FROZEN VEGETABLES AND A WHOLE LOT OF JUDGEMENT

To start off this blog, I want to say thank you.

Thank you for being here and reading the handful of words I feel like sharing with the world weekly. There's no real way for me to ensure I’m adding value to anyone, so I’m at the point where I’m doing this in hopes that you’re getting something out of it. If you’re not, maybe someone else is, and that works for me too. I’ve been a professional people pleaser ever since I could walk, but over time I’m realizing that I am not for everyone (I know, it’s shocking), however, the people I am for, really enjoy what they’re getting and that means something to me, regardless if they communicate to me how they’re feeling.

This whole blogging thing, for me, has been a one-way street…but, I know that you’re reading and for that, I want to thank you.  I have nothing to gain by sharing my words with you, aside from the sense of joy I get from saying I’ll do something, and then doing it (and the fact that people are reading my words - which feels like my version of hitting the jackpot). I do it because it feels good. To me, sharing with you is a privilege. I’ve been given a platform to share and, if you’re still here reading, then I’m doing something right. I am really grateful you’re here.

I also want to say Thank You to any of you who participated in our Mental Health Challenge this last week (if you have no idea what I’m talking about, click HERE to head to our Facebook Page and feel free to get involved) Boy-oh-boy did this challenge come at a great time for me. When coming up with this challenge, we knew that it would be helpful for a bunch of people in our community, but, being others focused like I usually am, I didn't take into account how perfectly timed it would be for me. I spent the last week actually motivated to put myself first, and that is a HUGE win I wasn’t expecting.

I’ve been practicing my gratitude, hitting my reset button, moving my body daily, and pushing myself out of my comfort zone with a very spur-of-the-moment 10km run. It feels good to finally be doing things like this, and I have to admit that if there weren’t others doing their own versions of hard alongside me, I likely wouldn’t have gotten any of these things accomplished.

Thank you for being here, however you are here.

You have no idea the impact you’re making.

It means the world to me, and to the whole Dunnebells community. 

I want to keep this blog short and sweet - but, if you’re not aware - not a whole lot is short and sweet about my writing, so bare with me.

Today, I have some thoughts, and I haven’t really spent a whole lot of time digging deep into them to sort out what they really truly mean to me, I just have them and I want to get them out.

Ready?I listened to a podcast the other day and it talked about Eating Healthy On A Budget. In being transparent, I have to admit that I was listening to it while doing a handful of other things so I wouldn’t say that my full attention was given. However, with that being said, it sparked a lot of thought inside of me. 

The podcast was hosted by Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw, and you can find it HERE. 

The part I want to touch on was based on the idea of buying frozen vegetables and the stigma that comes along with that. Or, maybe that's just how I interpreted it because I’ve attached some sort of stigma to it. To me, I’ve always been on the side of FRESH is better and that (forgive me) if you buy FROZEN vegetables you’re sort of lazy.

Where does that come from? Why do I think that? WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MINDS LED ME TO BELIEVE THAT ONE VEGETABLE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER? Why, oh why, am I so judgemental towards frozen vegetables? 

Is this a common thing? Or, am I horrible?

The podcast goes on to state that the vegetables that you find in the freezer section of your local supermarket are actually frozen at such a fast rate that the nutritional value is on par with that of fresh vegetables. It then goes on to shock me to say that frozen vegetables may, in some cases, contain more nutritional value than some fresh vegetables you find on the shelves - because some of those vegetables have been sitting in boxes, loading docks, and on shelves for far too long. 

Sorry, but what?

I am not naive to believe that the vegetables on the shelves in the produce section of the grocery store are fresh - I understand that they came from somewhere and that somewhere wasn’t likely just across the street. However, never ever ever was I taught that frozen vegetables weren’t for the lazy or the poor people. (I don’t think I was taught that they were - my parents weren’t the type to send that message, that’s just what I picked up by living in a society that makes us believe that the food we eat has a direct correlation to the amount of money we have or the amount effort we put in).

I know - I’m risking judgment from all of you for that last sentence. I have no idea why my brain believes that frozen veggies are less than. I apologize heavily. It’s not fair to anyone and it's surely not fair to frozen vegetables. 

I just didn’t know. Instead, I have been steering clear of the frozen section of every single supermarket I go into thinking that the BEST place to shop is in the produce section. Turns out, frozen vegetables are just as good for you, and…guess what…they might even save you money. 

They’re affordable, and they don’t often go rotten in the bottom of your refrigerator before you decide you have time to prepare them. 

