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A simple, basic step towards loving yourself
Some things you just can’t control in life, like the illness of a loved one, a toxic family member, a boss that is overbearing, or the kids being sent home for virtual schooling. But, there is one thing you can take control over, that will make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself. The most simple, basic step towards loving yourself more, is choosing healthy foods to eat. Choose foods that nourish your body. It’s not always easy, with so many temptations around, but it can be simple.
We all know that we need to be eating foods with nutrients that our body can absorb. You may not know exactly what foods to eat, but you know it involves fruits and vegetables. There are so many diets out there to try, keto, intermittent fasting, paleo, the carnivore diet, etc., but those diets can complicate things and make you feel deprived.
Try these simple tips to make things less complicated when choosing healthy foods
This is how I’m focusing on adding more nutrients into my diet, while reducing some of the overly processed foods that can be found at restaurants and on grocery store shelves. I lost 22 pounds using these methods a few years ago. I kept them off until a traumatic event happened in my life. Now, I’m ready to feel healthier again.
- Add vegetables and fruit to your diet. Instead of counting calories and worrying about how much you’re eating, try to add 2-3 servings of vegetables and fruit to every meal. Aim for 5-7 servings in a day. Some studies show 7-9 is optimal, but you can start a little slower. When you’re having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, throw in a couple handfuls of berries. For lunch, make a big salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, and whatever other vegetables you like. Dinner can be lean meat with a few sides of roasted vegetables. By the time you add in all the vegetables, you will not feel deprived of food at all!
- Reduce bagged or boxed foods. These foods are highly processed with minimal nutritional value (with a few exceptions). They contain artificial, genetically modified, or highly refined ingredients. These foods are not helping you practice self-love.
- Try a form of intermittent fasting. You don’t have to starve yourself, but if you cut your eating window down to 8-9 hours, you will have less time for snacking. Your organs will have plenty of time for rest between eating windows. This cuts down on snacking between your eating periods. You’ll find that you don’t need snacks between meals as often, either, because your meals are closer together. I caution you to speak with your doctor before cutting your eating window down more than that, especially if you have an autoimmune disease.
- Practice intuitive eating. A fellow coach and I were talking about how sometimes you have a craving for something, and you try not to eat that food by eating other foods. What often ends up happening is, you eat so many other things to avoid that food, that you would have been better off eating what you craved in the first place. The other day, I had a craving for Cheetos for some reason. I didn’t just grab the Cheetos at the grocery store. I waited a day or two. I still had the craving, so I bought a single serving bag and ate about half of those. It worked! I have no desire for Cheetos at all now. There are some foods that I can’t just give in to, because I’m not very responsible around them, like chocolate. If I try to eat less chocolate, it doesn’t work. I have to abstain from chocolate, at least for a short time. (Gretchen Rubin calls this type of person an abstainer. A moderator can have just a little and put it away, like me with the Cheetos. I am both, depending on the food.)
- Stop counting calories and tracking food. The more you focus on your food, the more miserable you will feel, and the more weight you will gain. It’s okay to track your food for a week or two, just to figure out where you are overindulging, but after that, it is just not helpful. Sure, I know there are people that are successful with tracking programs, but I’m not convinced that strategy is sustainable over long periods, and let’s be honest, are they truly happy with that lifestyle? If tracking calories helps you reach a long desired weight goal, or improve your health, then do it. But, once you’ve reached your goal, work on making yourself happy by working towards your purpose and future dreams.
My food tracking story
I did an elimination diet with my 12-year-old daughter, because she was struggling with eczema and asthma. I had my own allergy issues and wanted to be supportive. We followed a plan from a book. We did figure out a few foods we were having sensitivities to, but I continued after I let my daughter stop. (She stopped after about 4 days.) The way you found food sensitivities with this plan, was by restricting your diet and then adding foods back in. You take your temperature with a basal thermometer and weigh yourself every morning. I stopped taking my temperature, but I continued to weigh myself and track what I ate for several months. What happened was that I kept gaining weight, a little at a time, even though I wasn’t changing my diet. I realized it was because I was focusing too much on food. My thoughts were consumed with what I was eating and how much I weighed. As soon as I stopped focusing on food and moved on to other things in my life that brought me joy, the weight started to come off. Thoughts play such a huge part in our health.
How choosing healthy foods is a simple step in self-love
There are so many levels to go through on our path to self-love. Many of them involve re-visiting deep, dark, traumas. Some involve digging up repressed emotions. Those things are much more difficult than simply choosing what foods to put in your mouth. It is widely acceptable in social circles to say that you are trying to make healthier food choices. It’s a little more intense for people to support you while you’re crying over your parent’s divorce that happened at age 10, or your journey to confidence after narcissistic abuse. But, as you begin to take these smaller steps towards taking care of your own needs, you will have more confidence to tackle some of those challenging psychological and emotional blocks.
If taking time for yourself or putting your needs first is difficult for you, check out my program, You Can Only Change Yourself. It is a 4 week, self-study program with group support along the way. Or, if you are wanting more one on one attention, check out my private coaching here.
