Common Food Trends #1

Growing up I basically ate whatever I wanted. Dr. Pepper was my favorite beverage and I was always munching on Cheetos. Every day during Junior high I would head to the á la carte line to purchase 3 chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate milk for my lunch. To me, this was the best lunch I could have. I didn’t understand the importance of vitamins and nutrients and didn’t think twice about eating the daily recommended amount of fruit, veggies, grain and protein. Even though I was learning about the significance of nutrition and health in school, the information would go through one ear and out the other. A few years later I was in High School, everyone became so obsessed with how skinny their thighs were, how slim their waist was, and how plump their butt looked. I felt like I needed to care too. Soon enough I was watching my calories like a hawk, and before I knew it, I had tried every diet and food fad Pinterest had to offer. But after following one specific diet, the vegan diet, for quite some time, I wasn’t seeing any positive changes and I overall wasn’t feeling good. My body constantly felt fatigued and I wasn’t sure why. After talking to a doctor and nutrition specialist, they found that I was lacking vitamin B12 which caused me to have a loss of energy and constant weariness. At the time I was avoiding eating meat, thinking that by doing that I would be healthier and thinner due to the fact that I knew vegans at my school and they were very small and skinny. I was uneducated about the diet and was not aware of the dangers that could come from not eating meat. Thankfully, I was able to get the help I needed and redirect my path to eating the right foods for me.