I eat some of the most amazing food in the world, and I cook it all myself. This is something I would never have said let alone claimed, even just a few years ago. My delicious diet is forever getting yummier and yummier and so much easier, simpler and more fun to make. In fact, I made a meal this morning; it was super delicious food to eat and super yummy in the body. My food is nothing special, anyone can make it. Yet my diet is free of dairy, wheat (and other similar grains), alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, sugar, excessive salts, yeast and many other things considered ‘normal’ to eat. When I present the simplicity and yumminess of my food, people often find it hard to understand that my diet is free of almost everything (not quite, though 🙂 ) that you can buy at the supermarket. In fact, I often skip whole aisles at the supermarket because almost everything in that aisle has something in it I choose not to eat! It’s not the fact that my food is so super yummy that people find hard to grasp. Nope, it is the fact that I can make soups, curries, dips, crackers, pancakes, smoothies, roasts, salads and lots of other things from an ever expanding range of foods I cook.
FAQ’s ABOUT MY SUPER DELICIOUS DIET AND MY CHOICE TO EAT DAIRY AND GLUTEN FREE
When I have been asked what’s in my diet, what it is that I eat and why I eat the things I do choose to eat, I have often said, “Well, because I am dairy and gluten free”. I came to realise the other day that I have been using this as a way of ‘freeing’ (pun intended) myself from the responsibility of presenting the real reason I choose to eat the things I do. Most people who are ‘gluten and dairy free’ don’t actually want to be gluten and dairy free. Most of the people I talk to that are, hate it and think it is a curse. Many actually want to be eating gluten and dairy as part of their diet, when their body is clearly telling them that it is not OK for it when they do so.
As a society we tend to class people in a separate category, like in the ‘gluten and dairy free’ box, if they exhibit extreme signs of a condition as a result of being intolerant to gluten or dairy. We often don’t connect with the reality that maybe our bodies do signal to us the signs of gluten or dairy intolerance on a much less extreme scale.
For instance, in my experience gluten and dairy dulls the body. It makes me heavy, bloated and leaves me feeling very lethargic and not very vivacious. Not to mention the fact that for me now, food containing gluten and dairy just doesn’t seem to have the same yumminess as food I have come to make that doesn’t contain it at all. So by choice I do not have gluten and dairy in my diet. Simple. I could class myself as ‘gluten and dairy free’, but in truth a more correct way for me would be to say “My diet is free of dairy and gluten”, as it recognises the fact that my diet is based on a choice to eat foods I feel honour and support me and my body as I work throughout my day… resulting in a very simple yummy and delicious diet! My diet is so super yummy, not only because the food actually tastes so super good, but also because the food is what my body actually needs to support it throughout the entire day.
In my experience, dairy and gluten (not to mention the other things my diet is now free of, like alcohol), inhibits the body and its natural flow during the day. It does not support it but rather abuses and harms it.
Want proof of this? Well, have a pie, or cake or huge slab of chocolate. Enjoy the taste, sure. But feel the body afterwards. Actually stop and feel it. Be honest…
- Does your body feel racy?
- Does it feel heavy or bloated?
- Do you feel alive and ready to work?
- Do you feel that chocolate bar that was so super deliciously yummy supports your body going through the day?
Some people have asked me if I ever get tempted to have a treat day and binge out on those ‘bad foods’ I used to have, like chocolate. My answer: “Nope, never”. The reason: because my food now is so super yummy that there would be no reason to! And after all, why on earth would I ever go back to wanting to feel bloated, heavy, lethargic, slow, unproductive, abusive (to the body) and all the other symptoms I – and many others – get from eating foods that are clearly harmful to the body, let alone lacking in what the body truly needs to support it in its activity? How do I make my delicious diet of super scrumptious, delicious and divinely yummilicious food?… Not from a cook book per se, but from listening to my body. It’s that simple. Forever inspired by the work of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine. By Josh Campbell, 20, University Student, NZ
402 Comments
When people hear me say I am gluten, diary, sugar, salt, alcohol etc free diet – their response is often -‘what do you eat then?’
Even the word ‘diet’ alone makes them go into reaction of it having restrictions and fear of missing out on foods. There is this expectation that I have severe bodily reactions for me to exclude these items in my eating style but there is no comprehension that the tell tale signs are always there – its a matter of choice whether we listen or not.
