Article By Ridhi Golecha, Mind-Body Eating Coach & Food
“You are what you eat” - is a phrase you’ve probably heard several times but what does it really mean?
Today, when we think of a particular food we tend to instantly associate it with a specific food group, for instance, when we think of lentils - we think protein, Cheese - we think fats, bread - we think Carbs, so on and so forth.
WHAT SHOULD OUR IDEAL THINKING BE TOWARDS FOOD?
We no longer think of our meal as a ‘whole’. Our brain immediately starts categorizing an ingredient into departments - carbs, fats, protein, sugars, and calories majorly. We start labeling them as good, bad, healthy, and unhealthy. The minute we think of carbs, our brain tells us ‘eat less, although you want more’. When we look at fat, we are filled with fear because the fat in food equals fat on my body!
Our minds are congested with so many nutritional do’s and don'ts - a majority of which have no scientific backing.
WHAT DOES THE NUTRITIONAL INDUSTRY HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FOOD?
The nutrition industry has forever been looking for answers to some of the most compelling questions:
- What is the best way to eat?
- How to lose weight fast?
- Which foods are good for me?
- Which foods are bad for me?
One of the simplest solutions was to dissect each ingredient into a category- and then label some or more of these categories, especially fats and carbs, as ‘mostly forbidden’.
Food is food, it is not just a laboratory experiment of carbs, fats, and proteins. Food is nourishment and the basis of all life, by ranking it as merely a provider of one or two elements, we are subconsciously reducing its status outside as well as inside our bodies!
Every food item, be it avocados or an orange, provides much more than just a few vitamins and minerals. They are whole foods that provide nourishment to the whole body.
It's time to start looking at food as a WHOLE, and not only through the lens of nutritional labels. Something that is not only strengthening your muscles but also fortifying your immunity, energy levels, uplifting your mood, and allowing you to fully participate in life.
DID YOU KNOW?
The human body is so extraordinary! We are actually made up of 50 trillion cells. A number that can easily go above our heads. Let’s use time as an example to demonstrate the enormousness of that.
1 million seconds = 12 days ago
1 billion secs = 32 days ago
1 trillion secs ago was 32000 years ago!
We have about 50 trillion cells that make us up!
The best way to imagine that is to picture 50 trillion tiny little circles, they all want to talk to each other. But the only way they can communicate is through nutrients from whole foods!
We are essentially the health of our cells, and the way we eat is equally important to what we eat! Start changing your relationship with food/eating habits and building a holistic, sustainable, and healthier way of eating by tapping into your body’s wisdom.
ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD LOOKS LIKE
- Are you stuck in a loop of avoiding & restricting certain foods, only to ultimately
find yourself bingeing on them when you do indulge?
- Are you constantly at war with weight, and therefore at war with food?
- Do you believe that fat in food = fat on my body?
- Do you look at food as a whole, nourishing medium, which will help you improve your immunity, fatigue, and moods?
- How many times have you decided to start a diet and failed?
As a Mind Body & Eating Coach/Food Psychologist, I’ve come to see the powerful connection between the mind, body, nutrients, and nourishment.
The way we look at food is equally important to how and what we eat!
If all of us could follow diets or the latest nutrition fads, then all of us would be where we want to be.
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