Meet my dear friend, Ellen Glovsky, gifted with keen vision and wit and methods of uncovering our deepest desires and needs when it comes to our relationship to food. Read on as she shares how we choose what feeds our bodies and souls.
Many people who have struggled with food in their lives feel that they never know what they really want to eat. They have come to believe that foods are either good (healthy) and bad (unhealthy); the choice they make labels them “good” or “bad” as well. The irony here is that feeling badly about oneself is a great reason to overeat or even binge!
Where Does This “Black and White” Thinking Come From?
People who are chronic dieters have been taught and absorb the idea that if you are “on” your diet you are being “good,” and if not, you are automatically “bad.” I hear people say “I had a good day” or “I was really bad this week.” What a way to judge yourself!
I believe that no foods are bad and that all foods have their place in one’s diet. This, of course, assumes you are not allergic or intolerant to certain foods. By all means, don’t eat foods that make you sick!
What we should be striving for is balance in our diet. That means there is a place for “junk” food as well as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Some of my clients say they couldn’t possibly eat just a little of their favorite foods. Of course, they would go crazy if they let themselves have just a little! That is the result of making those foods “illegal” and banning them from the universe of foods available to eat.
If you know that you can have all foods when you want them, they lose their ability to control you. This may seem like an odd idea, especially if you have been struggling with food for a long time. You may have found that the only way to control your out-of-control behavior with certain foods is to be sure they are not in your environment. The problem is, most of us don’t live in isolation and these foods will at some point show up in front of you. What will you do then? You could try to control yourself or you could give in and binge. There seem to be just two choices available to you, both pretty unpleasant.
This is what I mean by food “controlling” you.
There is a solution: make peace with food. Eat when you are physically hungry, eat what you really want, and stop when you are full. This is simple but not easy.
Go to my website, http://www.nutrition-coach.com to learn more and check out my blog at http://ellenglovsky.blogspot.com.
Tags: Bad foods, Good foods