Healthy eating is about more than food choices 0 FN Social Network September 03, 2023
It is so easy to think that healthy eating is just about food. Unfortunately that word seems to be inescapably linked to a whole language which doesn’t mean nourishment; it means ‘pressure’.
For example, when you mention the ‘F’ word people immediately start thinking: fat and sugar content, calories, protein type, low glycaemic, high fibre, vitamins, minerals; OMG! The list is quite literally endless!
Yes these things are important but there is something that is usually missing from discussion about food and healthy eating. Joy.
Don’t groan. Joy is the stuff of life. Without it, life becomes mechanistic; eating certainly does. Commonly this can contribute toward disordered eating as we try to analyse each food as if we are a food chemist. We develop a mistrust of food; will it make us fat, ill or just plain unhappy?
Where do these pressures come from and why do we forget how wonderful it is to eat? Mainly from the huge anxiety around what it is to be healthy (usually meaning ‘skinny’) which overtakes most women who tend to be the meal providers within a household. Children, particularly but not exclusively young girls, are very susceptible to these pressures.
Cooking using fresh food ingredients has become regarded as time wasting due to time restraints and the incurable state of over commitment in which we live. This has further modified the image of healthy eating in the minds of many harassed householders. Surely it is easier to buy something ready-made that says ‘healthy’ on the label rather than try to figure out it with recipe ingredients, risking weight gain or malnutrition!
Plus back in the real world, who has time for a big cook-in every night and sitting down solely to eat? The multitasking mindset we all have makes us feel we are wasting time, if we are ‘just’ eating. We need to pick at our meals so that we can answer emails, watch the television or chat on the phone – and that’s on a good day!
So what place does ‘joy’ have in the healthy eating equation? Well, just about everything.
Health is a result of a number practices that support your life. You could have a fab diet but if you are stressed all of the time, you will soon feel miserable. You might exercise like a demon AND make really great food choices but unless you have moments of calm and real peace of mind you will be constantly tired and snappy.
Healthy eating plays a huge part in the avoidance of illness. However the real bonus comes from really getting enjoyment from your food. With each mouthful, you can feel relaxed as you taste every nuance of the flavours. The texture is different with each food and can feel gratifying in your mouth. The whole experience needs to be sensorial to be really satisfying. Satisfaction equals pleasure; pleasure equals joy!
When we eat like this, it likes getting a mini holiday; a break from the pressures of the day or the job. You don’t need to sit down to a three course meal. You can get the same experience from a well put together sandwich containing fresh, colourful and natural ingredients.
It’s all about making friends with food, real food. You don’t need a PhD in dietetics to support your health and wellbeing through your meal choices. Start with a few recipe books with meal plans featuring fresh food which is used in unpretentious meals. Don’t overcomplicate the process; the tastiest combinations are usually the simplest. What could be better than fresh tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil with a little basil (herb) crumpled over the top served with some warm bread?
Once you learn food is your friend you will add another dimension of richness to your being for it is a true joy in life.
About the Author
My aim is to simplify the healthy eating message; to make it accessible and doable for all who want to understand how to use real food for healthy eating, every meal, every day. I believe this is such an important topic it needs to be understood by everyone. My passion is to ensure it is.
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