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Being Misunderstood by Others When Eating Differently than the Majority

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Welcome to my world and the world that many others share… a world where more and more people are finding they need to eat differently than the majority and differently than their ancestors because the toxicity in today’s world is contributing to various health challenges.  Yes, the majority that eat differently are suffering and are trying to prevent further suffering by eating healthier and many are misunderstood.

Most of you know that I used to eat copious amounts of processed and high sugar foods, drink far more alcohol than would be deemed necessary at social functions, and even smoke!  And then, by direct cause and effect, my daughter, Taylor was born, severely lacking in good bacteria and reacting to all of the common allergens.  In order to heal her, I needed to learn about nutrition, learn about the healthier alternatives to the common allergens and discover that even though her body reacted to drugs, there was a host of natural, effective remedies available.

I help children every day learn that food colouring makes them hyperactive, that wheat bloats them and makes them tired or depressed, that dairy contributes to their frequent ear infections and bedwetting…and then there are the adults that are trying to go gluten free or lose weight or see a holistic practitioner for the first time because conventional medicine is not working at healing their digestive system.

And you know what we all face when we go about things differently than the majority?  Contempt, anger, labels of “crazy” or “obsessed” or “ignorant” or we are told to ‘live a little’ or ‘you only live once.’ For some of us, relationships end because of our food choices!  Some of us end up extremely isolated because attending social functions is too difficult emotionally.  Some of us forfeit careers because we end up home schooling, due to the fact that our children cannot eat the foods that other children eat.

More and more people are suffering from symptoms, conditions and disease.  More and more people are becoming more educated about food.  We are starting to see people making different food choices more than ever before.  I implore those of you reading this blog post, to have compassion and respect, as opposed to contempt, for those of us that are choosing to do things differently.  For it is only by doing things differently, that some of us will live long and healthy lives with minimal suffering.

When we choose to do things differently, some feel that we are threatening their way of being or that we feel they must be “wrong” in how they are doing things.  What works for one person may not work for another person; that is all!

And to those of you that are doing things differently, there is no need to broadcast it nor is there any need to try to convert others to our way of thinking.  And when you attend social functions, you may be interested in:

  • Filling up at home beforehand
  • Offering to help the host/hostess serve their food to the guests, so that others don’t wonder why you are not partaking
  • Switching the topic of conversation when others start asking you or chastising you for your dietary choices

And for those of you that are hosting social functions, who care about your guests that cannot partake in all the delicious wonders, you may be interested in:

  • Serving some fruit and vegetables
  • Providing some options containing no dairy or wheat, such as meatballs or a shrimp platter
  • Offering some all natural, homemade desserts devoid of chemicals

Wouldn’t it be nice if those of us that figure out what we need to do for ourselves were applauded, as opposed to shunned?  We all have to live in this world together.  It is my fervent hope that just one person is kinder to another, who cannot eat certain foods that are commonly eaten by others, as a result of reading this article or passing this article onto another.

Please feel free to leave a comment as well. Don’t forget to leave a link back to your own blog too if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. And, if you love this blog, won’t you vote for us?  You’ll find the link in the sidebar to the right of this post. If you are reading this post via email, please click here to be taken to the website where you’ll find the vote box.

Until next time,

Meredith

Meredith Deasley

Certified Life Coach, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Spiritual Vitality Expert - Published Author, Speaker, and Teacher.

6 Comments

  1. Allergic Solution on December 12, 2012 at 9:17 am

    Very astute observation. Sometimes it is best to quietly lead by example and say little. Let your glowing health, abundant energy and joy be the message of how your lifestyle supports you.



    • Meredith on December 18, 2012 at 8:39 pm

      You are right Tammie! I was told I would stunt Taylor’s growth because I was feeding her alternative foods. She is 13, 5’10” and strong like an ox!
      Meredith



  2. KAREN MACDOUGALL on December 17, 2012 at 12:14 pm

    Hi Meredith
    I can sooo connect with this! I went wheat free this spring and my husband has NOT been very understanding about my decision! I will send this to him in the hope he reads it! I have just made a new years resolution to educate myself more about nutrition. My daughter took a course for her degree and she has the text book home, so will start with that. Thanks for inspiring me to commit to something that till now, has been at the back of my mind. I will have to fit it in-between writing my next novel and looking for part time work!
    I wrote a critique of Wheat Belly on my blog.



    • Meredith on December 18, 2012 at 7:46 pm

      Hi Karen,
      It was my hope that people would share this blogpost with others that were not understanding their food choices so thank you for letting me know that you did this! Also thank you for sharing your interest in learning more about nutrition. Edison Institute offers a great 5 class crash correspondence course in nutrition and you get to choose your areas of interest – I highly recommend it! I checked out your blog – what a great variety of topics – thank you for sharing!

      Meredith



  3. D Drew on January 3, 2013 at 2:37 pm

    I will post your blog post on my facebook page! Many people feel this, and it can be painful. The best advise I can give that I try to live by is to surround yourself with the people who support your decisions to live a healthier lifestyle that works best for you! Education is the key to open closed minds. Best wishes to you in the New Year!



    • Meredith on January 3, 2013 at 9:29 pm

      Thank you for spreading the word Denise as so many are feeling alone when it comes to doing things differently. Happy New Year to you!
      Meredith