Restrictions can wreak havoc on our journey towards a healthy lifestyle. We've all experienced that moment of despair when we indulge in something forbidden and feel like all our progress has crumbled. Negative self-talk invites us to quit the process. But should one setback define our path? Is it fair to label a simple muffin as a defeat?
Let's challenge the notion of rigid diets and stringent rules that govern our eating habits. Who decides what's right for us? Is it the dietitians, the influencers on social media, or perhaps our own insecurities?
In my experience, restrictive diets may teach us discipline, but they aren't sustainable in the long run. They become little experiments, bound to reach an end. However, when it comes to food, there is no endpoint. We eat until our last breath. Eating is intertwined with our emotions and thoughts, making it vital to nourish not only our bodies but also our minds.
Restrictions come with harsh yes´and no´s – this I must do and this I can´t. They come with pressure to adhere to the strict process and the rules that come with it. Whether our dieticians set the rules or some person we saw talk about diets on youtube or instagram that promised us great results if we followed this one diet that would only allow us to drink celery juice. Or maybe it was us that put the rules in place ourselves.
In my personal opinion, the only thing that we learn from restrictive diets, or restrictions in general, is discipline. And that is fair, I have done it in many different ways. I have gone through restrictive diets and therefore become more disciplined with my work or training but they are not sustainable. I would rather say there are little experiments that come to an end.
There are so many emotions connected to eating, there is so much of our minds involved in the process and everything around it. We can beat ourselves down wanting to eat right so badly that the diet we put our heads into is far from healthy, maybe not for our bodies, but certainly for our minds. And because eating involves the mind so much, we must eat in a way that is sustainable, promotes our physical health but also nourishes and soothes the mind. Food is joy and sometimes we forget that in a moment of orthorexic characteristics, obsessively wanting to eat right and punishing ourselves if we don´t.
I´d like to present a set of rules, or let´s rather call them guidelines, because rules sounds quite restrictive and that would defeat the point of my message. I don´t ask you to blindly follow them but I do ask you to consider them, think about them and ask yourselves how you resonate with the message, how they apply to your values and how you could potentially incorporate them to improve your relationship with food.
The first keyword is intuition. Intuitive eating is not an innate skill; it requires deep self-awareness and understanding. It comes from profound knowledge of food and its effects and more so, knowledge of ourselves. Knowing which foods affect us in what ways and how our body reacts to them. Distinguishing between genuine hunger and mere cravings, knowing when we are full and when we tend to overeat. Identifying our cravings and emotional eating patterns, as well as engaging in mindful eating and honoring our bodies, nourishing them with foods that truly satisfy and energize us. These are just little hints but that is a topic for itself that you might read or have read about. First, you understand yourself, then you apply that deep understanding on your eating. Meditate, learn to listen and be present, engage in conscious activities like yoga, learn about food, about your digestion, physiology and energy production. And with that profound knowledge of food and yourself and the interrelation of both, you dive in to the beautiful world of intuitive eating.
The second keyword is moderation, the art of finding balance. Nothing can be harmful enough if done or consumed in moderation. It means avoiding excess and cultivating a positive mindset, as anything can be harmful if done or consumed in excess. The art is to find that sweet joyful spot. A muffin will never ever harm you. Have it, thank yourself for allowing yourself to have it, consciously enjoy it and then move on. A healthy diet is free from obsessive indulgences, free from detrimental patterns and free from excess but it is not free from the occasional treat. In moderation. The treat may only be a setback of you allow it to be; If you talk yourself down because you think, you´ve done bad. But you haven´t, you´ve done good, you´ve treated yourself. Treat yourself mindfully, as it is a form of self-appreciation. Have a treat as a reward for something well done, as a celebration or for an accomplished milestone.. Not every day, not 3 at once. Occasionally and in moderation. We all deserve a treat sometimes.
My last point and a personally considered very important one; there is a healthier version for everything. Don´t have the muffin made of white flour, cane sugar and a bunch of stuff you´ve never heard of before. Have the muffin made of wholewheat oats, bananas and flaxseeds. And if that does not exist in your local shops, make them yourselves. Make the occasional celebration a real celebration and bake them. It takes a handful of ingredients, a short bit of your time and a lot of love. And unlike the refined sugar and wheat, it lifts you up. It provides sustainable energy and doesn´t give you the low you might experience after a sugar-filled snack. Think about it – every time you reach for that snack, ask yourself – is there a healthier option?
Take those three points to heart, allow them to resonate with your emotions and values and learn how to break free from restrictive diets. Try to imply them and then hold and think, what do I have to feel bad about?
Food is joy, a means to celebrate life and connect with our emotions. However, in our pursuit of eating "right," we often forget this fundamental truth. We become trapped in a cycle of guilt, self-punishment, and restrictive rules that steal the joy from our meals.
So a sustainable and joyful approach to eating is the key. And it is not sustainable to hold yourself back for a prolonged time, risking a relapse. Prioritize your happiness, cause happy people are more likely to adopt healthy and sustainable dietary practices.
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