If you want to feel well, you have to fuel well. This means, if you give your body food that doesn’t help it operate the way it needs to, you’re not going to feel good. Long-term consequences of fueling your body improperly causes chronic disease, like diabetes or heart disease. But it doesn’t have to come to that!
I’m a huge proponent of flexible eating, which means I want my cake and to eat it too – just not every day. I speak to a lot of people that just want to know what the “bad foods” are, and honestly I can’t just give them a list. Every food should have it’s place, time, and quantity, and still fit into a balanced diet. When you start omitting foods and have “no-no foods,” you set yourself up for failure. Naturally, you’re going to want to consume that off-limit food at some point and when you do, you’ll feel defeated, guilt or shame.
Eating is more than just fuel. In the nutrition world, it would be as simple as including a variety of macro and micronutrients in your food like enough proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. But it’s not that simple! Food is social, food is memories, food is events, food is tradition, food is feelings. When food is restricted, all of these other things get suppressed as well and impacts people’s mental and physical health too.
Removing the guilt behind eating food is a vital key to health. Healthy meals and snacks need to be the foundation of your diet, but the occasional treat, glass of wine, or whatever “guilty pleasure” you seek is needed too. No need to feel guilty about it, enjoy the moment, savor the flavors and feel good about it.
