Tips for a Healthier Relationship with Food

We love food, and we have to eat it, but it's everywhere we turn. Eating the right foods is sometimes not that easy! The wrong foods, eaten too much over time, can leave us feeling bloated, sick, low energy, foggy and depressed. It feels like our food should be loving on us as much as we are loving on it...but in this case it doesn't. These foods we get attached to are...making us sick. Yikes. That can be a wake up call for some. At one point, I was surprised  to realize that too much sugar, gluten (and yeast) was making me sick. To a degree, I had to decide to "break up" with these types of foods. The relationship was too one sided and ....ya know....I decided to go on to bigger and better things. I wanted more energy, less tummy pain, regular blood sugar, and better moods and focus.

So for a time, there was complete seperation, because that helped me break off the emotional dependence on them. And then I could add small amounts back in, with foods that also have nutritional benefit, and I was able to recreate healthier relatioships that way. 

First, I did a lot of reading to find out which foods were making me sick. Then I researched which types of foods would give me optimal health. I wanted really good energy for better work outs, and to get through a work day and still have energy for my family at home. 

I broke up with the bread basket and started to eat a small side salad or soup when everyone else was eating from the bread basket (or a side of olives works well too). 

I broke up with sandwiches, and started to eat salads/stir fry or wraps more often. 

I broke up with cake and started to try to plan for fruit, yogurt or maybe 1 slice of a gluten free pie or a couple of gluten free cookies instead. I learned how to make gluten free, low glycemic cakes that actually tasted good. 

I broke up with coffee mate (this was a hard one, but it gave me headaches), and used unsweet almond milk and stevia instead. This took adjusting but I've learned to love it. Coffee mate was causing headaches because of the unhealthy oils. 

I broke up with regular ice cream that's full of sugar, because I was eating too much. It had caused my adrenals to tank. I tried not to need dessert every night. I drank tea, or ate apples and peanut butter. On the weekends I may have a keto icecream. 

Eventually, the healthy versions of the foods I was (at first) "making myself" eat....became my comfort. I could see that these healthier foods were fueling my days. I slept better. I had better focus at work. I was more positive, and I felt better about myself. 

Food is an absolute necesity. We have to eat food to live. So why do we sometimes live to eat? Why can it feel so hard to let go of a favorite food, or even to just try not to eat too much of it? 

Some of us are naturally set up to have a healthy relatioship with food. We are satisfied with a single serving of something. We aren't tempted to over eat.  Then there's the majority of the population that struggles.  We want to stop but our emotions can get the best of us. If one cookie is good then 4 is better, or 14. It's genetic. If you have this propensity to be addicted to certain foods and have an inability to turn off the "time to eat" signal, then you are at risk of weight gain, heart disease, depression and cancer. 

But of course there is hope. I'm proof. I have tendancies to want to over eat, but somehow I've been able to control them, guide myself towards eating healthier options, and I'm here as a Certified Holistic Nutritionist to talk about it. I'd like to help you to also control these food cravings and learn how to eat to live. 

So how can we keep a healthy relationship with food? 

Here's a few tips. 

1. See it for what it was created to be. Food is fuel. 

Food won’t fix your problems or fill you with happiness. So don’t ask it to. Food is fuel and we need to eat it to have energy and be healthy. The good news is, when you look at it this way, and this mindfulness guides your food decisions, then you make better decisions. 

But give yourself grace. We are humans, and not animals, we tend to use food as a social or emotional outlet. I think in moderation that's fine. The key to enjoying a healthy relationship with unhealthy foods is to have enough awareness about what you are eating (healthy versus unhealthy) to stop eating at the right time. Otherwise we probably should just avoid that food. 

2. Be ok with food tasting awesome. 

Look, you NEVER have to sacrifice flavor when going for a healthier diet. Some of the yummiest foods I can think of are also the healthiest. Fresh fruits and veggies? Yes please!! Healthy fats are delicious and add depth of flavor. Herbs and spices add antioxidants and flavor all at the same time. Yogurt is the dessert of the Heavens. I mean really....fueling your body does not have the be a drag. Healthy food is comforting too, and that's ok. If you love your food and it loves you back, then that's a healthy relationship. 

3. Learn the truth about food, and what it can do for you. (or not)

Before you become good friends with someone, and have a healthy relationship, you generally learn a bit about them, right? You may learn where they are from or where they work. Maybe you learn their favorite color or what they are passionate about in life. It should be the same for food. I think we need to learn a bit about a food before eating too much of it or eating it too often. Look at the food label. Be discretionary. Ask questions. Ask yourself, is this nutritious? Is this fueling my body.... at all? Is it toxic (chemical sweeteners or alcohol), and is it even tasty or worth the calories? Ask questions. get curious. Be discretionary. Your body deserves it. 

So there's a few tips. I hope it helps/ My #1 tip is to give yourself grace, and if you feel like you have a serious problem, ask for help. Having support while changing your relationship with food makes it a much easier and smoother transition. I'd love to help. Let me know if you need it.