I have a confession to make… I ate this last week.

In fact, I wolfed it down. And I loved every guilt free bite. The smell. The taste. OMG!

For the past few years, our family has been on a nutrition roller coaster. Everything we thought we knew about the science of food has been flipped on its head, spun around, whipped the other way, looped and spiralled in opposite directions. At times, it’s been confusing, frustrating and even a bit annoying. We’ve hopped off the roller coaster, and now taken our seats on the ferris wheel – we know where we’re going and can sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. With the correct information and knowledge comes more power of choice.

Through Vicky’s exhaustive research and study for the past several years, as a family we’re armed with more of an intimate understanding of what we should be eating most of the time, some of the time and not at all. My father has told me on several occasions that his grandmother used to say, “A little bit of poison is not poisonous.” I think that’s true, however it depends on the environment that you’re introducing that poison to. As an example, let’s call this poison carbohydrates. Ingesting carbohydrate rich foods into an environment that is insulin resistant (such as an individual with obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome) is a recipe for disaster. However, an elite athlete with no underlying pathology may ingest this “poison” with no harm, and dare I say it, may even benefit.

Recently, one of our FaceBook posts (recipe for Raw cacao bliss balls) was shared on another page. There were several judgemental comments in relation to this recipe from the “low carb community.” One being disappointed that we would include dates into a recipe. Another likening dates to dried fruit and horrified that we would feed them to our kids. And another questioning why one would ever consume such a high carbohydrate food. I make these bite size snacks each week from fresh, raw ingredients and they go into the kids lunch boxes as a daily “treat.” Heck, on the odd occasion I’ll even indulge in one after an early morning mid-week 2 hour bike ride. My kids are always active, full of energy and are both at a very healthy weight range. Following a recent body composition analysis, my results were as close to a professional athlete that you could get… low superficial fat mass, low visceral fat mass, high muscle mass, high bone density and good total body fluid content. Vicky’s recent blood results are “metabolically perfect” according to her GP (who is also on board with LCHF). I’m not gloating here (ok, maybe a little – I’m extremely proud of the health choices that we make as a family). I’m demonstrating that the choices you have made previously have determined where you are right now. So if you’re like the “judgementals” on that FaceBook page, then the reason why you cannot tolerate even a morsel of a carbohydrate rich food, is a direct reflection of the choices that you have made in the past.

I guess I’m lucky. Lucky enough to have been given a choice. You can read about that choice I made 24 years ago in a previous blog that I wrote (click here). That choice is what has lead me to where I am today. That choice determined who I married, my friends, social groups, business and lifestyle. That choice determines the actions that I make today and how I choose to live my life. Although I find it difficult, I use this as one of my mottos… “I have no right to judge others, and how others judge me is none of my business.”

Everyone is in a daily struggle to survive/live/thrive. I think it’s important to be mindful of that. And as my good friend Rusty always reminds me, “Choose your hard.”