Have you ever heard your friend say - “I’ve been so bad today, I ate a slice of cake” ?
Or your co-worker say they sinned because they had a piece of chocolate?
Or maybe you said something like - “I know eating this is so bad.”
Has this ever happened to you?
I hear it so often. And I usually stay quiet… (not everyone wants to hear my professional opinion and I certainly do not want to impose it).
However, since you did choose to read this, I will impose my opinion here…
Are you ready for it??
Food is not good or bad!!!!
Food is food!
Some foods provide more nutrients and some provide less and that’s ok!
The fact that one food gives you less nutrition does not mean it’s a “bad food”.
As long as most of your diet is full of foods with higher nutrients, it’s okay to sometimes consume foods that do not offer as many nutrients.
YOU ARE NOT GOOD OR BAD BASED ON THE FOOD YOU’RE EATING!
Stop judging yourself! You are much more than what you eat!
Eating a chocolate bar does not mean you’re a bad person.
Eating only fruit and veggies does not mean you’re a good person.
Food does not hold a moral value.
Call food by its name. It’s not a guilty pleasure or a treat. It’s pizza or an apple or chocolate.
When the baker Raffaele Esposito invented the pizza, he didn’t call it “bad pizza” so why should you?
Why (and how) did food become so negative?!
Think of food as something that nurtures us, helps us grow, and gives us pleasure. Food is tied to memories (grandma’s casserole, mom’s chicken soup when you were sick, etc).
Eat food, enjoy food. Choose balanced meals. Choose more nutritious foods. But enjoy every food. You have not sinned if you ate a donut!
And stop saying you don’t buy enemies when referring to food… food is not your enemy.
What does healthy mean to you?
Sit down, grab a pen and paper, and write down what is healthy for you.
Healthy is different for different people. Nuts can be a super food for one person and a life threatening food for another.
Healthy is much more than just food.
Health is body, mind, and spirit.
It’s not black or white, yes or no- there’s a whole spectrum in between.
It is also not healthy to force yourself to eat something that is considered healthy that you don’t like. I talk to people who drink a green smoothie in the morning and say how horrible it is or eat a very dull, green salad that they can barely eat just because it’s considered healthy and “good for you”. I ask - “Why? Why are you doing this to yourself?”
You can find food that is nutritious AND delicious!!!
You should not eat food that you dislike. There are plenty of other options!
Focus on the foods that you want, that you like!
And don't forget that your taste in food changes throughout the years and your desire of certain foods changes as well. On hot summer days - would you eat soup? Probably not…. So, listen to your body. What it needs. What it wants. And don’t punish yourself. There’s no need to do that.
Respect your body!
Enjoy your food!
Think you need some help with being healthier?
Contact me - healthierbysharon@gmail.com