But Colbs, there are SO many healthy ways of eating! I truly cannot keep up.

If you’re anything like me, you get extremely overwhelmed by the amount of information there is out there on anything food related. For me, I tried out veganism for four months. For those who do not know, a vegan diet consists of plant-based foods while eliminating all meat and dairy products. I learned a LOT those four months, and one thing that stuck with me 6 years later to this day, was the vegetarian component of that lifestyle.

Coming from my own experience, I felt kinda confused when being a vegan. I knew the reasons why I had started, but I didn’t feel as satisfied as I thought I would months after religiously eating accordingly.

As far as my body functions, I lost my period for a whole year! To be fair- I was an incredibly late bloomer (thanks mom and dad) and didn’t get my period until veryyyy late to begin with. Knowing that, I thought maybe I would do more research on the whole vegan thing. And so I did!

At first if we’re being 100% real, the reason I began including dairy products is because I totally and undeniably was cravin them. I missed going to get ice cream on a spontaneous night with my friends! I hated being that girl who made ordering so complicated “no cheese, dressing on the side, extra veggies, no egg whites”. But I also felt the impact on my body (weird for me to say because at the time I really did not know a THING about intuitive eating). I felt like I was always eating more veggies to compensate for my sweet tooth (I know what you're thinking...why colby, why).

After I slowly started to include dairy, I got results. At first my body reacted very strangely. It was almost as if my stomach had never digested something so alive. It actually felt like I was eating dog. And I have never done that but I imagine it’s horrifying. Okay, a little far, but you get the point.

However, consuming little amounts of dairy over time, in moments that I knew I truly wanted it, I got here. Right here! Intuitive eating baby.

Now, do I have dairy every single day? No. Back to that phrase- Knowledge. Is. Power. It really is. If you read my Why I Became Vegetarian where I talk about the impact dairy has on our bodies, you will know exactly why it is important to keep an eye on intake!

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from my experience… It’s that in order to stay sane throughout this journey, you must find what works for YOU. That’s why I am here! Sharing my personal experiences with food, I hope to serve as your little cheat sheet throughout your own journey!

So Colbs, back on topic… How many servings of dairy do you consume? And why on earth do you eat it if you know it isn’t good for you?

This is about to sound cheesy (lol. I'm aloud to use that phrase now because I'm not a vegan, right!?) but I swear it is everything to me. I wake up everyday genuinely excited about how I am going to treat my body. Whether it be sleeping in, making pancakes, waking up going for a long run, you name it. In knowing that my body wants different things on a day to day basis, each week looks entirely different. So as far as servings, I can’t give you that honest answer. Sometimes I go weeks without dairy, others I have it more frequently. It’s all about intuitive eating.

Another tip- when I find myself really wanting something close to that consistency but also not wanting dairy itself, ill go for my favorite SoSo delicious dairy free coconut yogurt option! It truly does the trick and leaves me feeling awesome.

Back to my other question Colbs, why would you eat something you know is bad for you?

Tough crowd! Starting to feel a little judged…

It's because that is what Living Purely is ALL ABOUT. I eat it because my body genuinely wants it. I eat it because I know that my eating habits are awesome the majority of the time and my ability to trust my body pushes me above anything else. I eat it because I am able to decipher between mind hunger and gut hunger. I eat it. I enjoy it. And I move on.