3 Essential Ingredients Needed to Have Your Cake and Eat it too

When you’re a dietitian, many assumptions are made about your eating habits. People think that all you’re going to eat every day are salads and vegetables. They’re often shocked to learn that there are times that I do eat cookies, cake, and other sweets. While some people call these foods “junk food”, I consider them fun foods. These are foods that are not necessarily nutrient-rich, however, they provide taste pleasure.

For chronic dieters, these fun foods are often considered off-limits. These sweet treats are rarely enjoyed without a feeling of guilt after consumption. This is due to the dieter’s mindset, that foods are “good” and “bad.” An important message I want to send is that labeling food as good and bad is harmful when you’re trying to create a healthy relationship with food. True, there are foods that are more nutrient-dense than others, and with time, you’ll be able to choose which foods feel right for you.

There is room for both nutrient-dense foods in your eating life as well as fun foods. You can have your cake and eat it too!

Here are 3 essential ingredients that are important to cultivate a peaceful relationship with food:

1. A Healthy Mindset

This is a task that is easier said than done. After years of dieting and food restriction, getting out of that mindset can feel nearly impossible. However, it is not! The first step is realizing that you want to make a change. Once you are ready, throw those dieter rules aside and open your mind to intuitive eating. Your body and mind will thank you for it.

2. Caring Support

Everything can seem overwhelming when you are alone. Having a support system is key to success in anything. You can turn to your friends or a trained professional. There are also great online communities full of people just like you who also are taking this journey. Check mine out right here.

3. Nutrition Education

Of course, nutrition education is something that everyone needs to know to properly nourish their body. Knowing basic nutrition facts can help you consume the nutrients that are essential to proper daily functioning while including foods that are fun. This step, however, must come later on in your journey when you have rejected the diet mentality. Otherwise, any nutrition education will be heard as more rules.

Think of these 3 ingredients as pieces to a puzzle. All 3 pieces need to be in place to have peace with food, your body, and the freedom to eat without guilt.

But again, the nutrition piece comes once the healthy mindset and support pieces are in place. Then we integrate nutrition, and you will find that you will be choosing nutrient-dense foods most of the time not because you think you “should” but because you feel awesome eating them. And you will incorporate fun foods as you see fit.

Have the doughnut, cupcake, ice-cream, or whatever your fun food is, or don’t. You are in the driver’s seat. Releasing the fear around these foods is key to making peace with them.

If you need support on your journey, schedule a call with me here.