If you’ve come here fearing another yawn-worthy manifesto that will bore you into unconsciousness with assertions that soy causes manboobs and sugar is the devil’s spawn, you’re in luck.
Because my philosophy about food has become as simple as it gets, and it may be the best news you’ve heard all day.
You’re an adult, and you get to eat whatever you want.
I barely finished that sentence and I can already feel the nutritional narcissists gasping in unison waiting to pounce like fleas on a squirrel.
But before anyone gets their compression shorts in a tangle, let’s make a couple of important points.
First, “you get to eat whatever you want” simply means that you’re in the driver’s seat, and you get to determine not only your goals, but what foods help you reach those goals.
It does not necessarily imply that you can eat every food in any quantity you’d like, or that foods don’t have inherent benefits & consequences depending upon the quantity that you consume.
Second, you’re an adult & your diet doesn’t require anyone’s approval.
And quite frankly, it will never receive everyone’s approval. Regardless of your choices, someone out there will criticize & shame you for how and what you’ve chosen to eat.
We call those people “assholes,” but I digress…
The fact is that life is complex, and our choices are often driven less by a food’s nutritional value and more by a variety of other factors, including our cultures, our families, our palates, affordability, access, and convenience.
They also can be influenced heavily by emotional factors, with disordered eating habits higher among those who struggle with feelings of shame, body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, abuse & trauma.
Making “healthy” choices also has become synonymous with hardship & restriction, and if being “healthy” means enduring meal after meal of suffering and deprivation, who wants in?
Only hippies noshing rabbit food & reeking of patchouli, that’s who.
And Lord help you – you don’t want to smell like patchouli!
But you DO want to feel stronger, more energetic, and confident. And perhaps you want to glance in the mirror and for the first time in a long time, feel proud of who’s staring back.
It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t love yourself just as you are, but that’s often easier said than done.
You’ve tried the shakes & the meal plans.
You’ve probably even gone gluten-free, or tried your hand at vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, detoxes, cleanses or “quitting” sugar.
And at some point, you’ve probably given up.
Because at every turn, some self-righteous toad is out to “school” you on your choices, insisting that everything you’re doing is wrong, falling back on their doctorate in Dumb Shit I Read on the Internet.
And when you’re getting it from all angles, it’s difficult to know where to start.
Undoubtedly, making changes in our lives is difficult, and it’s not made any easier by the glut of information that assaults us on a daily basis.
But just as importantly, change takes strategy, discipline, and commitment, and our brains don’t always make that easy.
So we have to cut ourselves some slack.
If every choice is unnecessarily complicated by every mosquito buzzing in the blogosphere & every guru du jour’s scare tactics, inspiration fizzles quickly – and our disordered relationship with food continues to flourish.
So I keep my philosophy simple.
- If you like it and it makes your body feel good – eat it.
- If you don’t like it, don’t want it, don’t believe in it, or it doesn’t make you feel good – don’t eat it.
- If it doesn’t taste good no matter how many times you’ve tried it – don’t bother.
- If it does taste good – don’t overdo it.
- If you overdo it – do it better tomorrow.
Once you’ve given yourself permission to eat a variety of foods that you enjoy, the paradigm begins to shift.
No food is inherently off-limits – it is now a matter of understanding which foods make you feel best, and which foods you might choose to avoid – altogether or just for now – because consuming them in moderation is not yet possible.
Instead of engaging in the usual cycle of dieting, restricting, and binging, you become mindful of what feels good to you and what does not.
There are no more forbidden fruits, and you are no longer a slave to restriction.
You discover that the foods you eat are your choice to make because they make you feel good – not because they make you feel deprived & miserable.
You may discover that some foods continue to challenge you, and that’s okay.
It takes time to redefine our relationships with food, and the most important point is to give yourself permission to stumble.
And if your relationship to food is or continues to be a challenge, it is never shameful to seek help.
So what does all of this mean?
The details are different for everyone, but for me, this strategy means lots of fruits and vegetables, a variety of nuts and seeds, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
I don’t eschew gluten, dairy, meat, grains, salt, sugar, or soy.
I purchase some products locally when I can, organics on occasion, and a number of “conventional” products because they are affordable & perfectly safe.
Most importantly, I am not above indulging in some crackers, pizza, macaroni and cheese, or a bowl of cereal, and I don’t automatically banish everything with a label.
Why?
Because life is like that!
And despite what the zealots would have you believe, the world doesn’t implode when everything isn’t local, organic, raw & made from scratch.
Determining your own philosophy will take some time, and you have to give yourself permission to get there step by step.
It isn’t about the latest trend or vilifying specific foods and nutrients.
Rather, it is about recognizing that there is no best diet except the one that you can maintain over time.
And the path to happier and healthy living starts with acknowledging that we’re all starting from a different place & doing our best at any given moment.
It’s about shutting out the extremists, maintaining a sense of context & common sense, giving yourself permission to enjoy great food, and recognizing that your definition of “great food” undoubtedly will change over time.
And most importantly, it means never smelling like patchouli.