Happy Wednesday, y’all! Today, I want to talk about mindset in regards to health. Our perspective and the way we think about food is important and contributes to our healthy lifestyle. I’ve always believed that our mindset has a lot to do with our health so I wanted to talk about what we can do to improve our relationship with food and how we see it.
Here are three ways you can implement in your life to change your perspective on food:
Plant or harvest any kind food.
When you plant your own herbs or go fruit picking, you’ll have a greater appreciation for it. The time it takes for healthy food to be planted, maintained and picked is something I think people often don’t think about. I remember harvesting watercress in a field when I was little. It was so much fun! My mom also planted peppers (among other veggies) on our apartment patio and it was so neat to see them sprout and grow from babies to full-size peppers. There’s just something about harvesting and touching farm/home-grown food that gives you a greater sense of appreciation than when you go to the grocery store and pick up what’s already been harvested. Just don’t touch peppers and then touch your eyes.
Before you decide what to eat, ask yourself how it will make you feel.
We all have cravings, especially the bad-for-you-but-it-tastes-so-good food. So how do you change your perspective on food? Do two things: 1) experiment with it and see what it does to your body and 2) ask yourself, “Do I want to feel ::insert feeling here:: after I eat this?”
I’ve tested quite a bit with food, particularly processed food. Let me tell you, the experiments are a double-edged sword. The food tasted great, but I felt/looked terrible afterwards. I have experimented with cheese, chocolate, fried foods and soda. All tasted amazing, but the results were NOT worth it. Dull and oily skin, painful zits and feeling sluggish are just not worth it.
Before you eat something, ask yourself if you want to feel a certain way. If you know drinking soda will make you break out, ask yourself if it’s worth feeling self-conscious should a zit pop up. Of course, in the end, it’s all about balance. Just make sure you’re aware of what food does to your body and how it makes you feel.
Be aware of why you want to eat.
Some people are emotional eaters. I’m the kind who eats when I’m bored. I’m not sure where my habit came from because I wasn’t like this in high school or my early college years.
Since I’ve become more aware of why I want to eat, I’ve learned that I’m just thirsty so I’ve been snacking less. I’m also training myself to make sure that when I eat, I eat because I’m hungry not because I’m bored. It’s also important to eat to fuel yourself rather than eat because you feel like you should be eating. The Power of Habit has definitely helped with this area of my health. I highly recommend you read it!
I leave you with a thought today:
Looking for something in particular?
