Food, Family, and Fun!

There is a difference between QUALITY TIME and FOOD TIME with ourselves and loved ones.

We often collapse these two into one. Why is that? Why do we eat foods that we know are not healthy for us? Knowing that we still feel the impulse to do it. Then we feel guilty about it and a vicious cycle continues. It is so deeply ingrained in our psyche. It has become a tradition or memory that we feel emotionally connected to. 

What if it were true when we tap into the origin of 'comfort' foods, we could tap into how to change the patterns that don't serve us? What if this is the way out of old habits with unhealthy comfort foods and into a new and better definition of comfort, and food?

How did the whole thing with family traditions and food start? 

When was the first time you remember you felt connected with your family at the dinner table? 

A Vicious Cycle

I was 5. My mom was cooking cabbage.  I was watching Chip and Dale To The Rescue. Remember it? That memory is so strong that I still CONNECT the SMELL of pan-seared cabbage with LOVE. Guess what I cook for my children now? Cabbage is quite a healthy choice but trust me, I inherited more unhealthy than healthy choices from my childhood. Pasta and mashed potatoes were frequently on our table. My parents cooked what they knew. And I ate what I was served. There was not a big variety of options available. 

Fast forward to my married life. I just did what I knew. I ate what was cooked for me. After all, I told myself, it was cooked with love. I heard my mama's words "accept and be grateful".

Do you remember the feeling when someone baked or cooked something for you and you really didn't want to eat it but went ahead anyway because you didn't want to upset them?

A Moment of Change

Yes, me too. When I learned (through mindful eating) that not every food gives me healthy energy and a feeling of vitality, I started being "picky" about what I chose to eat and not eat. There was a moment (I was already a mom myself) when was so SICK AND TIRED 😫,  mentally, emotionally, and physically, of all the DESTRUCTIVE choices that I HAD TO CHANGE. 

I realized that was important to me were the moments we are TOGETHER. I started embracing those precious moments of being together, not with food, not with TV; instead, with each other's hearts, eyes, and ears.

I took the approach of consciously changing one habit at a time.

Through the journey of learning about myself and how our minds are designed, I learned I didn't have to accept others' judgment of me and my choices. I learned that I AM ENOUGH. "Enoughness" liberated me from saying Yes to everything including eating foods I knew I didn't need, and eventually, didn't even want. Have you had the experience of knowing what food you didn't need, taking the challenge of not consuming it for some period of time, and then realizing you didn't even want it anymore?

The  BREAKTHROUGH in RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

I mindfully experimented with one food at a time, learning what my body was responding to with energy, for example, and what foods it was not liking, leaving me sluggish, boated, and more. I was introduced to a Healthy Cleanse from both Shaklee and Health Coach Institute. Both cleanses were so alike that I married them both into a simple 7-Day Cleanse, where we focus on eating vegetables, fruit, healthy oils, drinking water, and listening to our bodies during the reintroduction phase. Here is a summary video. If you want to join our upcoming Cleanse, talk to me now. We will start really soon. 

Now… here is the main point: Food and Family!

I invite you to imagine FEELING LOVE. Now that I know I don't have to collapse food time with quality time. We can still be at the same table, consume different foods, and still feel love and have a good time. 

In addition, imagine the family of YOUR choice that supports your choices. What if you need a tribe of LIKE-MINDED people? What if you want and need support from your chosen tribe?
In fact, one of the ways we build a new habit is to surround ourselves with people who are already doing what we want to do. Our brain starts naturally accepting that this is who we are and we eventually become it. (Read the book "Atomic Habits")

The fun part of the food and family concept is when we do it together, as a group, it's FUN. The brain takes fun as SAFE. It feels safe, secure, supported, and LOVED. All levels are needed for releasing HAPPINESS HORMONES. The REWARD is received as POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT to do the action again and again. That's how we PRACTICE and build our healthy habits.
 

With time, depending on how committed you are, you will notice your new eating habits rather quickly become more natural.

Congratulations! They are now your new habits!

That, my friends, is how I slowly switched my entire diet, from potato and pasta as my parents offered (I love you, mama and papa ❤) to 80% veggies and fruits, with adequate amounts of protein, water, and wise supplementation. I feed my body the way I want so I can feel the way I want to feel.

 

To summarize:

1. Know what you want in your eating habits.
2. Know what relationship with food you have (childhood).
3. Find "nondestructive" options for your food and non-food choices.
4. Practice with your supportive tribe.
5. Enjoy noticing the change and being the new you!
   
   

If any of these resonate with you and you want really take on making better food choices, let's talk about options. 

What is it for you?

Our 7-Day Healthy Cleanse is coming soon, but there is still time. If you have your own wellness professional, ask her/him about participating! If you don't have a health professional to talk to, talk with me, and let's see if this challenge is the right fit for you.