A Food Ferry Tale

There once was a girl with a hollow leg and an iron stomach. She could eat whatever she wanted  whenever she wanted, in any combo, without any ill effects. She became cheap entertainment for family members who would marvel at how much she could put down, her grandfather once making her a giant Paul Bunyan size breakfast and calling the neighbor over to marvel at how much food she could inhale even though she was so tiny. Her tall and skinny frame earned her the nickname "Bony Butt." 

She learned over the years that food and weight are complicated, both tied to conflicting emotions such as happiness and guilt. She also learned that hollow legs turn into thunder thighs and bony butts can collect a lot of flesh. 

More recently, she has learned that foods can harm or heal--and that it looks different for each individual. She has learned that she doesn't need to apologize for being picky about what she chooses to put down her gullet, for she is the one who pays the price when she makes a choice her body doesn't like. She knows she can take medicine to hide the symptoms and negate the consequences of eating sausage or bacon or dairy or peppers, but she is going a different route: trying to actually heal her body by not eating things that piss it off. She has also learned that even healthy foods can be problematic when eaten in excess--especially things like chia seeds. 

She's learning that making those choices comes across as persnickety to others at times, but she is also learning not to be concerned about what other people think. She can even laugh along with friends who get a good chuckle out of some of her food and drink related purchases (because some of them are really quite comical) and comedians who poke fun at people for being vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free. But, she has also learned to stop rolling her eyes at other people's food choices. 

One day, she will learn not to feel the need to explain herself as she embarks on this trial-and-error (and sometimes conscious choice) journey with food, but to instead heed her body's road signs so she can reach her final destination of a healthy relationship--both mentally and physically--with food. 

And then, she will live happily ever after. 

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