Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a healthy eater.

Healthy eating has remained one of the most discussed and argued about topics in our society. Food and eating in general has always been a point of contention between the general population. It’s something our bodies need. It’s something our bodies crave. It’s also something that society has linked to skinniness, beauty, and the dreaded word; “diets”. More and more recently, however, educated and informed healthy lifestyles have been gaining popularity. Well that’s good right? Isn’t education important? Isn’t accessibility important? Isn’t wellness important? Most would think so. This new fervor for healthy living and creatively delicious and yet “good for you” foods has changed the dialogue around what constitutes health and dieting.

Yet, why do I still feel occasionally embarrassed or hesitant to discuss it and what I eat around my peers? Why is there a fear of judgement when the point of worry is a rising fad that's good for you? Ruby Tandoh, a previous contestant on the Great British Bakeoff and writer, wrote an article, supported by many others, that seems to disagree with this "fad". Her main point of contention, which is completely reasonable, was with the shame that the term “clean eating” presents upon your diets, and the fear that the restrictions and the need to regulate and control is evocative of eating disorder behavior. She has a point, although I don’t think the names of the healthy eating and lifestyle bloggers and authors she cites are to blame. I don't think most people who actually choose to embrace the healthy eating and wellness lifestyle are to blame. Most are happy, healthy, and don't force, only encourage, others to find the balance in their life to do the same. They are breaking boundaries and societal beliefs with their version of healthy eating. They don’t spout limitations on intake or sacrificing flavor or goodness for size or calories. That’s what healthy eating should be about. Thus, while I recognize that it's because of society and the way some of the population discusses and convolutes the term “clean eating,” and thus there’s a danger to it as well, I think what we have to realize is that there’s a balance. There’s a balance within our minds, how we deal with our relationship to food and how we discuss it and a healthy and happy lifestyle, in a society that breeds unhealthy "healthiness" shouldn't be discouraged or dismissed.

Eating food that’s good for you, that wont harm your body, make you sick, or leave you feeling unwell, is undoubtably healthy. Food that has been proven to clog your arteries, increase chance of disease, spike your blood sugar levels, and do much worse, is unhealthy. Thus, the stigma behind eating brown rice versus white rice or whole wheat bread versus white bread is dangerous because it's just further encouraging the general population to conflate the term healthy with restriction rather than adjustment. Choosing to eat what is scientifically proven to be better for you isn't stuck up or uncool and it certainly isn't unhealthy. Purporting it to be so, even under the guise of directing the term unhealthiness at the mindset rather than the actual food being consumed is just reckless. You can "be your own champion" and still recognize what is the difference between what is simply bad for you and society's unhealthy image of health. At the end of the day, people still make the choice on their own to do whatever they want with their lives, but the facts still remain the facts. Refined and processed foods were not made to be consumed. One could say the same for dairy, considering most people find themselves at the very least, not able to comfortably consume and digest lactose. It's because our bodies were not made to ingest it. We’re the only animal that consumes the milk of another animal. Isn't that strange? Cows don't actually produce milk for our benefit. They do it for their species, the same as we do when human mothers produce milk for their children. It’s why, despite how good it might taste and despite all the variety of things you can make with it, a lot of people feel bloated and unsettled after consuming it. Thus, the healthy eating and wellness methodology and ideology themselves are sound. It’s just the way certain people and society have begun promoting it that make it unhealthy. They promote extremes. They are the ones who promote true restrictions and “diets,” not the leaders at the forefront of the wellness frontier that are trying to change this dialogue.

I have been plant-based for around two or so years now. Yes, I am totally aware that term sounds pretentious, but I don’t want to conflate it with veganism because I’m fine eating things like honey and bee pollen, which might not fall in line with the true vegan lifestyle. (Just had to throw in that bit of explanation to counteract the pretentiousness). However, I started slowly, just like most people, and used to be not even remotely aware that healthy eating could be enjoyable and sustainable for a lifetime.

I didn't start actually paying attention to what is in the food I was consuming until I started to cook. Before that, I had an acute naivety because I never thought about where the food came from and thus didn’t care to know what I was putting in my body. However, when I started to become interested in cooking for myself, mostly from being sick of eating the same five meals, I picked up my first cookbook. It was It’s All Good by Gwenyth Paltrow, which I grabbed simply because she was a familiar face, the recipes looked delicious, and I saw her promoting one on a talk show that even I, who never even thought about eating healthy, immediately wanted to try.

Before that, I was of the mindset that you shouldn’t restrict yourself; that life’s too short to limit yourself and prevent yourself from having what you want. I didn’t know then that I could actually have my cake and eat it too. I wasn’t aware that healthy eating, wellness, enjoyment and fulfillment weren’t mutually exclusive. Now, it’s clear to me that that’s not the case. You can eat healthily and not restrict yourself. You can still make comforting, warming, familiar meals just by simply switching out some ingredients.

As I started trying a lot of Gwenyth’s recipes, I also found a love for cooking and baking that I never new I had. I enjoy it immensely and it relaxes and alleviates a great deal of my never ending anxiety. However, I also began to notice a change in me. I noticed a change in how much energy I had. I noticed a change in how I felt and how I didn’t resent myself after eating something. I was able to make and consume something utterly delicious that I was proud of, and not feel remotely guilty afterwards, nor remotely sluggish, which is how I felt most of the time before then. I was aware of what I was putting into my body, where it came from, and how it ended up on my dinner plate. It was eye-opening.

Then, I started researching and delving more and more into recipes and food that I never would have even tried before because the unknown now felt exciting rather than scary. Until then, I would have never touched fish, rarer vegetables, certain herbs and spices, or would have even comprehended using almond milk and almond flour to bake instead of the conventional ingredients. However, as I cooked more and more, I began to find that I felt a even more of a difference after eating certain dairy-free and meat-free dishes than when I consumed any animal products or byproducts. Thus, I decided to dip my toes into the plant-based pond.

