This month we are focusing on creating a more positive relationship with food.
We often seem to form a love/hate relationship with food, rewarding ourselves with it at times and punishing ourselves with it at other times. In addition there are many uses for food including sustenance, pleasure, or habit. Food can even be used as a coping mechanism. It often comes down to the purpose of consuming food and whether or not consuming that food at that time will benefit you physically, mentally, psychologically.
Now let me ask you a question: how often do you consider why you are eating a food? Second guess if it is the right decision. If your answer is never than perhaps you can start to consider whether or not you are making a wise decision. If you do consider this at times do you think: does this align with my goals? Will this satisfy what my body is looking for? And then start to consider foods that could do both. Have a sweet tooth - eat some fruit, salty craving - try going for nuts. The amazing thing about foods is that there are so many options. When you start to consider all the possibilities it becomes a lot harder to come up with reasons to eat foods that do not make you feel good. And there is no rule that you have to eat "healthy" all the time. Not only is that a relative term and different for every single person but you have to consider what is going to benefit you. More good, less bad. And when you make a decision to eat something that you know may not be as good for you, make the decision deliberately and with fervor. Making this decision because you think it will benefit you psychologically or socially allows you to be free of the guilt that may typically come with that decision.
Many people will recommend an 80/20 or 90/10 rule (eat "clean", again relative, 90% of the time and allow 10% for simple pleasure) but again this is difficult to measure. Pick something that you think you can stick with long term where you do not feel deprived and the rebel inside you doesn't feel like it has to make up for not ever getting what you want.
So here's the challenge: each day write down what you eat (not how much, just what) and try to write down why you decided to eat that and how it made you feel. There are a lot of different reasons for eating but identifying yours at the time may also lead to making more proactive choices. Consider: are you eating because you're bored? Are you eating because you're hungry? Are you craving a food? What about that food seems appealing? And how did it make you feel when deciding to eat it, when eating it, when you were done, a few hours later, the next day? This could highly apply to things you drink as well (if you know what I mean.) Was it worth it? And if the answer is yes then you have a reason for consuming that product and you can justify your decision. If you feel guilty, your body disagrees with the choices, or you second guess your decision perhaps it could take further contemplation next time.
Remember that food is not only a tool but also a privilege. Try to make decisions that are going to support your desire to continue doing what you want to do for many many years to come!
Feel free to use the attached worksheet or create your own. The goal is to build awareness so it does not matter where you jot it down as long as you are trying to increase your awareness of what you are consuming!
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