Natural Healthy New Start for 2014...

So I’ve shared with you my new natural hair & health journey for this year…Let's continue the conversation and sharing experiences…

Let's begin with topic of a healthy diet because it dictates the appearance of your hair and skin! If the inside of your body is healthy, then the outside will be as well! When you put junk food, sweets, soda, and other processed foods into your body, then your digestive system has to work super hard to get rid of it because our bodies were not made to digest it. Since it has to work so hard, it wastes tons of energy and then it doesn’t have any energy left to cater to your beauty needs such as your hair and skin. Then, your body tries to store it in forms of fat, and tries to get rid of the toxins in the form of acne and other ways. It also doesn’t have any energy to take care of your hair and make it long, thick, and healthy. Makes too much sense right!? When I discovered this–it changed my wholeee view on eating! It really made me think twice everytime I went to reach for that sugary donut or cheesy pizza. Food is soo powerful! It can either be healing and super beneficial, or it can literally be deadly. So I decided to take control of my health and turn it around! Now, I admit I had been on that path before when I lived in New York, I felt light, energized, happy, and it showed! Having moved to PAP, Haiti I did stall the first two years and now this was not an easy transition at all. And I must emphasize–a transition,meaning this didn’t happen overnight. It took time. I started changing my eating habits about a year ago, and I am still changing them. That is why it is a journey!

Below are a few of the small steps I made to change my health:

1. I came upon this path by simply cutting out soda and switching to juice! Juice in cartons are still bad for you–so I mean literally natural juices that are homemade which is bountiful in Haiti! However switching to juice helped me to eventually switch to strictly drinking water, and tons of it. The average person should drink at least half of your body weight in ounces. So since I weigh 120 pounds, I need to drink at least 60 ounces of water each day. Just by doing this you will see a hugeee difference in your hair and skin! It will help your hair to grow and it’ll make your skin glowy and clearer.
2. Stopped eating fast food. This is a big one. Fast food is not even real food. It is processed so much that our bodies don’t even realize it and they can barely digest it. In Haiti, the equivalent to American fast food is FRITAY! Its like poison to your body. So, try to at least eat it less, and if possible to stop completely. I haven’t had fast food in about 3 years now. I don’t even like it anymore! (Except McDonalds french fries-I stumbled on my path a month ago. Hoy!) Lol I’m not going to lie I enjoyed every last bite of it–but I regretted it later when I had a stomach ache and I was exhausted after. Sticking with whole, healthy foods is so much better and you really FEEL the difference!
3. I started drinking. This was by far the most influential change for me. I was deprived of vegetables and I didn’t even realize it. The smoothie helped me get a weeks worth of vegetables in one serving! My skin started to glow and I had so much more energy. It also made me crave more healthy foods.
4. I stopped eating pork and beef. This wasn’t too hard–except for missing bacon & griot. Ahhhh I love bacon, lol. But thank God for turkey bacon which I like even more now. Pork and beef in general are the worst tons of meet.They have loads of fat and they clog your arteries. So now I stick to turkey and chicken (for those who are not allergic to seafood like me, recommend fish). Also if you want to lose weight, cutting out pork and beef will definitely help you to do so. I wasn’t trying to but I still lost a lot from this change in my diet.
5. Ate less fried and processed foods. I really try to cut down these. Pretty much everyone knows that they are terrible for you–yet we love them, I know. But you should try to bake or grill instead of frying, and choose whole, fresh foods instead of processed ones.

So those are most of the changes I’ve made, and every day is an opportunity to make healthier decisions. Now does this all mean I never cheat or pig out sometimes? As I said, definitely not especially a foodie and winey (wine lover) like me! But if you cheat once in awhile that doesn’t mean you’re not healthy. Its about balance. 90% of the groceries I buy are vegetables and grains from the farmers market. My groceries never include dairy (unless its goat cheese which is a lot better for you), meat (only chicken) or processed foods. So most of the time I am making healthy decisions, and that is what matters the most–what you are doing MOST of the time. It is about a LIFESTYLE change and not just dieting! You can start your journey today by taking baby steps that can cause big changes and be on your way to being healthy inside and out!

With Love,

Minou