And when you mentioned you ‘skip’ whole aisles – it is something I often do. Many of the packaged foods have hidden ingredients unless you are a vigilant shopper and literally read every packaging whilst you shop.
Like you I prefer the simple fresher foods and add my quality to it – I know what’s in it and what I am serving my body.
Yes, I too have observed the same reaction in people when I say I don’t eat some so common foods like gluten and dairy. In the beginning I reacted too by contracting and hiding myself for me to not being asked about my diet, but this wasn’t the solution. Now I honour my food choices and if someone asks me, I naturally express the reasons. The reactions usually remain, but I realise that there is a reason for that. Some people feel exposed with their careless choices and this makes them feel uncomfortable. Some people have never questioned their diet and this opens up a new option for them. Some people have the opportunity of discovering a different approach that may enrich their growing healthy food choices… In any case, I love living this naturally now, respecting myself as I do so to others, knowing that what I live and share makes a difference not only in my life.
What we don’t realise is food can also affect the connection to our being (our essence), but once we live separated from our essence then food can become a comfort we strongly hold onto – the thought of living without certain foods and drinks can feel awful. But the truth is once we can reconnect to our essence, to the true self within, the joy of that cannot be matched by any outer experience, and eating to love our body and remain in connection to ourselves is part of living that joy. We truly deeply miss ourselves and letting go of harmful foods is no big deal when we consider the bigger picture of the misery that comes from having let go of our true selves.
True – eating without using gluten, dairy, salt or sugar, etc. is super yummy and I am forever amazed how much choice there actually is and how many different ways I can come up with to put things together differently.
What disappears, over time and this is a learning process, is the identification with food as ‘culture’ and I get to feel more that it is nothing but a very dense consciousness, trying to tell us, mainly, that whatever sells, is also good for us. And that is, when listening to the body and checking out the supermarket aisles, very far from the truth.
I love food and cooking and I never thought I would say that. Since I have changed to a GF, DF, Sugar Free, caffeine and alcohol free diet, something amazing has changed within me. The simpler my diet the more I love and celebrate the gorgeous natural colour, flavours and appreciation cooking brings me
The belief that healthy and nutritious food doesn’t taste as good is a million miles from the truth – I would go as far as to say it actually tastes better, the rumour that to eat foods that actually support our body do not taste as good is simply a great excuse that we use to not make the right choices.
Great article Josh on loving your body in respect to your daily food choices. the body knows what supports and nourishes it, we will know if we choose to listen and choose foods that give us vitality and what foods deplete us of energy, for me gluten and dairy are definitely out.
What a beautiful and loving testimony to the dietary choices you make Joshua; very inspirational, thank you.
Initially it can seem very daunting to consider letting go of the accepted ‘normal’ foods containing gluten, dairy sugar etc. or how such food can ever be delicious. However, with perseverance and truly acknowledging how one’s body feels rather than the taste it then becomes a ‘no-brainer’, as you describe Joshua. My diet has now become so simple yet it is so full of flavour and I feel revitalised and nourished from it.
When we start to reconnect with who we truly are, we naturally develop a more intimate relationship with food that supports our bodies and reflects the lightness, simplicity, and yumminess within ourselves.
Another key factor in no longer desiring particular foods (that once were craved for, absolutely…), is the healing of what was underlying the need for a ‘pick up’ or ‘reward’ in my day. Sacred Esoteric Healing has immensely supported my body to let go of that which had me feeling emotionally up and down in life, and lacking in vitality – and seeking ‘pick ups’ to keep me going and/or try to engender a change of mood.
For the better part, we are undoubtedly brought up to think of such choices as ‘normal’ – but are they really? When that chocolate bar and/or double shot of coffee will actually leave us more depleted than prior to having it, once the immediate rush tapers off…
You’ve highlighted such an important distinction in regards to our dietary choices here Josh – and that’s actually that many make the ‘gluten & dairy free’ choice in and by a choice of deep respect and honouring of oneself and one’s body.
It can be hard for some to grasp… but I also feel not one iota of restriction in regards to having removed these things from my diet. In fact, you could put the most delectable (to most) dark chocolate tart under my nose today and nothing in me wants or desires it whatsoever!
Reflecting back on how I used to be, this is truly astounding in many ways… And yet, I ‘get it’ – having confirmed what does support my body and the clarity and indeed joy I feel within through such choices over time, the old wants and desires have dropped away… How amazing it is, that our bodies can lead the way, and that there can be not one drop of feeling I am abstaining or being limited in any way whatsoever.
