Putting food in its place.

I wasn't planning on blogging today, and definitely not about this. However, I feel compelled to sit down right now and talk to you (whoever you are), about putting food in it's place!


So we live in a society that looks for instant gratification in just about everything in life. I'm not about to get into anything today though, other than food. We look to food when we are tired, when we are happy, when we are sad, when its been a great day, when its been a horrible day, when we are stressed, as a reason to socialize, as a reason to procrastinate, and so on and so forth. We are ALL emotional eaters in my opinion, some to a higher degree than others. If you think about it, any time you eat when you are not truly physically hungry, your an emotional eater. Some may beg to differ, usually those who are in denial that they too, are emotional eaters.

Our world looks at food as a source of happiness though. And don't get me wrong, good food DOES make me happy. But what happens is it becomes our sole focus. We get so fixated on food, food, food. And I can see how- it is something we need all throughout the day. However, we lose focus on what our body actually needs food for. How often do you think, "what does my body ACTUALLY need right now? are my bones crying out for more calcium and vitamin D? Are my kidneys screaming for more water? Are my blood cells searching for more iron? Are my eyes looking for a little extra vitamin A?"...most people don't. Most people think- its time to eat, what sounds good....what will taste good to me...what will bring me happiness RIGHT NOW, and we lose sight on the good ol' fashion thought of food as fuel for our bodies. We don't often think, "Hum, what will give me energy and not make me feel heavy, bloated and tired later". Instead we think in terms of that instant gratification. That happiness that that bowl of ice cream brings, or that bite of cupcake, or that bowl of pasta.

I am  a firm believer in living each day to its fullest, and when I saw this image, it saddened my heart. "Add life to your days, not days to your life" with pictures of frosted cupcakes lingering at the bottom. I have literally had morbid obese patients tell me that they were going to eat the foods they wanted no matter what. If it meant that they would die tomorrow, they were still going to eat that food, and nobody can stop them. They tell me that food brings them their happiness and that happiness was worth more than life itself.

Are you starting to see my problem with this??? Our society is kind of stuck in this mindset of "I deserve to feel happy and this is what makes me happy". Therefore, they eat whatever they want. What we lack at this point is BALANCE. I do not expect everyone to have perfect diets ALL of the time. In fact, no one does. And if they tell you they do, they are lying. Lord knows that I have my fair share of cravings and giving in to my cravings and emotional eating. But we try to keep a balance in our household. Have you ever heard of the 80/20 rule? Essentially- we eat clean, healthy, nourishing food, 80% of the time. Sometimes more. Sometimes less.

But the point is we are not aiming to be perfect. We are aiming to be BALANCED. And not just with our food! Our happiness should also come from social interactions, our relationships, family, friends, the great outdoors, etc, etc.  We need to balance our exercise, our self- care, our relationships, and our time to just name a few. We should seek something deeper to manage our emotions other than reaching for something in the fridge. We need to shift our focus and learn to put food in its place- which is to nourish our bodies!

I LOVE food, and I do not want to give anyone the wrong idea, however, food has its place in our household. We eat the same things pretty much every day. A perfect balance of vegetables, fruits, proteins, complex carbs and fats. But we still have our date night once a week. That one night where anything goes pretty much! We keep it mindful and we enjoy our food but it is the one night a week that we are eating for pleasure and entertainment. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy the foods we eat during the week days too, but those meals and snacks are planned with the intention of nourishing our bodies. And guess what- we are all happy, healthy, and fed! We now realize that yes, food brings pleasure, but that pleasure, if over used, is fleeting, and inevitably leads to feelings of remorse and decreased feeling of self worth. Rather, we choose to exercise routinely, live by the 80/20 rule, and focus our attention on the other areas and aspects of our life that need attention. My happiness no longer comes from food. It comes from that feeling of accoplishment when I fit into my pre-baby pants or when I can do 5 more push-ups than I did the last time. My happiness comes from spending time with my family, and from helping others meet their goals too.

We are so blessed to be living in a land of plenty but that blessing is being overused and abused by so many and balance is completely lost. We have spiraled into this new addiction and bad habits/ routines revolving around food for comfort and pleasure and keep justifying it in our heads that its ok because happiness is worth more to me than life and this makes me happy, not admitting that inside, we are not happy at all, and I firmly believe that even the most strong willed individuals who are adamant that they will not ever change the way they eat, are either in complete denial of what their life has become or secretly screaming out inside for help but too overwhelmed to even know where to start.


If you are one who needs help putting food in its place, changing your eating habits, learning how to put together a healthy diet and put it into practice daily, then I want to personally invite you to join me in a 30 day diet overhaul challenge. This challenge is for anyone who wants help with their diet. Whether you don't know where to start or are just looking to change up a few bad habits. This group is being led by 4 registered dietitians who will help you DAILY. We will GIVE you a nutrition plan and TEACH you how to put food in its place and begin eating to nourish your body and reach your goals.




If you would like to be considered for one of the five open spots in this group, or maybe just have some questions about it, fill out the application below and I will get back to you within 24 hours.

Fill out my online form.

There are tons of Wufoo features to help make your forms awesome.