For the first time in my life I have a good relationship with food. Food is fuel. Food is medicine. Food gives me and family the tools we need to best conquer life.
It took me DECADES to get here. I’m in my mid-30s and only now can I say that I no longer binge eat. I no longer starve myself. I no longer have a “bad weekend” and feel the need to punish myself in the gym for days to make up for it. I no longer have no “cheat” days.
This is not to say I eat healthy 100% of the time. There are life events that happen. I may eat a piece cake on my birthday. The difference is, you will no longer find me eating the leftovers of that cake in the dark when no one is watching. I also no longer will fall victim to peer pressure because its someone’s birthday at work. I can still attend the party, spend time with friends, have fun, but I no longer indulge just because it’s there.
Food is fuel, it is the building blocks for life and everything you need energy to do. The right food, the kind your body actually craves, will help you reach your goals, it will give you energy, and it will help you heal from injury and prevent illness.
When my 4-year-old asks for a piece of candy, I look past those pleading eyes and ringlets and I see the epic meltdown that will happen in an hour if I give in. And what’s worse for her, I explain it to her. About sugar, and how your body processes it, and how if you eat too much for your body to handle at once, your blood sugar will crash and a meltdown will happen. Knowledge is power. If you ask her why candy is unhealthy she will tell you (complete with eye roll and a heavy sigh) “candy makes me crazy.”
You realize that everything you put in your body will either help you or harm you. You want to give yourself the best. You want to be able to handle the world head on, all day, to the best of your abilities. Healthy habits, all day, every day. Healthy is the body’s natural state.
It’s no longer a decision. It’s no longer a choice. It’s no longer about will power. I don’t put things in my body that will make me sick, or weak. You wouldn’t ask someone with a peanut allergy to “only have a little bit”. You wouldn’t ask a devout Muslim to “just try a little pork, it’s so good!” It’s not a choice for me.
I just don’t eat things that are unhealthy.
There is power in that statement.
It’s very freeing.
Eat clean, whole food. Processed food-like products are not actually food. They are chemicals and your body can do nothing with them but store them as fat. Eat good real food, and you can have AS MUCH AS YOU WANT. Your body will tell you when you’ve had enough. You will feel full and satisfied and strong. You will be healthy, happy and have energy. You will recover from injury faster. You will get sick less often.
I don’t have time to eat unhealthy, I don’t have time to be sick. I have things to do. I want to eat healthy food all the time, because I feel better. I DESERVE to eat healthy food.
