Passions come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. You could have a passion for drawing. A passion for dancing. A passion for music. A passion fruit (ha ha?). And in our case--a passion for photography, cooking and writing. So why not combine them all to promote a healthy lifestyle, a positive relationship with food and our bodies?
People find what we do weird. They look at our food and scrunch their noses. They may scratch their heads. "Why cacao nibs," they say. "Are they chocolate chips? Why not chocolate chips then?" Why Baobab and acai and carob and lucuma?
Now tell me. Do you prefer ketchup or mustard? Are you a coke person or a pepsi person? It's all a matter of preference. And for us, we like eating this way.
Society's values have been built on completely warped foundations – now, teenage girls can't eat a pizza without being called 'fat', yet they can't consume a vibrant salad without being branded 'anorexic'. Our society has become one of contradictions, and unfortunately we've reached the point where eating a burger devoid of any nutritional value is considered more normal than choosing to fuel our bodies with wholesome food. And too often, these comments are quick and hasty generalisations that are not grounded in truth--mindless remarks that may seem harmless to the author, but are actually sad representations of how our culture has not learnt how to pause, take a step back, and think before we speak. The fact that our food is natural and that majority of us are teenage girls is enough for many--too many--to leap to conclusions and force us into brackets like anorexic, trying to lose weight, wanting to diet. After all, according to society, all teenage girls want to be skinny, don't they? (no, we really don't)
We make our breakfasts consisting of what we want to eat and like eating, and then we eat it. Sounds normal, right? Only difference is that we take a photo in between.
Critics state that health food accounts on Instagram represent yet another form of obsession. The health food community on instagram is anything but a 'diet culture' or 'pro- orthorexic'. It makes us frustrated that some of our closest friends have been portrayed in such a negative way.
We are simply sharing our passion with others so they can find inspiration to feel their best, too. Why does there have to be such a negative connotation associated with only positive intentions?
Our accounts were all started with a similar motive: to make healthier choices that help our bodies to optimally function, a way to express ourselves, to inspire and BE inspired.
However, this still doesn't mean that we don't occasionally indulge in whatever we crave. It doesn't mean we don't eat regular bars of chocolate and we calculate every little macro-nutrient we consume. Our entire lives are not documented on social media, we don't photograph every morsel of food we put in our mouths (and trust us, we DO eat what we post. Who would want to use ingredients that cost precious money and resources to make something, snap a photo, and throw it away?). We have passions and dreams and goals, and our lives don't revolve around food.
We like to make our food look beautiful because we know that it is not just about silencing a growling stomach, but is instead about finally appreciating the value of what we are putting into our bodies. However, this community is about more than making healthy food look 'pretty' - it's about connecting with like-minded people all over the world, sharing recipes, giving and receiving support and forming strong friendships.
We may not all come from similar backgrounds, some of us have a history of an eating disorder, some with digestive problems, others simply are looking for a way to nourish our bodies to feel our best. But eating healthier foods has brought us together with so many like-minded people that all share a common goal, and we don't understand how anyone could view that as being anything other than positive.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but picturing the "Instagram health community" as obsessive and disordered without hearing our side of the story seems a little unfair. Quite simply, please do not judge what you don't yet fully understand, and hopefully hearing our side of the story has made you realise that our community is not one that promotes such behaviour.
All we want is to share our passion for a natural way of living through photography and cooking. It's that simple, and nothing more.
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