Being healthy is one of the most important and necessary ingredients to finding true happiness and living an abundant life. If you want to be happy and you are loading up on sugar and caffeine, meat, fried and junk foods and alcohol, you will not be your sharpest or leanest, nor will you be functioning at your highest level of mental fitness. I personally believe that diet can prevent all kinds of illness, and that it is also a way to escape illness (with the right direction from an expert, or course, and in partnership with your doctor).

Personally I view my body as my temple – I only put the best ingredients in it because I cherish it and my life. I eat a very clean diet – vegetarian (mostly vegan), with the occasional piece of fish (but no other meat), no fried foods, no GMOs or anything processed, no sugar (this is so important, and most people ingest way too much), no alcohol, all organic ingredients when possible, and no junk/fast food. I take many supplements as well. I read all ingredients and know which product brands are the cleanest – I only shop at natural markets so that makes it easier to find these brands. The bottom line is that I feel great – when there is an issue within my body I know it right away because I am so in tune with myself.

I know a lot of people don’t want to hear this, and don’t want to change the way they eat. I am pointing it out because there is a HUGE difference in the way your body feels when you do eat clean. Try it for 2 weeks and see how you feel. There are plenty of great protein sources out there other than meat. I am not a licensed nutritionist so my advice would be to find a good one, perhaps online if you like. Notice how you feel physically and mentally after doing this for a bit (that’s why I suggest 2 weeks minimum, but many nutritionists suggest a month). Let me know – many friends have tried it and cannot believe how they feel. It is important to not think of changing eating habits as a “diet” or a sacrifice, because that could be a recipe for failure. Rather, it is a way of life.

I know that eating healthy played a huge part in healing from my divorce. By keeping my body clean I was able to stay clear headed and process everything emotionally and mentally. My physical well being did not suffer. You may remember how I described in an earlier post about how I had pains in my body for years prior to deciding to leave my marriage, and how when I was away from it all my pains disappeared. It was a huge aha moment for me when I took a trip to Thailand with my daughter and every pain left my body (I am referring to chronic pain, not occasional muscle pains common to over-exercising or sitting/standing too long). That’s when I knew that I needed to leave my marriage (it had been a long process of decision making), and I am happy to say that I live pain free.

There are a few people whom I love very much and have been trying to help for years. I have sent books and articles and links to sites of nutrition experts and people who have cured themselves of dis-ease with food and energy healing. But no matter what I do my loved ones do not make an effort to explore further. Granted it is their prerogative, but it is so frustrating to me, because I love them and want them to be well. I know that if I had an illness or ailment I would do whatever I could to get better. There is so much out there besides western medicine philosophy. I am not saying western medicine is not important – I believe in good doctors and established medical treatments. But sometimes they may not work, and if you and your doctor think it is a good idea to interject some eastern philosophies into your healing please try it. I know of people who have cured themselves of ailments doctors told them they would die from…they did it with diet or diet plus energy medicine. Today there are also more western doctors who are embracing eastern treatments in conjunction with western, which is fantastic.

If this is a new concept to you I encourage you to start researching it. There are many great resources online and in book format. If you are going through a divorce or something else that can be traumatizing it is so important to stay healthy. This is because when you are stressed or traumatized your body goes into fight or flight mode, you produce heightened levels of the stress hormone cortisol – which increases sugar in your blood. This can lead to osteoporosis, weight gain, high blood pressure, and more. When your body is stressed illness can easily take over. Getting a divorce is stressful, even if it is amicable, and you need to take care of yourself. I know people who were so stressed when they divorced that the gained a lot of weight and developed illnesses. Now of course I cannot be certain that the weight gain and illness were caused by the stress from the divorce BUT I feel pretty confident that was the case.

I made sure that I was very healthy going into my divorce, and I maintained that health physically, mentally and spiritually. It is how I stayed sane and on my path to healing. I cried, I grieved, I had my moments…but my health is one of the major ingredients that got me through it. I am now in the best shape I have been in many years, and combined with all my spiritual work I am in a very good, happy place. It IS possible to come out of stress and trauma and be in a better place as a whole, but you have to make the choice to get there and that starts with your body, your mind and your spirit.