Let’s get real for a minute. You only have one life and one body. You’ve got one chance to be happy and healthy. So why are you ruining it with only eating unhealthy food? Or why are you not taking part in the pleasure of life by only eating bland healthy foods? You need to have a balance of healthy and indulging, because the reality is you are only going to get one go at it.
There are two ways you can think of the title of this article. One is that you need to stop eating unhealthy. There are many different health issues that can come from an unhealthy diet, including but not limited to diabetes, heart problems and obesity. These health issues can cause immobility, pain, and in extreme cases, even death. Obviously, these things will hurt or end your life and that is not something anyone wants. A happy and healthy life is what everyone should strive toward.
The other way you could think of this title is that you need to stop just eating healthy and enjoy food too. If you are someone who is only eating fruits, veggies, and healthy things, but not because you enjoy them; that is no way to live. You may live a long life but what is it worth if you aren’t enjoying yourself and indulging in the beautiful world of food?
The main point of this article encompasses both of these ideas. A healthy relationship with food throughout your life involves balance.
- No balance can mean: I ate a salad so now I can binge drink all night.
- No balance can mean: I ate great the last three days, let’s go get my favorite fried meal from that diner.
- No balance means: Every time I am bored, stressed, or lonely I will binge on junk food until I feel sick.
- Balance means: I want pizza tonight and that is okay.
- Balance means: I enjoy dessert from time to time.
- Balance means: I’m choosing to eat healthy, whole foods today.
Food As Reward Or Punishment
Don’t think about food as a reward or as a punishment. If you had pizza last night and want it again tonight then go for it! As long as this isn’t a daily thing there’s no reason not to enjoy it two nights in a row if you really want it.
Note to Diabetics: You get to choose, of course, but keeping your blood sugar in check should take precedence over everything else and the decisions you make about food.
And if you choose to do it don’t ‘punish’ yourself by only eating salads for the next three days because you think you have to. Food is a necessity, not a privilege, so don’t measure your worth on what you eat or how much you eat of a specific food, or how much you don’t eat.
That being said, don’t think about food as something comforting all the time either. It can be confusing when certain foods are actually called comfort foods but using food as a comfort is not a particularly healthy habit.
Emotional eating is an unhealthy coping mechanisms and requires some work to get over. It all starts with learning healthy emotional coping skills. Food can be comforting but eating food so that you feel comfort is not a good habit to get into.
Dysfunctional relationships with food and eating are things that can severely handicap someone’s life. If you have already established dysfunctional eating habits working through it can be very difficult. But hard work and perseverance can change your life for the better.
Start by understanding why you should or shouldn’t eat a certain way and then move to your reasoning of why you do. These two things can open your eyes to what you are doing and what you need to do to stop or change if you want to. Time spent working on yourself is never time wasted.
For more info, these articles may be of interest:
When You Feel Guilty After Eating
How Break Free of Emotional Eating
Publisher of Great Living Today, your one-stop source for greater living featuring tips, techniques, and programs in the areas of health & wellness, wealth, time management, business, love, relationships, and happiness. Marty is a life, business, and wellness coach helping his clients to live their best lives.