As I was eating breakfast this morning, the following thought popped into my head. “Sarah, why do you eat healthy?” The question came as sort of a surprise. Completely unexpected. In fact, I was kind of caught off guard.
Is it about maintaining a healthy weight? Or increasing the years of life? Just personal food preferences?
Maybe. And yet, there’s more to it then just that. I don’t choose the foods that I do simply because I want to maintain my weight or hope to live longer. I eat well because it makes me feel good. I love feeling energetic. Full of life.
So in reality, it’s not really about enhancing the quantity of life but more about the quality of the life that we have been blessed with. I make most of my regular, every day food choices based on how I know it’s going to make me feel in the long run. Healthy.
All those other extra things that come along for the ride (healthy weight, less at risk for certain diseases, etc.) are just the cherries on top of a big ol’ icecream cone.
That was a mindful to think about over a bagelwich and a cup of coffee. But I felt deliciously content in those thoughts. Because sometimes when people ask me why I eat so healthy, I don’t even know what to say. It kind of just became part of my identity and I’m happy with the way I feel when I’m eating well.
Which is why, despite vacation being over, I’m excited to move back into my normal eating habits and patterns. It does the body (and soul) a world of good. Vacation food is yummy. Indulgent. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy ever single bite.
But at the same time, it always feels good to be back. 😀
Enough jabber. Let’s talk breakfast.
Bagelwich:
- 1 whole wheat “everything” bagel (sea salt, poppy seed, sesame seed, and garlic flakes)
- 1 oz. creamy goat cheese
- 1 whole egg + 1 egg white, “fried” in a nonstick pan with cooking spray
Amazing. I love it when the egg yolk—still slightly runny—mixed and mingled with the rustic goat cheese. The bagel was chewy, dense, delicious. Just the way I like ’em.
I’m off to unwind from the long car drive home. I think a walk is in order!! 😀
Question: What is your favorite bagel flavor?
Running To Slow Things Down 
That bagel sandwich looks so good! I love cinnamon raisin bagels the best, but honestly, I’m not picky at all when it comes to bagels 🙂
I know what you mean about healthy eating – it’s just a part of me! I love doing it and it makes me feel good 😀
I always get comments on my food being healthy and my habits. I have always been known as the healthy-eating one and it is strange how much it becomes part of your identity. I just hate it when people make assumptions and think you never eat anything “unhealthy” and then they make a big deal of it. Do people give you a hard time to try to make you feel guilty? I get that at work a lot… Like “what kind of grass do you have today?”
Wow!
Loved that breakfast, girl!
But don´t get me wrong when I say… that´s not so indulgent. At all 🙂
Funny – I had that same question pop into my head recently, too! Not in doubt of myself, but it seems like it just randomly came up while eating…and my answer was the same as yours. There was a “’cause it tastes so darn good,” thrown in there, too 😛
The bagelwich looks awesome!! Making m want to pick up some bagels. My fav is everything or sesame 🙂
That is an amazing looking breakfast! I need to try goat cheese on a breakfast sammie!
i am the same way as you- i love eating healthy and love being back into my normal routine when i get back from vacation!
fav bagel flavor- i get one at einstiens about once a week in school! I would have to say cinna-sugar! SOO good
I totally agree – eating healthy does so much on just a day to day basis, it is so much to me about quality v. quantity. My favourite bagels – cinnamon raisin!
I love everything bagels and cinnamon raisin, so I’d say it just depends on my mood. 🙂 MANY people confuse eating healthfully and consciously with trying to lose weight. The same can be said for exercising. People have often said, “you don’t need to work out, you’re thin”. Um…well, there’s certainly more to exercise than just losing weight. It’s really quite sad that this misconception seems so common, but I digress. If I’m ever asked about why I choose to eat the way I do, I just respond with almost exactly what you wrote: that I want to better my QUALITY of life and make the best life possible for myself. Eating delicious and nutritious foods honestly makes me much happier and more content. Not only does the foods taste so incredibly good, but the feeling you get knowing that you’re doing your body a favor is also very rewarding. Sorry to ramble, but this post was a very good one and really hit home for me. 🙂 Have an awesome start to your week, Sarah!!
My favorite bagel is cinnamon raisin! And that sandwich looks delicious!!
I agree with you about eating healthfully. While I often focus on maintaining a healthy weight, my primary reason for eating well is that it makes me feel good. When you finish off a big salad topped with some grilled salmon, or a whole wheat bagel with an egg, or (insert healthy food here) you feel GOOD, Energetic, Light.You can’t say the same about McDonalds or greasy chinese take-out.
I love crunchy cinnamon bagels (the top has crunch from the sugar and cinnamon) – I haven’t had one in ages but yummmmm.
Totally agree on the “eating well to feel well” thoughts you were having! I do the same, though I started out to lose weight I ended up eating better because it made me feel better…..=)
LOVE THE BAGELWICH, YUMMY!
Lovely bagel sandwich! And eating well really makes life so much better, totally agree!
xxx Julia (Taste of Living)
Your photography make the food seem to be so real!
I loved this. It’s so hard to explain to people the motivation behind eating healthy. Esp. because of my Ed, but it’s just part of my identity and it really does feel so much better. I couldn’t have said it any better than you did.
I love this also. I know how important it is to eat healthy, but on occasion when I crave something from my favorite resturant, I try to prepare my favorites at home. I recenlty discovered a resource that satisfies my food cravings with healthy eating. What do you think?: http://87d6fi9i7e16os94trobgcvd3a.hop.clickbank.net/
i think that we should focus more on healthy eating to avoid diabetes and cardiovascular diseases;”*