Food Only Has Power if You Let It

Don't let food control your thoughts. Food only has power if you let it. Make peace with food, and enjoy it again!

Have you ever thought about food in any context other than it giving your body energy and making your taste buds happy? If you're like most people, then the answer is most likely a resounding "yes!"

It's funny how something that is meant as a basic need can turn into something so much bigger.

Take a cookie for example... Let's go with a warm chocolate chip cookie fresh from the oven. It's chocolatey and gooey and begging for you to put ice cream on top.

What is going on in your mind?

You're probably starting to crave this dreamy cookie, and then maybe you remember that you're trying to [insert preferred term for "diet"] and decide that you wouldn't be able to have said cookie.

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You'd like to move on with your day -- and you're secretly cursing me for bringing up that cookie -- but now, all you can think about is how much you want that cookie. You're craving that cookie. You need that cookie, but you "can't have" that cookie.

Instead of eating the cookie you crave, you end up eating a few random snacks that don't satisfy your craving. Finally, you eat the cookie.

Moving on, what about that bag of chips you scarfed down in a moment of hangry? Did you decide to just throw in the towel on your healthy eating plan? Maybe you went ahead and ordered that pizza instead of cooking dinner for yourself. Then you decided you'd already messed up, so why not keep going?

Crazy how food can have so much power over our thoughts, isn't it?

The diet mentality of our culture is ev.er.y.where! You'd have to live alone in a cave to not get a message from something or somewhere about losing weight, eating a certain way, doing a specific exercise, looking a certain way. Whew, I feel exhausted just thinking about it!

Because of the constant pressure to look and eat a certain way, it can be difficult to not let the "diet mentality" get to you. I know. I am surrounded by nutrition advice, food, and people constantly asking me about both in my everyday life.

That doesn't mean I don't absolutely love what I do, but it can be a real challenge to keep your food from controlling your thoughts.

If you eat a cookie, does that make you a bad person? No! If you robbed the bakery where you got that cookie then you might be considered a not so great person.

If that's the case, then why do we feel guilty about eating a cookie?

I think it's time that we change our perspective around food and make peace with food. Instead of following certain rules all the time, how about you give yourself permission to pick what to eat and how much?

In general, you want to pick foods that nourish your body and give you energy, but that doesn't mean you can never enjoy foods that are completely devoid of nutrients. Most importantly, when you're eating, enjoy what you're eating!

Meme