Let me start by saying, I love my roommates and I’m so lucky to have them. These are merely my thoughts and reflections.
I come from a healthy but balanced household. Both of my parents eat a variety of food and don’t follow any restrictive diets. I’m by far the most restrictive with my celiac and general pickiness, which I call a “princess-like” quality. Even with my previous roommates I was the odd one being gluten-free. This year, I’m still the odd one…because I’m the only one not on a diet (*excluding gluten-free, obviously).
Both of my roommates have shun carbs of any type. No fruit, sweet potatoes, rice, gluten-free grains, or other carb-like food…even things allowed on a Paleo diet. When they first started their diets they were very vocal about the change. I immediately responded with questions because, let’s be real, we’re all nosy. I asked why they were dieting, insisted they didn’t need to diet, and proclaimed my love of the food they eliminated.
Source
My questions came about instinctively and I reacted as a concerned and interested person. I preached “everything in moderation” thinking my words would change their actions (like they should listen to me or something…). But really, it was my way of being defensive. It’s hard to live and eat with people who unintentionally make you feel like you’re doing something wrong. I’m not necessarily talking about my roommates’ specific diets, but any way of eating for that matter…vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, low-sugar, even gluten-free. It’s almost too easy to compare your diet to that of your friends. Not just easy, but dangerous.
Luckily I’m in a place where I don’t really care that I eat a lot and I know what works for my body. But still, it makes me question if I’m doing things right. Sometimes it’s hard to understand that what works for me, does NOT work for everyone else. Maybe my roommates are just figuring out what works for them. Maybe they plan to follow this diet short-term. Maybe they don’t even see it as a restrictive diet. I don’t really know. But I do know how it feels to be judged by what you eat. People frequently question me for saying no to pizza and have asked why I can’t have just one cookie (trust me I would not be fun to be around if that happened).
Comparison of any kind is a slippery slope, especially when dealing with food. It’s important to remember that happiness and balance is found (I think/hope) when you let go of expectations and live your own life.
How do you deal with comparison?
And because it’s WIAW, I have some food highlights from the last few days. Thanks, Jenn for the link-up!
1) CLEMENTINE SEASON. Pretty soon I’ll be having like 10 a day. Good source of Vitamin C, right?
2) Power Salad. Mixed greens, roasted chicken, avocado, roasted red peppers, tomatoes and brown rice with a honey-mustard dressing.
I hated it…
3) Tuesday’s dinner. Honey mustard chicken, spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles and avocado. All very easy to make and pretty darn tasty.
Happy October 1!
Very good points on food comparisons. This year, I’m living in a co-op on campus where people tend to be very conscious about their food choices, but often in very different ways. It’s really opened up my eyes to how people regard certain ways of eating in different ways. It’s always good to be reminded that one eating style does not necessarily work for all.
Also, I just nominated you for the Liebster Award! Wanted to share some of the bloggy love <3 https://plantsandpages.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/liebster-award/
Have a great day! xoxo
Thanks, girl! I love Liebster Awards
That is a horrible life…no POTATOES!?!?!?!?!?!? I’m pretty sure they are crazy. But seriously, do they know what they are doing? Seems a bit extreme.
But I guess all we can do is focus on ourselves, not preach and just be mindful of our own health and promote healthy eating all around as is.
(Power Salads = Win!)
Yeah, potatoes are kind of a staple in my life. Except I HATE mashed potatoes (it’s a texture thing).
I am so obsessed with those clementines too! It is impossible to just eat one!!
Seriously impossible! They are the perfect snack at any time of the day.
Comparisons are inevitable that is how we roll…Personally I just tell myself that the beauty of humans is that we are all different..so we shouldn’t copy or try to eat like others because we are all meant to be different!
I love that saying
We aren’t meant to be alike, so it’s better to embrace our differences.
I feel you on those clementines. Those things are my life. I just bought a 4 lb bag at Trader Joes. Although my bf eats about 7 of them every time he comes over. I’m like get your own bag!
I’m like that too! Hands off my food!
I myself eat a diet with no carbs whatsoever (keto-paleo) and am often interested in the diet of other people–their motives, their goals, what they eat in a day. I understand where you’re coming from and I’m really glad you realized that different diets work for different people and you’re not going to criticize your roommates but you’re simply curious.
Good for you for holding your own and not doing what others do just because they are doing them. You do you and that’s what matters. I definitely have received judgment or felt like I’m being compared to because of my weird eating habits. At the end of the day, we have to do what is best for us to stay healthy and happy and they will eventually realize what works best for them as well.
“You do you” has become by go-to mantra as of lately. Always a good reminder that things work differently for people.
loving that spaghetti squash! I get ya with the comparisons with others! I eat soooo much more compared to my friends but its all healthy! I dont care!
I think this time of the year just calls for spaghetti squash!
Hang in there. It’s hard to tune out those thoughts, but it sounds like you’re doing an awesome job of listening to your body. Whenever I feel those creepy-crawly comparison feelings sneak up (related to food, career, love love, whatever!), I remind myself we’re all on our own path.
Thanks, Jess! It’s easy to fall into the comparison trap and assume one way is the “right” way. But we know ourselves the best.
Hey Emily! I found your blog through HCBN and I’m so glad I did! Lately I’ve been having a lot of gallbladder problems (I’m having to have it removed soon…boo!) and they said I could possibly have Celiac disease as well. I, too, am SUPER picky and lately I’ve been trying to eat less gluten to see if that would make me feel any better! I’m soooo excited that I found your blog about this! I can’t wait to follow along!
I’m glad you found my blog too! Figuring out stomach issues is NOT fun
If you have any celiac questions feel free to email me!