To say that some people have a love/hate relationship with food may be an overstatement. I think at one time or another in our life we’ve found ourselves hating ourselves for loving food, or loving food but hating what it does to us.
This post is inspired by the book intuitive eating. After reading this book I have been going through the process of changing the way I view food.
It’s not always what or how much you eat but why you are doing it. So how does one develop a healthy relationship with food and with our bodies. In a world where we are all so bombarded by “get thin quick” schemes and unrealistic images of what we should look like, how do we sincerely love our bodies and want to nourish them? How do we get a healthy body without damaging our Psyche?
Intuitive eating is a key and I would highly recommend reading this book.
1) Listen to your body:
Tune into your inner cues. Ask your self: Am I hungry? Am I full? Do I like the taste of this? Am I even paying attention to what I’m eating?
2) Make eating pleasurable:
No, this doesn’t mean eating cake and ice cream for every meal. 🙂 But what it does mean is to make it nice. When you eat make sure you are creating an atmosphere to enjoy your food. Put aside distractions and actually taste what you are eating. Take time to taste your food to see if you really actually do like it.
3) Make peace with food
We are told all around us that certain things are good and others are bad. Carbs=bad, protein=good… In truth for our body to function optimally we need some of everything. There is an ideal amount, but it isn’t going to sabotage you to eat a little sugar now and then. 🙂 What matters is what we eat on a consistent basis. Knowing that we can have sugar or chocolate or whatever when we really want it actually takes some of the need to have it right now away.
4) Get rid of “Good” vs. “Bad” Food
When we think of food in terms of good vs. bad, it can lead to overeating. This is one area where moderation is better. Why?… because it is so easy to binge on something we have been refusing to ourselves… or have you ever had the experience where you really want chocolate but instead eat a banana or some other “good food” just to snack all afternoon really just wanting the chocolate and then give in at the end of the day anyway? A different solution would be to just eat a small amount of chocolate… and savor it! Taste it. Love it.
5) Make Meal Times an Event
Food is a good wonderful thing that tastes delicious! When eating, focus on the environment and the meal. Take time to make a meal good. It is a lot easier to get great nutritious food that is well prepared during meal times. We feel a lot better than if we just snack all day.
6) Challenge the nagging voices inside your head
There is always some great get thin quick diet, or a voice telling us we should or shouldn’t eat something. These voices may or may not be just our own. They could be our best friend, or a good meaning relative. Although these people often mean well, by restricting ourselves from foods we love we never really allow ourselves to try it and see if we actually “really like it”. Once one stops restricting the amount of something they eat they find they actually do have a stopping point, and the “forbidden food” becomes less enticing. This is something many people have to go through to see.
7) Focus on how great food is
Food is not bad. It is a wonderful tool, that tastes delicious and provides us with great benefits. Even butter is beneficial to us in the right proportions. Choose to focus on how the food you are eating is building and supporting your body…in a good way.