For most of us, we’ve been fed a steady diet of the following set of beliefs:

Being fat is bad.
Food makes you fat.
Therefore, food can be bad.

In reality, food is a necessity in order to survive. This means that these negative feelings we’ve associated with food can actually cause us a lot of harm and undue stress. In fact, it can create a cycle that might feel familiar to you:

You feel hungry.

You eat.

Maybe you eat a food that you’ve learned to associate as “bad,” so you internally feel “bad.”

Or maybe you eat too much of a food that is “fine” but not “good/clean/healthy/low-calorie.” So you still end up feeling emotionally unwell.

Or perhaps you only eat “good/clean/healthy/low-calorie” foods but still don’t feel full, which makes you more likely to gravitate toward “bad” foods later.

Or it’s possible you don’t eat because all that you are craving are “bad” foods, but you won’t allow yourself to eat those foods because you believe that “giving in” to those foods makes you inherently “bad” as well.

Basically, there are a lot of ways that we can internalize feeling badly about ourselves based on the foods we choose to eat. Those negative thoughts and emotions cause stress in our bodies and our minds that can create real, medical issues and affect much more than our weight or the shape of our bodies.

Once you’ve had a chance to think about HOW your thoughts about food, eating, and dieting have been shaped, it becomes that much easier to pinpoint and clarify your own disordered eating habits.

Psst! Your eating habits are probably very similar to the eating habits of your caretakers!

Start your day with this mood-boosting smoothie!

1 frozen banana sliced

2/3 cup almond milk

1 Tablespoon almond butter

1 Tablespoon flax meal

Who's trying it?!

Please don't hesitate to ask questions.....

With Gratitude

Linnette

#health #nutrition #coaching #wellness

When eating out isn't a possibility, try recreating your favorite meal at home!

Love pad Thai? Find the highest rated recipe online.

Longing for alfredo? Grab some heavy cream and make some from scratch.

Pining for eggs benedict? Try your hand at a homemade hollandaise sauce.

What's one dish you'd love to master?  Share in the comments!

#health #wellness #nutrition #coaching

Did your parents insist that you clean your plate no matter what they put in front of you?
Did you grow up with a family member who was constantly commenting on or criticizing you for your weight or appearance?
Did you grow up with people who used food as a source of comfort?
Did people in your life shame themselves for eating certain foods?
Was someone in your family always on a diet?

Think about how your caregivers felt about food, and how those attitudes shaped your beliefs. Take a moment to share your thoughts and memories right now with the group.