I just made a video this week about my five year anniversary of going vegan, which includes how it’s changed over the years for me.

But I think one of the most amazing things I’ve learned, now that I know everything I can eat and what makes me feel the best, is how to listen to my body and what it needs/wants.

There’s a place for treats and junk food just like there is a place for nourishing meals filled with fresh veggies and fruit.

What I eat changes with the seasons and what’s available.

I eat a bit heavier, with more cooked meals, during the colder months, and lighter, more fresh meals when it’s warm out.

And I think that’s one of my favorite things about being vegan/plant-based. I can eat whatever I want and not have to worry about calories or any of that. I can just eat what my body wants and not worry about it.

Yes, I’m blessed with a fast metabolism, but that didn’t stop me from getting clogged up and bogged down when I ate a Standard American Diet. Not to mention being almost 20 pounds heavier than I am now when I lived in Thailand. I wasn't veg then, and I drank pretty regularly, but not excessively.

But now I’m conscious of what I eat, I know what makes me feel good and what weighs me down.

I know you hear it all the time but it’s about balance. If I go a few days eating heavier, more processed stuff I find myself really craving/needing something fresh and light and that’s what I eat.

I think it’s so important to listen to your body and to recognize what makes you feel good.

I’m not a fan of food journals unless it’s to track what you’re eating and how that’s making you feel in order to discover some sore of digestive irritant.

This is how I originally realized it was meat that was causing all my digestive woes.

Seriously, I used to only go number two once a week. Once a week! That is insane for me to think about now, but that used to be my norm. I always had a stomach ache, was always tired and felt bogged down, especially after meals.

Why it took me so long to realize that wasn’t normal, or good, baffles me.

But now I know. I’ve put in the time to listen to my body, and I can balance the things that make me flourish and still get my fix of a little bit of junk food.

What foods make you flourish, which make you feel not so great, and how do you find the balance between them?