Motivation Monday - Love Your Food Again!

Do you have a love/hate relationship with food? Its okay to admit it, most people do!

Are you looking to change this relationship into a healthy, nourishing one and get your diet back on track?

Here are some things you should avoid doing to help you get back into a loving relationship with food again!

1. Don’t measure your self-worth on how much you eat!

This is a big one, especially for most woman.

I have been guilty of this way too many times in my life. The purpose of food is to nourish our bodies and help us to optimize our best self and best health. Food is not meant to be viewed as an enemy or used to make you feel guilty. Don’t get angry with yourself if you have slipped in your healthy eating routine, there are always opportunities to make improvements to your diet and make healthier decisions to fuel your body better.

2. Stop Eating for comfort!

Again I think most of us struggle with this one too!

Once and a while its okay to eat a particular food when our mood is low. Chocolate, for example, has chemicals that act like endorphins and do help improve our mood! Maybe next time you find yourself reaching for the chocolate you can try a piece of dark chocolate instead, which is rich in antioxidants!

We don’t want to get in the habit of using food as a crutch when we are angry or upset. This creates an unhealthy food association linking our emotions to our eating habits. Instead we should try to find other coping mechanisms when we feel a negative emotion rising to the surface! What about a bubble bath, dancing to some music, or exercising! All of these things will help you get out of your slump quicker, give you some much needed motivation and eliminate the feelings of “guilt” from over indulging.

3. Don’t use food as reward or punishment!

Yep! I have used this one in the past too!

If I was able to achieve a goal I would give myself a food reward or if I was unable to achieve a goal I would restrict something from my diet. I don’t have to tell you this is not a good way to look at food and it is not an effective form of motivation either. For example, if you reward yourself with a piece of cake because you lost 5 pounds you might undermine your diet later. There is nothing wrong with eating the a piece of cake but don’t use it as a “reward” that is reserved for “special occasions".

Also depriving yourself of certain food groups because you want to “punish” yourself will only make you feel worse or set you up for a complete loss of control which could end up in a “binge” day! You might even think all is lost and give up on your healthy eating plan altogether!!

It is up to you to stop this cycle of “reward” vs “punishment” attitude and adapt a healthy diet full of veggies, fruits, whole grains and water!!

4. Stop viewing certain foods as “good” or “bad”!

Get this good vs. bad food mentality out of your head permanently!

There are no good or bad foods there are just foods that are healthier and better for your body!

You may view fruit and veggies as “good” and chocolate, candy and chips as “bad”. Stop labeling your foods!! I admit chocolate, candy and chips might not be the best food choices you can make, because they are nutritionally void of a lot of the nutrients your body needs everyday. They also have tons of chemicals and preservatives your body can do without. Just don’t label them as “bad” because you are setting yourself up for failure. If you do eat some of the foods that are not as nutritious for you, just be mindful that you will eat something more healthful at your next meal.

We also don’t want to be teaching our children the above associations with food because they can lead to disordered eating. Food is not meant to be the enemy. We need to reframe our minds to see food as it is meant to be.

If you have been holding on to negative food associations …and you have been struggling with restricting your calories and stressing about your diet take a minute to read through this blog again. Try to let go of the preconceptions above and start enjoying eating again!

Eat for health, eat for pleasure and eat knowing the things you are putting in your body are good for your health! Eat things that can best fuel your body and practice mindful eating! Most of all be patient with yourself after all Rome wasn’t built in a day!

Simply Truly Jenny...