The podcast was great and it gave a lot of tips on how to eat healthy on a budget. Wasting food is one of the most costly things you can do, so ensuring that you don’t throw away your food (and your money) is going to be the most important thing you focus on. I highly recommend clicking HERE and having a listen to this episode if this is a topic of interest for you because they really lay out some things in ways that seem doable, for everyone. 

Now, I just have to say that I don’t feel like writing a blog just copying what I listened to in a podcast, which is why I suggest you have a listen for yourself. What I really can’t get over though, and what I really want to touch on is this idea that something is better than something else. We carry so much judgment inside of ourselves that we aren’t even aware of. I actually pride myself on being a really non-judgemental person, however here I am, mindblown that I have so much inner dialogue about frozen vegetables. The one thing that I just keep coming back to is WHY? Why am I like this? How did this happen? Frozen vegetables?

Why am I so bent up about this?

Because the truth is, it doesn’t matter. 

If you’re eating vegetables, you’re winning! Hell, if you’re eating something that makes you feel good and it's not vegetables, you too, are winning! Sure, there are a lot of benefits of eating a diet that is high in vegetables, but in the end, if something is working for you, then you should feel really good about that.

I think what we all need less of is judgment, and what we need more of is acceptance. 

Of others, yes, but more so of ourselves. 

The comparison game is deep-rooted and with the accessibility to social media, it's becoming more and more of an issue. It's so easy to get caught up in nonsensical things, thinking that you must do this or must avoid that to you know…be cool (or whatever it is that we’re all constantly striving for) but who is any of that serving? 

Not me and certainly not you!

Surely there is a way to exist in the world without all this judgment and surely, when we find it, we will all live in a much more welcoming world.

I’m shocked, as you can tell. I didn’t know this about myself and I’m wondering if I think this about frozen vegetables, what else am I secretly judging? I am so bent up about this. I can’t believe that I thought these things with my own brain. The idea that I really truly thought I was winning at life because I have never cooked with frozen vegetables is bizarre to me. It’s so bizarre that I decided to write a whole blog about it, without actually making a point that will wow anyone.

There really is no point to all of this - except maybe to get you thinking.

Try asking yourself what you’re judgemental about. I dare you. You may think I’m terrible for having these thoughts about frozen vegetables and those who eat them, but I bet somewhere deep down you’re holding on to a judgment about food that you, too, would be better off without.

It might shock you that you, too, have some inner dialogue that surprises you. Or, you might still be racking your brain trying to figure out what you’re judgemental about, and, that's okay.

Just wait. Something tells me that even if you can’t think of anything right now, your day and week will continue and those judgments will pop in. When they do, don’t be upset - just sit with it and ask yourself where that comes from and if it's really doing you any good. Do you need to be that judgemental? Where does it stem from? Are you protecting yourself? Or, are you harming yourself by believing these things? What about others - is it fair to anyone that you believe these things? 

Nutrition and exercise are bloody hard to get the hang of on a good day, never mind when your brain is filled with nonsensical judgments. When it comes to our overall health, every single part is so personal to you that it's hard to try to fit into a box. What works for so-and-so will likely not work for you, nor will it work for me - but I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve tried fitting in those boxes many times, unsuccessfully. The messages that society has been sent over the last fifty years about our bodies, our nutrition, and our health are confusing as all hell - just ask anyone who has tried to navigate their health for the duration of their life. It’s hard. There are mixed messages everywhere. And, whether we like to admit it or not, we all attach ourselves to different messages and those messages become our reality. Our judgments become our beliefs, in some way shape, or form. I believe that, if we’re going to get anywhere that is full of enjoyment for the majority, we are all going to have to lose the majority of the judgment that sits inside of us - judgment about big things, and about seemingly tiny things like frozen vegetables. 

And with that, I want you to know that today I made it a point to visit my frozen section of the supermarket. I’ll have you know that I came home with a few things - including frozen cauliflower that was on sale and was a fraction of the price that a fresh cauliflower would have been - and, I don't even have to cut it or wash it myself. 

I’m learning and expanding, and I am really proud of myself - not simply for buying frozen vegetables, but for recognizing that I too am full of judgment and mixed messages about diet, nutrition, and exercise - some of that I wasn’t even aware of and have since turned my whole world upside down a bit. It’s not every day that your judgments get slammed in your face, however, if and when they do (because they will), there is a major power in deciding to let them go - for yourself, your health, and my like I learned in this podcast, your budget.

I’d be curious to hear in the comments things that you discover you really don’t need to be so judgemental about. If you’re anything like me, that thing that you’re judging, might actually not be so bad and might even surprise you with a little bit of joy.

Remember, if you want to know how you can Eat Healthy On A Budget, I recommend listing to the Keep It Cleaner Podcast HERE and hanging out with Steph and Laura for a bit - they often have really great things to say!