Gena at
Choosing Raw most always has some sage advice to impart on the world. And as a woman who would rather spend her time in her kitchen or at home editing than out partying it up in New York, she is someone I tend to look up to as a bit of a role model. Gena posted a great
blog about National Eating Disorder Awareness Week where she asked us:
"If this post speaks to you at all, I encourage you to echo this statement. Say it on your blogs, to a friend, in writing, or out loud–I like to eat. I enjoy food. Say it in your head, if you want to. Say it in private, or in public. But if it’s true–and I hope very much that it is–say it. Say it with pride. Our hunger makes us human."
As someone
who loves to cook and bake and prepare foods, it is pretty safe to say that I spend a good portion of my time thinking about food. I do not always eat the most healthy of foods but I try to live by a few simple guidelines that work for me that allow me to almost always feel like it is safe to say I love to eat!
1. I do not deny myself. If I want something that is not the most healthy thing here is what I do:
Ask why do I want it. If it is a sugar, fat, carb sort of thing I usually give in. If it is a comfort sort of craving I might debate why I want it or simply come up with a more healthy alternative. Example; if I want something chocolaty, I might have some peanut butter and a handful of chocolate chips instead of baking brownies.
If I do want something sweet or fried or semi unhealthy, I make it myself as much from scratch as possible. There is nothing that weeds out whether or not a craving is really strong enough like having to dirty a sink full of dishes and waiting 30 minutes to an hour to indulge.
And finally I strive for balance. If I eat 3 cookies today I can feel less guilty knowing that I also ate a kale salad or some roasted carrots and broccoli. Not to mention that I did indeed feed my soul.
2. I eat when I feel hungry. This one is sometimes a struggle for me because even when I eat breakfast, a snack and lunch at work I still sometimes come home starving! So I eat. Also, sometimes this manifests in a different way. Such as when I am on a kitchen marathon journey of baking and find that 4 hours has past and it 10 o'clock at night and I haven't eaten dinner and I'm just not hungry. So I do not eat.
3. I do not fear foods or my body. I may not be in the best shape (though it is debatable if I am not in the best shape of my life) but I am healthy. I need to develop some more muscles and that is most definitely a fact, but in general I am healthy. I do not worry how the foods I eat are going to affect my weight because I know that I have gotten to a point where I have good balance.
No one is perfect but I am definitely perfectly content in saying that I love eating and I love food and not fearing those statements.
I hope you can join me in saying these simple phrases that contain so much power.
Thanks Gena!
