Am I nuts?
Are We, food/health/fitness blog lovers, all nuts?
Or do we just know something that others don’t.
Before starting on my food blog reading journey, I admit, I was not a foodie. I thought of food in terms of how much weight it would put on me or how many calories or fat grams it had.
Fun times.
Then I discovered the blog world. Of course, my curious little self arrived at a whole slew of other fantastic food blogs over the months and I realized that other people had caught on as well.
Us, wonderful and mysterious and magical women, were giving our bodies what they needed:
FOOD!
It was a wonderful concept, especially coming from the 1990’s when you couldn’t click on the web or the TV and see a story about anorexia or other eating disorder. It seemed that as women, we had failed the battle with our bodies.
It seemed as though we had given up the fight and thrown our hands up in the air, all the while shoving flavoured mini rice cakes into our mouths. The whole bag is only 300 calories and I am going to eat the whole thing, damnit! What? You say this has 6 billion milligrams of sodium in it? So be it….!
The blog world changed my life. Or should I say the amazing women behind the bogs. They changed how I viewed myself, the food I eat, how I workout, and my idea of what a healthy lifestyle was.
I have spoken with so many other women who feel the same way as me, many of whom have overcome eating disorders and gained a whole new perspective on food.
In the past, food and eating wasn’t what I called fun. It was associated with so many other emotions that my actual, physical experience with food was stolen from me. I never really had the satisfaction of preparing a new recipes with new foods and enjoying the results. I didn’t think of food in that type of way before.
For me food blogs have opened my eyes to an exciting world where food and health is fun again.
Maybe a bit too much fun…
Now I am curious- How have your behaviours changed as a result of reading blogs? Has your relationship with food and eating changed? What positive effects have you had?
Stay tuned for the next installment on bloggers and readers and the friends and family who think they are crazy! :D You can see Part 1 and part 2 here:
I just emailed this post to my boyfriend and said “THIS is why I love food blogs”
It’s so true. First it changed the way I looked at, interacted with, prepared and consumed food and now it makes me feel like I’m not alone! When my co workers stare at my green smoothie or my spinach salad with kidney beans and hummus on top and ask “what is that ” I don’t feel as much like a crazy woman when I remember that lots of other people eat like this too! and I am doing what’s best for MY body! and boy does it feel GREAT!
what a fun post :)
Yes, reading food blogs/healthy lifestyle blogs has changed a lot about what I think and feel in regards to health, food, balance, and all that fun stuff.
it created a passion in me to start my own, too, and has made me more creative with the meals I make, the food I eat, the activity I do, and I have made some good friends.
Yes! Exactly. :)
This is what I meant when I left a comment on part II. Its been a great wake-up call to me that I can have a lot of food that tastes good and is also good for me! I love it. I’ve been walking around feeling happy and full and strong and I haven’t gained a pound, even though I feel like I’ve been eating a ton. I couldn’t have done it without the examples set by the wonderful food and fitness bloggers I read. Prior to discovering blogs like yours I didn’t have an concrete day to day example of how to fit nutrition and fitness into a happy normal life, but now that I have, I’m amazed at how easy its been. I ate pretty well, but I viewed really healthy food as boring, which hasn’t been the case at all. And it used to be torture to work out more than a couple times a week. But now it seems like no biggie.
So thanks!
Thats so awesome everyone!! I am glad I am not alone in my experience. :)
Food blogs changed EVERYTHING about my relationship with food. I stumbled on my first one at an opportune time – just when I was getting good and fed up with my decade+ of anorexia and disordered eating. I knew I wanted to change, but I had no frame of reference, no idea how to effect that change. I knew everything there is to know about nutrition and health, but could not apply it to myself and I felt overwhelmed with where to start. Reading food blogs opened my eyes to a totally new, healthy relationship with food. It had never occured to me that I could enjoy food, or that I could look at food in any other way outside of how it related to my weight. Slowly, I felt my perspective shifting. I felt excited about what food could do for me, how it could turn from the enemy into somtehing that enriched my life and my health. I’m still stumbling and making mistakes, but I feel I have found some excellent role models in the food blog world, and I’m learning all the time about what works for me. Thanks so much for this particular food blog – as a fellow Ontario girl with a history of food issues, I find your honesty and vulnerability truly inspiring.
My eating disorder has turned around for the better because of food blogs. I find so much support and advice, it’s wonderful! I’ve found advice on cooking, giving my body the nutrition it needs, and even exercise tips! I would never have been this into yoga if I didn’t join this wonderful community!
It has defintely changed the way I eat! I love food blogs as it gives me so many ideas on foods to try and recipes to test out, especially as a new vegetarian and someone who grew up eating on a few particular foods day in and out.
I have been reading your blog for months now but haven’t really commented until now. This post describes how I feel EXACTLY about your blog as well as the other ones I read! Before i stumbled upon the foodie blog world I was obsessed with counting calories and eating low calorie foods regardless of how it tasted or whether it made me happy or not. Since finding these blogs and finding other women who feel the same way I do and that i have so much in common with I feel like i’ve been liberated! I don’t need to eat cabbage soup, celery and other foods unless I want to, and I am so much happier and healthier for it. I look forward every morning to sitting down with my breakfast and reading my favorite blogs. Its almost like i have a whole new group of friends who are all so supportive and wonderful!
Food Blogs have DEFINITELY had a positive impact on me. In addition, they always give me recipe ideas and make me want to try new things/recipes that I read about =] YAY!
