Eating with Joy in the New Year- Tip #1: Are you Eating Enough?

Welcome to January, official "National Dieting Month", or the time of year where there is a collective societal atonement for the dietary "sins" of the holiday season in the form of diets, lifestyle changes, cleanses, detoxes, etc. The only thing that's toxic is the idea that we need to deprive ourselves in order to lose weight and become healthier and happier in the new year. Dieting, in any form, leaves us feeling tired, constantly hungry, moody, and "not ourselves." Deprivation is about scarcity and denial which is not at all compatible with the pursuit of health or happiness. Improved health and greater happiness can't thrive in an environment of scarcity and denial. 

Deprivation mindsets (thankfully) aren't sustainable for long because they rob us of our time, energy, and money (green juices are expensive!). Even worse, we feel deflated, unhappy, or guilty when the program, diet, or cleanse doesn't deliver on its promises and we gain the weight back. This is not a great situation. 

So, what can we do instead? What if we adopted an abundance mindset instead of a deprivation mindset? What if we added instead of subtracted? What if I told you that you don't have to diet, detox, cleanse, or atone for dietary "sins" in 2020? What if you could choose abundance and nourish yourself with foods you truly enjoy instead of dieting? How would you feel? Relieved? Skeptical? Curious? 

Here is my first tip for eating with joy in the new year:

Make sure you're eating enough food throughout the day so that you feel satisfied and energized to do what you need to do. Sometimes it's helpful to think of your body as a car and food as the fuel. If your car was constantly running on gas fumes (or on empty) you wouldn't get very far or would stall and need to refuel. Your body is the same way. We need consistent fuel to keep our "tanks" full and our bodies running properly. Do you need to add meals or snacks throughout the day? Are you bringing enough food with you to work or school so that you're not coming home ravenous? If you're skipping meals, constantly thinking about food, or arriving home starving every night, it's worth asking yourself- "Am I eating enough?" If you're not eating enough, what's keeping you from nourishing yourself fully? What are one or two first steps you could take to make sure you’re eating enough?

More to come on eating with joy in the new year…….

Photo by Tai’s Captures (@taiscaptures) via Unsplash