Let's talk about food

Now, I know that some of you aren’t like me: you might not own one book, let alone a small collection of books that are related to food or nutrition, or you might not even watch a food documentary or travel show as entertainment, but I guarantee you think about food in some respect at least two times per day.

It can be difficult to have a conversation about food. We need it to survive, but it can be such a politically, culturally, and emotionally charged subject. Some people don’t have enough of it, and some people have too much. Sometimes it is difficult to know what to eat, when to eat, how to eat, or why you should eat something. Food is supposed to nourish, not cause stress! However, in today’s age of oversharing and overwhelming amount of information, it can be difficult to know what is correct and what is fake. As a society, I feel that many of us have become dropped into an unknown territory of excess and over saturation. Academics and professionals alike vary greatly on the importance of new and trendy ingredients. One day an ingredient is the enemy, and then the next its good for your heart, or it can help prevent cancer. Corporations create concoctions of salt, fat, and sugar that keep us coming back for more. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutia of counting calories and watching carbs. Different diets claiming better health overwhelm us at every turn. Add on to that the many addictions and eating disorders that plague our society, when you take a step back and take it all in, it can be terrifying.

Not that long ago, I myself used to become so stressed out just thinking about what I should eat that it took all the enjoyment out of preparing and consuming food, so much so that I started to dread even going to some of my favorite restaurants. I had lost all appreciation for food, and it felt like I had nothing to keep me afloat. Eating began to feel like something I had to force myself to do, and soon enough I began to just skip meals entirely. It was at this point that I took the time to meet with a nutritionist and I shared my concerns with her. To this day, I remember what she told me during one of our early meetings.

Eat what makes you feel good.

If you eat something and you don’t like the way you feel afterwards, don’t eat it again. Consider this a lesson in discovering your tastes and move on. If you don’t like a certain food, don’t stress yourself to death trying to get yourself to like it. I guarantee that for almost every food out there, there is a substitute that you will prefer much more that will give you the same nutritional benefits. As long as you eat a variety foods in moderation, you don’t have to worry about getting essential nutrients that your body requires. Why bother making yourself sick or stressed to the point of giving up when you could be exposing yourself to new foods that you didn’t know you’d like?

Now I’m not saying that applying this practice to your eating habits will solve every problem, but I believe that it is the best place to start if you feel that you want to make a change. After all, how can you finish a race without ever taking the first step?