Have you ever sat down to eat a meal and instantly thought, “I should not be eating this!"?  Or, did you ever think that “My day was awesome! I owned it, I am going to enjoy this cheeseburger, fries and beer!”?  Nutrition is often a love/hate relationship because some foods that you truly enjoy may not be what you ‘should’ be eating.  Yet, who is to say that you should or should not eat a cheeseburger and fries or enjoy a venti peppermint mocha with extra whip and sprinkles? Granted having those high fat, high sugar, highly processed foods daily can lead to some future health concerns, but they may be consumed in moderation. 

I know for myself that when I have a craving, I will give myself a day to see if other foods I eat can provide that fix. If I am not satisfied and the craving still lingers, I will eat whatever it is I am craving. Usually, it is not a specific food it is more of a taste craving; salty, sweet, sour, or bitter.  It could be pizza (maybe a whole one), candy, sugary coffee drinks, chips, or a dessert.  At times, I find that after eating the ‘not so healthy’ food and going back to my usual meals I see results and feel great.  There is nothing wrong with indulging these foods but knowing it should not become a staple in your daily diet is very important.  Many would be surprised to know that people in the health and fitness industry don’t always stay on point either.  After surveying some of the Western staff the following food items were listed as their go-to indulgent foods: ‘pizza, wings and beer, ‘doughnuts’, ‘cereal or Chik-fil-A’, ‘burger and wings’, ‘Culver's', Starbucks cheese danish, doughnuts and coffee, 'candy, tacos, cheese pizza, cake' and ‘protein balls’.

I would like to encourage you to read the article in the linked here, entitled Mind Over Food. Part of it talks about how your mood, brain and hormones can affect your digestion and the other part talks about the power of expectation.  The first portion is very eye-opening and it has me being more mindful about my mood when I am eating my meals.  It is amazing to think, the mood you have about the food you are eating will play a role in your digestion.  

With the holiday season upon us, I encourage everyone to give yourself compassion and grace to eat the cookies and pies (in moderation 🙂), have a second helping of cheesy potatoes or have a glass or two of your homemade baileys.  

Wishing you all a very merry holiday season to you!