Food is not the enemy.

I was reminded of this revelation while having a wonderful, fresh salad for dinner tonight (it's been too hot to cook).

Then I diced a beautiful, ripe plum for dessert, just because I wanted to :)

Food is not the enemy.

In my short time since becoming gluten-free, I've come to notice that those of us who have to be careful of the foods we eat--whether it's gluten or dairy or soy or whatever--sometimes develop the mindset that food is bad. "Gluten is bad," or "grains are bad"; fill in the blank. And while it's true that some of us cannot tolerate certain foods, due to allergies or other reasons, that doesn't necessarily mean that all these things are "bad."

"Eat to live, not live to eat." This was first told to me by the nutritionist that I consulted with as a teenager. I only partially understood what she meant then. We have been given so many good foods to eat: fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, grains...the list goes on. These are meant to heal and strengthen our bodies. I'm constantly amazed when I read about the foods I eat, and see what kind of amazing ingredients I put into my body, simply by eating the "colors of the rainbow." And it actually makes my body feel happy, too.

All that to say, food is not the enemy. Food is not something to be afraid of. We do not need to eat "health food" simply to lose some pounds or try to fit an ultra-skinny model image in our heads that our culture has labeled as "pretty." We eat good, healthy food in order to feed our bodies and strengthen our muscles, teeth, bones, organs, and everything else about us. We eat to be able to have the energy to truly live in the moment, and embrace each minute as it comes; learning to live in today, not letting it pass by.