In a relationship.. with food.

How’s Your relationship with food?

Think of food as a way to nourish your body. Don’t think of food as something you have to eat or not suppose to eat.

We tend to connect food with how it affects our body image. Instead of thinking of food as a way to keep us nourished and energized, we tend to directly connect food with how we feel about and how we look at our bodies. Food is food. Why torture yourself and make food to be the source of anxiety and let is rule your life?! Love yourself in all forms and don’t make that love be dependent on what you put in your stomach. 

Here’s how to correct your dysfunctional foodship!

1.) BECOME SELF AWARE/ MINDFUL- be mindful of when you are comfortably full. Sometimes we eat so fast and carelessly that we wait for the fullness to slap us in the face! Eat slow and listen to your body when it says you have had plenty of nourishment. 

2.) PREPARE- Prepare your food in single serving sizes. When you eat till everything is gone you usually feel guilty. When its pre-portioned you won’t have this guilt when its gone. You are tricking your mind! 

3.) DON’T GO HUNGRY- do not ever let your self go hungry! When you feel hunger creeping up on you, EAT! Have small meals throughout the day so you don’t end up binge eating in one meal. Smart snacking between meals can also combat hunger without guilt.

4.) DON’T GIVE UP ON THE FOODS YOU LOVE- Simply modify them to be healthier. There are plenty of recipes to make deserts that are better for you. You can also indulge in moderation. Have a small desert once a week. That way you have something to look forward to! You can also refer to my desert recipes high in protein at beautyworkfitness.com 

5.) HAVE GRATITUDE- Think of how the food in front of you is a privilege and a blessing. You are so lucky to have nutritious options available to you! Take advantage of it and be thankful. What you are about to eat should nourish your body, help your hormones, help your organs function properly, aid in cell functioning, and give you the energy you need to live!

6.)STOP GUILT- guilt manifests into stress releasing cortisol. Cortisol affects blood glucose levels, metabolism, immune response, blood pressure, and the central nervous system. If you eat something that you think you aren't suppose to eat hen get over it. That one thing won't ruin your life. Move on. Be happy.

7.) STOP COMPARING- everyone has different complex body mechanisms. Nutrition needs for you are totally different from your peers. Just because you know someone who is “fit” and never touches a cookie, doesn't mean you’re not going to be fit if you eat a cookie. Everyone’s metabolism is different and everyone responds to foods differently. That is why cookie cutter meal plans never work. Don’t take other people’s relationship with food personally. Focus on yourself! 

8.) AVOID BORED EATING- if you are not even hungry, don’t let yourself reach for food just because it's there. Get up and do something in its place. Take a bath, start cleaning, complete a task you want to finish, call a friend, or do something active.

Emotional eating is very common. Don’t think you are an emotional eater? Ask yourself this: When you have worked really hard that day/that week, when you accomplished a daunting task, or when you completed a workout at the gym, do you reward yourself with something you normally don’t eat? Like ice-cream, cake, an entire pizza, or fast food? That’s emotional eating. Food isn't something to be deserved or deprived of. It's just food intended for one reason only. Nourishment. When you eat for nourishment you are giving it what it needs. Now that's not emotional. That's Physiological. That’s respecting yourself.

YOU HAVE ONE BODY. RESPECT IT. NOURISH IT. LOVE IT. TREASURE IT.

LOVE YOUR BODY AND IT WILL LOVE YOU BACK!