That was when I discovered Ella Woodward, or Deliciously Ella as she is known online. I finally found a version of veganism that wasn’t just about elimination. Instead of taking away, it introduced me to foods, dishes, and flavors, that I never would have thought to eat before. It made me want to experiment in the kitchen more and I really found I not only enjoyed cooking, but loved the gratification of making something from scratch and enjoying it with others afterwards. It’s the same creativity and audience consumption that draws me to filmmaking, yet even more instant. Where I never would have tried kale before, I started buying it in bulk and making all kinds of things with it, ranging from marinated kale salads and stir-fries to kale chips. I wouldn’t have even known that you could get coconut oil, but now it’s not only one of my favorite oils to cook with because of flavor, but it also resides in my bathroom cupboard because it makes a great moisturizer. It was then that I began a new relationship with food and my body and never looked back since. I don't cut out natural sugars, fats, or carbs; things that have been proven to be necessary components of our diets that our bodies need to function. It's not about cutting back, it's about addition! Now, instead of scrutinizing every calorie count for everything I consume, I now get excited by when I go to the supermarket and walk down the fresh fruits and veggies aisle. While friends and families count calories and worry about how they’ll feel later, I know that whatever I am putting in my body is what it needs and I feel excited about eating it. I don’t have to think in my head about leaving half the plate of food over for the fear of what it will do to me the next day. I can eat and enjoy eating. I can cook and be more knowledgable that ever about what it is I am cooking. It’s made me feel better than ever, inside and out.

Before, I was totally of the same mindset a great deal of the population with a stigma against healthy eating and living had. I would have laughed or scoffed at the idea of consuming kale chips before, yet now, after feeling the change and actually embracing the food before judging it, it's hard to argue with the facts. It's been proven to aid in curing illnesses, sickness, and overall wellness. I've seen the change firsthand. It improved my mental health exponentially, calming down my anxiety, my stress, and my happiness, and it definitely improved my physical health! Where as before, I could barely keep up with my friends during the pacer tests we’d have to run in school, I can now run for several miles. Where as before, the thought of being active terrified me because I started breathing heavy the second I went up a fight of stairs, I now enjoy HIIT sessions or jogs. I’ve stopped equating wellness to skinniness. Wellness is fitness and it's probably that conflation that generates such a bad name for the idea of health. Strength is beautiful, not the number on your scale. I no longer want to see myself having a bony stomach or hips, but rather a toned and muscled body that feels like it’s capable of more than I thought I could imagine. It’s empowering to feel that way and it’s something that just three or four years ago, I never would have thought I could feel. It’s about the balance. It’s about the relationship. Exercise and fitness never stuck before because I was using it as a means to an end, rather than a choice. It didn’t excite me. I didn't know you could indulge and have it be even more satisfying. I thought healthy eating meant a salad of iceberg lettuce and lifting weights for hours. That’s not the case and it never was, but it’s what society tells you. It’s what the magazines promote. It’s glamorized and it’s what drives so many people into having unhealthy relationships with their bodies and what they are putting in them.

So yes, I am a healthy eater and I love it! I don't feel bad or remotely interested in consuming the steak on someone else's dinner plate. I'm very happy with what I've got and as one of my favorite chefs, Vikki Krinsky says, “Eating well is not about being on a restrictive diet, it is central to creating a fully balanced lifestyle.” Food can be both delicious and nutritious!

Finally, I'll wrap it up by answering the most frequent question I get asked; What about dessert?

I still eat dessert every day. I still bake cakes, cookies, cupcakes. I still eat chocolate, puddings, and pies. They’re just made with different ingredients, yet they taste just as good. I’ve made everything from chocolate chip chocolate cookies, brownies, chocolate cupcakes, cookie dough ice-cream, and gingerbread. I’m a million times more creative in the kitchen and I’m a million times happier. So please, don’t “feel bad” that I am choosing to live this way. Don’t feel bad because I’m feeling my best. I’m fulfilled and so I don’t miss. I’m happy and content, so I don’t question and punish myself. It's not a diet, It's a lifestyle. (God, that sounded so cliche!) It's not a means to an end, but a positive and permanent change that will only make your life better!

Let me just write that I'm not saying everyone has to do exactly as I do, or follow a rulebook. There's no rulebook, there are guidelines. All of our bodies are different and we have to listen to them to find the perfect balance for us, as individuals. As Ella Woodward says, "We’re all different, have different bodies and different lifestyles so what works for one of us isn’t going to be exactly the same for someone else, so make sure you listen to your body and do what’s right for you." Thus, we should embrace that individuality and encourage everyone to go on their own journey to find a health and happy balance in their life! No one's recipe for happy and healthy will be the same, but have fun and embrace experimenting along the journey to find out yours!

If anyone is thinking of taking the plunge or wetting their feet, these two ladies and their respective cookbooks will convince you that healthy eating can be happy eating. You can eat “clean” and still eat well. You can consume food in it’s natural state while putting it together to make something extraordinary! And check out my article about some of my top ten kitchen staples to kick start healthy eating!

1. Ella Woodward/Deliciously Ella

The best pasta recipes, veggie burgers, paella, curries, and the ultimate kale salad that will get you hopping on the kale bandwagon!

2. Olivia Wollenberg / Livia’s Kitchen

The best brownies, red velvet, chocolate cakes, cookies, and pies you will ever taste! If you think you can’t get the goodness, chewiness, gooeyness, and tastiness of chocolate brownies without any dairy, refined sugars, or processed ingredients, she will prove you wrong!