Yes, my food intake was causing most of my issues, but I also noticed that I was working too hard. I started by cutting back my hours at work and looking for a job where I could work less but also focus on school. I also began making my own meals. At first it was daunting, I had no idea where to start and how to begin, but the Internet is a wonderful place and I found so many great blogs and websites that helped me start my journey. Instagram and Pinterest are great sites to find healthy recipes, and workout routines. I started posting pictures of my food on Instagram, and the likes and support I got from my followers really motivated me to keep up with my health journey.
I still fall into my old habits from time to time, but I’m still learning and I am seeing a different me. I’m happier, healthier and a lot more positive. My sleep schedule is regular, I eat better and I meditate every day! I’m on my way to becoming my best self!
Keep an eye out for my next post on how I changed my eating habits and easy recipes that kick started my health journey.