Whether we like it or not, those who are committed to living a healthy lifestyle are in the spotlight.  There will always be someone out there waiting to pass judgement on you when they believe you are doing something that doesn’t fit inside the “healthy living 101 playbook.”

*Sidenote: Obviously those of us who have healthy living food blogs accept this without complaint as this is a self inflicted spotlight

This “spotlight” realization becomes more and more evident to me every day.

A perfect example of this fascinating spotlight (and the reason for my post today) would be last week when I made these decadant Irish Cream Brownies for our St. Patrick’s Day shindig.

DIVINE!

Someone noticed I was enjoying one of these little pieces of chocolatey bliss and an amusing yet equally annoying conversation followed.

“You aren’t going to put that on your blog are you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well you are going to lose readers.”

“…..And why might that be?”

“Because your blog is about eating healthy and that isn’t healthy.”

“Being able to enjoy something like this is part of what healthy living is all about.”

“…Uh huh…”

And though I found this conversation slightly amusing, I can also say I found myself slightly annoyed by this.

When I decided I was going to change my life, I was not committing to a life of carrot sticks and lettuce leaves.

….Rather, I was not committing ONLY to a life of carrot sticks and lettuce leaves

I was, however, committing to making sure I was giving my body all of the nutrients it needed to THRIVE in this life.

I was committing to making healthier and more sensible food choices.

I was committing to making behavior modifications so my children would learn from my healthy habits rather than my unhealthy ones.

But most of all I was committing to finding a healthy balance between eating wholesome and nourishing foods AND indulging in special treats with moderation and without guilt.

I desire nothing more than to be healthy from the inside out and I believe a big part of that is not giving up the things that bring you great joy in life.

And for me, one of those things just happens to be chocolate

The goal of this blog is not to prove to the world that I eat 100% wholesome foods 100% of the time.

The goal of this blog is to prove to myself and to the world that weight-loss can be achieved and maintained.

…One carrot stick, lettuce leaf and Irish Cream brownie at a time.