Part 1 of the How to Eat Series
If you’re asking how to eat healthy, you may be asking the wrong question. The answer has less to do with what you eat and more to do with why you’re eating.
You’ve heard the sayings:
“Food is fuel.”
“Food is medicine.”
“You earned it, eat the cookie.”
Ugh. They’re not entirely wrong. But that’s not the whole story.
Food has the power to nourish us, connect us, comfort us and bring us joy. Yet we often treat it as punishment, reward or even worse, an after thought.
So before we talk about what to eat, when or how much, let’s start with a different question.
Why?
Not from a place of judgment or shame, but from a place of curiosity.
But why, though?
A few years ago, I was working with my own health coach. I was maybe six weeks into my journey and feeling so good about the progress I was making. This was not too long after the pandemic so social outings were still pretty limited. I was eating most of my meals in the sanctity of my own home.
But then, I was getting ready to go to a conference and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to stay on my healthy eating plan. Although I knew what I needed to eat to feel good, I was worried that if my plate was “too healthy” or if I chose not to eat dessert, people would judge me.
Side note: You’ve been to those events where you sit down to the table and before the salad is even served the dessert is already placed as part of your table setting? Why? I’m sure it logistically makes sense for the venue, but come on.)
I didn’t want to be “that person.” The one making the special requests, not indulging when everyone else does.
And then she asked me a question that stopped my spinning.
“Why do you think people are paying attention to what’s on your plate?”
…
Insert the sound of a record scratching here. WHAAAAT?! You mean they aren’t?
That one question changed everything because it opened the door to the real question.
Why am I eating?
And whatever that answer is, is mine.
Not the people at my table.
Not diet culture.
Me.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to eat. Hunger is only one of them. We eat to celebrate, to comfort ourselves and sometimes simply because something tastes delicious. (Hello, peanut butter.)
I get into this topic in my article on emotional eating.
And depending on the day, the occasion, the circumstances, your answer might change.
My favorite meals have earned that title because they consistently deliver the trifecta.
Mind.
Body.
Joy.
And that’s how I landed on this simple reminder that I return to again and again:
Eat to nourish–mind, body, joy.
You can be quite literal with it and think about the foods that boost cognitive function or provide lasting energy in the body.
I think the simplest way to think of it is this. Eating the foods we know provide nutrients, a balance of the macros if you will. You can look at your plate and say, yes, this is nutritious.
Eating foods that feel good in your body. Like taking a long drink of cold water on a hot day, you just immediately feel better.
And joy. Simply, the foods you enjoy eating.
The sweet spot is when a meal provides a balance of all three.
What if we stopped asking whether a food is “healthy” and started asking how it serves us?
And then what?
Most of us are pretty good at noticing how we feel before we eat.
“I’m starving.”
“I want something sweet.”
“Fries sound amazing.”
What if we became just as curious about how we feel afterward?
I know refined sugar doesn’t make me feel good. Within minutes I start to feel bloated. Sometimes a headache follows. If you can eat a cookie and feel great afterward, I love that for you.
For years I kept diving right into that sugar headache bomb.
Sometimes because it sounded good. Sometimes because I didn’t want to be rude. Sometimes because I wanted to fit in.
Funny how knowing something isn’t always enough to change it. And how sometimes we lean so far into the joy and what felt joyful in the moment does not feel joyful later.
Have you noticed that there are foods that leave you feeling tired, bloated, uncomfortable or just…off?
Before your next meal, try something.
Pause.
Ask yourself:
Why am I eating?
Eat.
And then notice how you feel in your body. Because it’s your body and you’re the only one living in it.
You say when.
Healthy eating doesn’t come from following the rules (because they are constantly changing) or making the perfect choice every time (because what is perfect?).
It’s about paying attention long enough to learn what truly nourishes you. Mind, body and joy.
Be well, my lovelies.
Read Part 2: What the F Do I Eat?
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