Me too, I eat less and less food and less and less ingredients and have more and more energy and enjoy what I do eat more and more. We have been fed (pun intended) a lot of lies about food and it is causing a lot of harm.
Ha, ha Nicola, I love your sense of humour. I also agree, we have been fed a lot of lies about food in society but when we listen to our body it is very difficult to be lied to because our body will let us know when something doesn’t sit well.
I agree Josh, when chosen to be gluten, dairy, etc free the meals that I now prepare are so much more delicious and the choice of ingredients has expanded and I have so much more fun in the kitchen preparing meals with love and care.
What is interesting is that people do feel that bloated discomfort, and yet to go back to the very thing that has caused the disturbance… Surely we can see beneath the surface eventually and see the deeply addictive nature of what is going on in so many lives and in so many societies
Thank you for this playful celebration of the freedom that is there to be embraced when we choose to listen to our bodies and stop eating foods that do not support it – here’s to ‘divinely yummilicious food’ and the fun that it is to create delicious meals that truly support our bodies throughout the day.
The point you make about missing a number of aisles at the supermarket is interesting. When we look at most aisles in a supermarket, they are actually full of foods that do not support and nourish the human body. Of the food aisles- most are filled with highly processed foods that are high in sugar, salt and other ingredients that we know simply do not support our bodies. Yet the fact that our shopping aisles are full of these foods shows that this is what we are asking for- a diet to numb and dull us from the intensity of the world. If consumers actually wanted a diet to nourish us our supermarkets would look very different as the call for what is supplied would not be the foods we see packed on our shelves currently.
The refinement in eating food goes on and on, since I have let go of gluten. Gluten in general classified by many organizations as not healthy makes you go more in your head, so that you won’t feel what your body is telling you. Since I have let go of gluten my body is speaking to me more and more, clearly indicating what it likes and doesn’t like.
It can be very hard to grasp for people that people like you and me Josh would actually let go off the ‘goodies’ in food like cake, chocolate and bread not because they get really sick but because of their own choice. More honest would be that these kind of foods make everybody sick on a less severe scale, but most of us tend to totally ignore these signals coming from the body. The body, our best friend, which only gives messages that support us. If we are willing to listen.
Hi Josh, with an article like this you sure take the ‘heaviness’ away of eating no gluten, dairy and many other things your body, and probably most bodies don’t like. Food should be there to nourish us first, and then, secondly it has to taste good, be very yummy as well. I love to have you over as an in-house-cook, because just by reading your article I am convinced that you can prepare a very delicious and nutritious meal for me. You are invited.
‘Food should be there to nourish us first, and then, secondly it has to taste good, be very yummy as well’ Before buying, preparing or snacking on food we can ask ourselves if this food is nourishing for us and let our bodies tell us before going ahead, ( choosing and thus eating from our head,) . By honouring ourselves in this way we soon get to see how honest we are being about our food choices..
I have found that the tastes that I used to enjoy, like sweet or salty things, I actually find to be really overpowering now that I have simplified what I eat. I realise now that I had dulled a lot of my sense of taste and was not aware of what my food actually tasted like. Now, my taste feels very sensitive to the nuances of food, not just seeking to be overrun by massive tastes.
When we do listen to our body, it is like the ultimate gourmet cookbook… Just waiting there with the most amazing recipes for us to attend to, listened to, prepare and then totally nurture ourselves with.
My diet is similar to yours no dairy, gluten, wheat/grains, alcohol, caffeine or sugar. When you take these things out (I did this not all at once but slowly) you start to get more creative with food. I have still loads to learn with this and do not always feel I am in listening to what my body needs or wants that supports it but I have never felt so clear and strong within my body as I do now. So yep totally agree, and feel that we all know this but don’t want to admit it, how food and drink can either support our bodies or not.
Josh it’s great to come back to your blog and feel the inspiration it gives. I have really refined my diet over the last year, and it’s now so obvious if I eat anything that has gluten, I can feel the tiredness and bloated straight away. Just with dairy too it goes to my sinus and headache. It’s so clear from the body that it does not like the food. If I continue to indulge then the full blown symptoms come on.
I love it Joshua, listening and honouring our body’s wisdom, and the simplicity this brings.
I really appreciate what you offer here in the different expression: Choosing to eat a diet free of gluten and dairy.
