Not feeling good enough. One of the biggest problems of our time. We can’t see ourselves as good enough mothers, wives, daughters, employees, etc. We constantly criticize ourselves, and the feeling of inadequacy eats away at us.

This is the same in our efforts to eat healthily. Social media and access to so much information have disrupted our systems. For example, I fast for 16-18 hours every day, but my balance was disrupted on the weekend. Constantinos was here, and I had a snack with him in the evening. I also ate a banana. Things I never used to do. Especially eating fruit in the evening. The self-judging Sema inside me immediately started talking. “You broke your fast, is this the time to eat these things?” The moment I realized I was being hard on myself, I said, “Wait a second.” You’re the kind of person who overcame diabetes by drinking milk and eating pineapple before bed! Back then, this information wasn’t available. In fact, this information didn’t exist either, and I used to drink milk and eat fruit before bed to prevent my blood sugar from dropping – a system I now look at with fear.

In the end, didn’t I get better? I’m better. So why are you so hard on yourself? Because of too much information.

Our constant pursuit of perfection tires us and leads us astray. I always say this: Our goal isn’t to do “the best.” And who defines “the best” anyway? It’s very variable. Our goal is to choose what we already have that is “better.” Ultimately, I didn’t eat baklava last night; I ate one banana. (See, the poet craved baklava here. 🙈)

Are we doomed? No… Just by giving up refined sugar, packaged foods, and refined grains, it’s possible to improve/eat healthily. In fact, that’s the key. Just because you couldn’t drink vegetable juice, couldn’t make some fancy recipes, couldn’t use some kind of powder, couldn’t do an elimination diet, couldn’t fast for 16 hours doesn’t mean you can’t be healthy. All of that is just window dressing. When we return to nature and consume the foods nature gives us, we’re already starting 10-0 ahead.

Let’s have a wonderful week where we strive to choose what we have that is better. Not just in nutrition, but in everything. In shopping, in relationships, in love… in every aspect of life. Let’s not drown in the pursuit of perfection. We are human, and every choice we make, every decision we take, is ours. Happy week to everyone.

With love,

Sema.