TBF to October 1st, 2014

#TBF - That's a thing, right? Throw back Friday? Well, it is now and that's what I'm doing here. Throw back ALL the way to October 1st, 2014. A real turning point in my journey. Don't let the delicious pizza fool you, I really was eating a salad! My first salad ever, actually. I still remember the awful texture of the lettuce when I took my first bite. I knew right then and there that I was never going to like salad. However the slices of mango carefully distributed really helped choke it down. It was also the first time I tried avocado, which I didn't hate. Yet I still haven't tried avocado again since. (#FunFact - Research shows that it takes a person at least 10 tries of a new food to decide if it's really liked or disliked). Any way, back to the point. I tried my first salad and taste of avocado on Wednesday, October 1st, 2014. 

Beginning..

Before we jump into Eating for a Change, I should provide some backstory. 

When I was a baby, I was as easy as they come. I would eat anything, do anything, as long as my dad was by my side. I would eat meals at the dinner table, try any new food my dad would try to feed me, and all very happily. However that quickly flip-flopped when my dad was murdered. 

I was nearly 3 years old when this horrifying news shook our household. I didn't really understand what had happened, all I knew was my dad wasn't there anymore to feed me and watch me learn and flourish. My mom did the best she could but I was stubborn as all hell (still am), and I wouldn't eat anything she would try to give me. I knew what foods tasted the best, and that's what I wanted. So instead of watching me starve she felt it was best to give me the foods I wanted, so at least I had a full belly. 

Fast forward several years to when I was in grade school. I would just eat whatever I wanted; Pizza, Pop-Tarts, Chex-Mix, the list of unhealthy foods could go on and on. -  One day in junior high I was getting blood work done and I was told I have hypothyroidism (my thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of the hormone on its own). This slows down my metabolism and makes me very sleepy. The two main things that can help hypothyroidism is, of course, western medicine, and HEALTHY FOOD. 

So here I am now, 19 years later, finally Eating for a Change (hehe get it?). I can thank my best friend Mateus for a lot of it, as he is always there to encourage me and cook me any food I may have the desire to try. However it is not all because of him. As I get older I know deep down that I NEED to change my habits if I want to live to be that bitchin' old lady I've always wanted to be. Luckily we just happened to meet up at the right time and he has helped me ever since. Now, I've already blazed through so many firsts in the last year, but there are still many more to come. 

If you have read through all of this and you are still interested, I'm planning to make one new post per week. Showing you, and mostly documenting for myself, all the new foods I will be trying. A lot of you will laugh at my small victories, and that's okay. I'm growing and learning and that's all that matters to me. Until next time...