It’s simpler, lighter and very clear just like it feels when eating food free of these items.
When we feel what food is doing in our body and listen it is indeed super simple. We know what to eat. There is so much research about what the body needs and people are following diets or advice from so called experts that we forget that we can feel what we need, but this requires an honesty and taking the responsibility for what we put in, in this amazing vehicle.
Since taking gluten and diary out of my diet the variety of different foods I have started to eat has increased tenfold, it’s funny that taking out two food types and listening to my body could have such a huge impact on what I eat.
‘Not to mention the fact that for me now, food containing gluten and dairy just doesn’t seem to have the same yumminess as food I have come to make that doesn’t contain it at all.’ I’ve been eating gluten and dairy free food for such a long time now and like you Josh my cooking and ever expanding menu is just getting more delicious that when I read the sentence above I realised that the idea of eating a pastry or bowl of pasta is completely unappealing as my alternatives are far more delicious and leave me feeling light and invigorated rather than clogged and heavy.
What stood out for me reading this blog again was that as you mentioned many people see being gluten or dairy intolerant as a curse, but their bodies are simply saying that by eating these substances it is an abuse to the body. Alcohol is no different, there can be this perception that we are lesser if we choose to not join in in an activity that is well documented as poisoning our bodies and contributing to many forms of domestic and social unrest and violence.
We perceive that we will be worse off or we are less when we are not enjoining various forms of self-abuse. On one level it totally doesn’t make sense and yet we still do it…To which then I ask myself – are their forms of self-abuse in my life that I feel I would be lesser or worse off or somehow disconnected from others if I loved myself more?
Now that’s what I call a true food enthusiast Joshua… your delight in truly nourishing yourself, not only by food that supports your body, but also by the love of preparing it for yourself too. We eat for so many reasons though, and hence we think we like those foods that in truth, do nothing to really support us.
Why we eat what we do and food in general is a huge area to discuss. We seem as a society to have left behind the concept of food as nourishment, and food is now for reward, consolation, comfort, celebration, entertainment, stimulation, distraction, self punishment, indulgence……the list goes on! Taking it back to what simply works for the body cuts through all the complications we’ve built into eating, and restores it to its true purpose.
I love the concept of listening to your body for it never leads you astray and the reality of your choices cannot but be felt and therefore cannot be denied.
I have noticed that I have fallen for the trap of if it’s healthy than it mustn’t taste as good. I have had to change my diet due to health reasons and found the transition quite difficult as I have always put taste over how I felt after each meal. Thank you Joshua Campbell for highlighting the quality you felt and how that supported you throughout your day. There is definitely a responsibility in making this shift and realising that it all comes back to how the body speaks to us, and our willingness to listen.
Great article Josh. When we choose not to eat certain foods because of the effect we feel in our body we are not denying ourselves anything but nourishing our body and this increases our awareness of everything.
What a beautiful article on food and our ever changing relationship with what and how we eat. Phrasing the way you eat as “I am free of gluten and dairy” feels very free of thinking this is a limitation or restriction to what is eaten.
I agree Joshua it really is very simple, cutting out dairy and gluten and sugar from my diet was easy and gave me so much energy and vitality it was like an instant detox.
It is interesting the presumption that if we can’t eat certain food items or choose not to eat them that we are ‘missing out’ versus actually listening to what our body needs. In this nothing is being missed out on but instead is meeting a need.
This is gorgeous Joshua – I have found myself saying I am GF, DF and SF but realised recently my diet is not about being “free” of these things, it is about eating what makes me feel light, vital, nurtured and loved. I really appreciated your comment – ‘I could class myself as ‘gluten and dairy free’, but in truth a more correct way for me would be to say “My diet is free of dairy and gluten”, as it recognises the fact that my diet is based on a choice to eat foods I feel honour and support me and my body as I work throughout my day… ‘ Great Article Joshua – thank you.
Thank you this is an inspirational read for anyone on or considering a ‘free from…’ way of eating. I know as my food choices have changed over the years my recipes have become more creative as certain foods drop away.
The simplicity you have here in your article, makes so much sense. Putting it in a nutshell, being honest with ourselves, how does each piece of food feel in our body? Does it support the body or not…..taking full responsibility…..being true to ourselves.
Love the simplicity of what you present Joshua, simply choosing to eat in a way that supports the body through food that brings you alive rather than dulls you down!