Have you ever posted a selfie on Facebook and had people judge or ridicule you? It happens more often than you think. Alexa PenaVega recently posted a photo while vacationing on a cruise ship with her husband, Carlos Pena. It was a photo of a bowl of chips with guacamole and salsa, which may seem insignificant, but when the actress added the #glutenfreeproblems hashtag, followers began to criticize her for following a gluten-free diet and in the process found she once had bulimia.
“Wow. I am actually shocked at how many people felt the need to criticize me for a gluten free diet. I mentioned it not thinking much of it,” she said. “But apparently there is a lot to say on this. I want to keep this as real and as kind and hopefully inspiring as possible.”
In her response to the criticism, the actress shared that she suffered from bulimia, a struggle that lasted almost 6 years. Bulimia is an eating disorder that is caused by binging, followed by methods to avoid gaining weight, such as vomiting the food they just ate and excessive exercising or fasting. Fortunately PenaVega was able to recover from the disease and is now very healthy and conscious of what she eats.
“I had so many insecurities about my body! Since overcoming that obstacle in my life (By the Grace of God) I had a lot of trouble processing all sorts of foods in my body. I had done a lot of damage and recovery from it all was a PAINFUL process. But 100% worth it,” she revealed. “My body feels strong. I have energy. I feel like a woman!!”
“I finally have the nutrients I had deprived my ‘temple’ of… Now, there are certain foods that still give me some trouble… So for me… It is easier to eliminate those foods so that my body absorbs all the nutrients I can get!”
She felt the need to say something because even though she’s had some struggles, she’s now healthier than ever and happy, which at the end is all that matters.