I have tried so many different recipes and food combos since reading food blogs than I ever had before. I’ve also changed my perspective when I comes to snack time. I used to be one of the 100 cal pack snackers. No more, my friend. Now I try to have home made muffins, breads, etc around all the time for healthy snacks. If I run out, I’ll have a healthier bar to get me through.
I also love the feeling of having “friends” all over the world! Blogging is a great source of support and encouragement in many different ways!
I have to admit that food blogs overall have been such amazing resources for me. For years and years I saw food in 2 categories: good and bad. Or high cal and low cal. Now, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still struggle with this somewhat (I guess I can’t “cure” years of bad thinking overnight!). But in general, my attitude towards food has changed drastically. I eat peanut butter every single day – I NEVER would have allowed this before. And I probably get in at least 6-7 servings of fruits/veggies a day – with no problem at all. But most of all, food has become FUN. I never thought it could ever be FUN!
I am totally in agreement. Food blogs opened my eyes, and tastebuds, up to a whole new world. Coincidentally, I just wrote a little before and after blurb on my blog today. I was diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease about 2 years ago. Food blogs, mainly Karina’s Kitchen, are what taught me how to cook for my new diet. They taught me how to love food again, instead of being scared by it. I had become so used to getting sick every time I ate that food had become an enemy. Thanks to all of you lovely bloggers out there I learned to cook for my health and have finally returned to a normal healthy weight. Food has become fun and exciting again. I owe it to you guys! Whether we bloggers know it or not, we are inspiring someone out there in the infinite blogosphere! So… keep on blogging! You are making a difference!
I should just cut and paste your post because you’ve said it all. I too found the food blog world because I was on a weight loss mission and was looking for information and support. Following Weight Watchers only taught me that I could consume crap and still lose weight, but it wasn’t helping with my overall well being. Through blogging I have learned so much about real food, healthy options, fitness, and most importantly fun. It’s a true education.
Food blogs have w/o doubt exacerbated my eating disorder. I use them to look at food instead of eat it, for just one pathetic example. I desperately want to gain, but I want to gain all-over bulk, and not just fat, and retain all my muscle tone. I realize that it is my choice to read, and clearly someone like me should just not read food blogs, but EDs are akin to addiction, and I think I have a bona fide food blog addiction as well. Anyone else think that food blogs have ruined food for them? I eat and have eaten over 2000 cals a day for the past 8 months, and haven’t had a period since September. aaah, oh angela, make me glow
Food blogs have had such an amazing positive impact on my life. I have tried so many new things. Through the blogs I learned that exercise/activity can be fun, enjoyable & something I aim to do most days of the week. Reading the blogs helped me see examples of actual people who WORK to stay healthy – they exercise, they prepare healthy food, they plan ahead & grocery shop.
I’ve seen new ways of eating – vegan, vegetarian, & everything in between. My experience was that I learned more about myself – I never felt compelled to be perfect or pressured to do more. In fact, I realized that I am comfortable with how I eat – everything in moderation. Sure I can improve & choose healthier but overall, I felt assured that I was on the right path because I could identify more with some bloggers. I have felt encouraged (rather than pressure) to make exercise a regular fun part of my life. I have felt a willingness to try new things (including foods).
Overall I have just seen an overall improvement in my entire health, wellbeing and general happiness since reading food blogs. I feel I’m not alone – there are others out there like me that take an interest. I see what other healthy people do & how they live which just motivates me to live a healthier life. I can’t say enough positive things about it.
This is a very interesting topic, and one that I’ve put some thought into as I’ve grown to read more and more of these blogs. While many of the blogs I enjoy daily display healthful eating habits and behaviors, I do find that they can become obsessive and that *I* sometimes become obsessive through reading blogs. I love reading Leslie Goldman’s articles (she’s been published in many health and woman’s magazines, Huffington Post, etc) and remember when she featured a similar topic on her (old) blog to get a dialog going with her readers:
http://theweightinggame.ivillage.com/dietfitness/2008/09/food_blogging_the_newest_eatin.html
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the potential negative effects food blogging may have as well as those of OSG’s readers
Anon- I’m sorry to hear about your experience with food blogs. I urge you to seek professional help for your eating disorder and I wish you all the best.
Food blogs have definitely effected me. I used to count calories and was becoming obsessive about it. I worried about situations in which I couldn’t control the amount of calories I was eating – namely going out for food. It definitely wasn’t a healthy mindset and I had concerns about developing an unhealthy relationship with food.
But food blogs have made me realize that you can be healthy, slim and fit like so many of the bloggers without counting every calorie you eat and never enjoying food. Many of them view food as fuel for their daily activity, rather than my old mindset of food = calories = weight gain if I eat the wrong things or too much. I’ve gotten inspiration about making comfort foods and baked goods healthier so I can enjoy those foods without the guilt. My relationship with food has improved a lot recently since I started reading blogs & blogging myself.
Food blogs have completely changed the way I view and eat food – all for the better! I just started blogging 2 weeks ago and I’ve already drastically changed what I’m eating. It used to be hostess cupcakes and frappucinos, now it’s veggies, yogurt, and tofu. I already loved all of those things, but when I really started paying attention to what I was eating I realized how much the processed & high fat foods were taking over my meals. You’ve been a huge inspiration, Angela. Thanks for all you do!
Perfect post! I love it and I love that blogs can help people feel better about themselves and food. One reason I started a blog was for just this reason. When all sorts of blogs started popping up I noticed a negativivity and stress level among many comments and it made me sad. I love your mission and am part of this as well!