One of the goals of this site is to celebrate our food. People never need to feel guilty about their current state of health and eating because there isn’t any benefit in feeling bad, and guilt is not a prescription for better health. Going back to real food – I say “going back” because people used to eat real food all the time – is a process and you’re on the right path. Even if you’re only reading about healthy food and rarely eating it yet, you’re taking a step forward – Congratulations! It takes time and effort to reconsider not only everything you hear or read, but everything you grew up believing, and I hope this site will save you some of that time.
A lot of what I grew up thinking about food, I will take the time to research and report on now. For example, “Drinking milk gives you strong teeth and bones.” I used to make my kids drink milk every day unless it was a special occasion, or maybe once on the weekend I’d let them have orange juice instead. I told my oldest daughter who didn’t like milk, “If you don’t drink your milk you’ll end up a hunched over old lady when you grow up.” Another myth is, “If you don’t eat meat, you won’t get enough protein.” I knew that some beans had protein, but wasn’t about to make beans every night so, as far as I knew, meat was the answer. It’s OK, we’re works in progress.
Gratitude is the perfect replacement for guilt. Some people may be used to saying a prayer before eating. If not, think something like, “Thank you for this food that my body will use to my best advantage.” I timed myself and it takes three seconds to make that statement. Even if you are in a place where you’re eating something that is less than nutritional, your body can still use what you’re eating to your best advantage. Imagine eating a piece of birthday cake and instead of feeling guilty, feeling thankful for birthday and that your body will use it to your best advantage. You’re not going to eat birthday cake often, so why not celebrate and enjoy it?
You already know that people all over the world, including a community near you, lack food to the point of starvation. If you aren’t experiencing starvation, try to avoid thinking, “I’m starving,” and replace it with, “I’m going to be so grateful for my next meal.” Let’s start appreciating everything we have and not waste any more energy kicking ourselves or focusing on lack. There is an abundance of beautiful, nourishing food out there and we are learning to avoid the crap and bring more of the bounty of nature into our lives to make us our best selves. Hurray!! WooHoo! If you have an emoticon of someone doing a happy dance, send it to me and I’ll paste it here 🙂
