Chocolate and kale and lentils are lovely, but they're not always my reality.
pumpkin pie smoothie with spinach, Vega protein, and cacao nibs
In the first episode of Confessions of a Food Blogger, I told you that your nice comments make my day, my month, my year. That has never been more true.
I try to perpetually smile when I write my blog posts. Your heartfelt comments really do help. The sweet potatoes may be burning, the post may not be funny, the pictures may suck, and Alchemy may be out of chickpeas, but life will go on. It all happens. More often than you'd think. I try to keep the smile on. For you! And for me, too.
There's a time and a place for negativity, and it is not this blog. That said, you are all my friends, and when I feel so inclined to speak my mind, I know I can do so comfortably here. I think that's important.
I am not a jar of almond butter. I am a real person with real feelings living a very real life. I have good times and I have bad times. I remind myself that it's okay to cry.
curried chickpea salad + kale and quinoa salad + apple with cinnamon
Posting every morsel of food I put in my mouth throughout the course of a day is...a lot of things.
It's eye-opening. It's funny. It's sometimes a little annoying. It's inspiring. It's engaging. It's exhausting. It's entertaining. It's encouraging. It's positive. It's educational.
It's also very, very personal. Have you ever thought what it would be like to post on the internet everything you eat in a day and invite hundreds of thousands of people to scrutinize it?
Most bloggers participate in "What I Ate Wednesday" (WIAW) to show readers what their typical diet consists of. But we also do it to let you in. To give you perspective and to illustrate via food pictures that we are far from perfect. To show you that some days we eat a lot of kale and no cookies, and some days we eat a lot of cookies and no kale. So is life. So is life for you as a normal person, and so is life for me as a crazy food blogger.
pumpkin bars + pumpkin cookies
What WIAW is not is a place for judgement.
It is not a place for you to critique how I choose to fuel myself.
It is not a place to demoralize me for eating lobster and it is most certainly not a place to call me anorexic.
As a dietitian, I work with people who suffer from eating disorders on a regular basis. I can tell you from experience that calling anyone scrawny, a skeleton, or anorexic is incredibly offensive, not to mention rude, disrespectful, and hurtful. I strive to paint a realistic picture of balance because if you know me at all, you know that balance is what my life is all about. Balance with healthy food and treat food. Balance with Green Glow juice and vodka sodas. Balance with my career and my social life. The list goes on. I know I'm not perfect.
roasted sweet potatoes
Negative comments such as these really make me second-guess myself. At the end of the day, I don't honestly care that a reader called me anorexic. The issue here is that I would NEVER, EVER want to set a poor example for healthy eating. And when I say healthy, I mean balanced. I would never want you to read what I eat in a day and think a stroke of anything negative or discouraging.
spinach and artichoke pasta + roasted broccoli
Many bloggers have stopped posting their daily eats for these exact reasons and I don't blame them for a second. Readers were judging their choices and falling into the comparison trap, the exact opposite of what these seemingly inspirational posts were intended to do. I have kept posting because more often than not, I get very positive feedback. I know you all enjoy these posts and are I pray that they inspire you, not discourage you.
scrambled eggs, salsa, sweet potatoes + another pumpkin cookie
Remember that bloggers are not robots behind a screen. While starting Hummusapien was one of the best decisions I ever made, don't think that for a second it's easy. I promise that it is always worth it but never easy.
Let's all respect our differences and learn to grow from them. I promise to love you no matter what you eat.
freeaccount.org says
Great one!
Margon says
Thank you so much for your lovely comment. It is really interesting being in a totally different culture and language, as Germany must be. We are loving life and making the most of every moment!
marlies says
I love that you post both your super healthy and slightly less "perfect" choices! It makes me feel like I'm not a weak or non-dedicated person when I endulge occasionally! nutritionist bloggers who say "there's no so excuse to ever eat refined sugar" or such things just make me feel anxious and like a failure, so I love your honesty! I'm sorry anyone gives you a hard time for that!
Alexis says
It's all about balance, right? Anyone who vilifies sugar is no friend of mine 😉 What would life be without chocolate?!
Katie Shields says
Alexis,
Thanks for sharing your experience with negative comments! I agree with everyone else that your posts are inspiring, real and 100% YOU - aka awesome! It's terrible that people throw around the ED label so carelessly and high five to you for addressing that type of negative behavior in such a classy way. Keep up the amazing work, doll! XX -Katie
Alexis says
Thanks my love. You nailed it--it really is terrible how lightly people use those hurtful words. No class these days, I'm telling you! XO
Chris says
Hey Alexis! I found my way to you via Armen and his Columbus adventures. I have family in Columbus and reading that you have a business in the city... well you already just made it onto my list of cool virtual people I "know". Haha.
Online judgment is something I have experienced too, and while sometimes I just laugh it off because clearly the person simply didn't read enough or understand my humor... there are times when the negativity cuts and hurts. But hey, good for you for standing up for yourself and being real. Too many only post what they want you to see, thus negating those negative comments but also losing their integrity too.
Glad to have "met" you and I'll be sure to stop back by... and maybe even find my way to Alchemy sometime! =)
masala girl says
i remember reading that comment and being shocked. i think you show a real balance of healthy real food and snack. you make it all yourself and show that it's attainable to be busy and eat good, but to not worry about the little things and enjoy life. you make your recipes over and over and I love that too. you're one of my favorite blogs, alexis! dont change or let things get you down. (and again, food. on point. looks delicious!!)
Dawn says
Thank you for your authenticity, honesty, sense of humor, and the really delsih food! I LOVE your blog because you are so real and your recipes are really good. xo