In this day and age, there’s a whole lot of talk about eating healthy. It seems to be a hot topic for a lot of folks, and we are regularly bombarded with information about the latest foods we “should” cut out and add to our diets.
This can be confusing since one day we’re told fat is the devil, and the next it’s carbs. Sugar, gluten, red meat, farm-raised fish, hydrogenated oils, packaged foods with preservatives, fried food—the list of off-limit foods grows by the day. We’re lead to believe if we eat these things, we’ll immediately be on the fast track to poor health.
Sure, it’s important to be aware of what we consume, but I find it interesting that with so much focus on healthy eating, there’s not much talk about emotionally healthy eating. At what cost are you willing to spend your days thinking about all of the things you should and shouldn’t be eating? And how healthy is it really if you are constantly obsessing about eating clean, and beating yourself up when you don’t?
To me emotionally healthy eating means eating without guilt. It means eating without excuses or explanations. It means listening to our bodies, and eating what we need. Emotionally healthy eating means eating “healthy” foods most of the time, but indulging in treats as well, and not making a big deal out of it. It means eating when we are hungry and not when we aren’t—but if we do every now and then, that’s ok too. It means not eating “perfectly,” and not always striving to do so. It means not thinking about food and diet all that much.
Stress wreaks havoc on our bodies and can actually make us sick—so even if we cut out every known “bad” food from our diets, we can easily still end up unhealthy from the constant mind chatter about our diets. Stress can come from feeling the need to explain ourselves if we choose to indulge (as if anything we eat actually needs an explanation). It can come from talking about how we can’t believe we just ate such-and-such (but really why is it so unbelievable?) And it definitely shows up when we make the choice to be really bad for the rest of the day after making one “poor” choice when it comes to food.
Many folks are emotionally unhealthy eaters. You don’t have to have a full blown eating disorder to have disordered eating. Folks who are always either on a diet or off of one tend to struggle. People who regularly research the latest diet crazes, or are on a constant mission to find the “perfect” way to eat, yet never stop looking, also often suffer. Those who always think about how they have to lose weight, suffer. And the emotional rollercoaster that comes along with the constant concern about food and exercise, defeats the purpose of trying to be healthy. It’s actually completely counterintuitive to the ultimate goal.
I’ve mentioned before that stress alone can cause weight gain, so how about cutting yourself some slack when it comes to this whole healthy eating thing. Is it possible everything in moderation could be ok? Could it be true that if you don’t always eat “perfectly” you still could be healthy? Isn’t emotional health a key factor in overall health too?
When we work on building a healthy relationship with food and don’t make it into a bigger deal than it needs to be, eating healthier often becomes simple—and requires little thought, if any. When we let go of stress producing thoughts about food, we feel better. And when we feel better, we tend to take better care of ourselves.
Unless you have a serious medical condition which requires constant attention, try and loosen the grip a bit, and live your life. If eating clean makes you happy, then go for it—but if trying to do so is making you cuckoo, then maybe it’s time to rethink what being healthy really means to you. Becoming an emotionally healthy eater is so much more fun than counting every calorie and fearing food—and it frees you up to focus on more important things and enjoy your life even more!
That’s it—that’s all I got for ya!
Happy day!
