Hi there, and happy Feel-Good Monday!
This is where we share our favorite tips, tricks, secrets, and ways to "think like a healthy person" so that you can find your own delicious path to healthy living.
"Feel-Good Mondays" are meant to help us get back into that place of feeling energized, nourished, and ready to take inspired action for the week ahead.
A client and I were having a conversation this week. She was feeling really guilty about the comfort and pleasure she got from eating a cheeseburger and fries (ok, and a milkshake, too!) and she said, "I can't wait for the day when I'll just be able to separate my emotions from food!"
Sound familiar?
If you're a human being, chances are, at some point, you took comfort from your food. When I was a kid, a cider donut at the local farmers market was the ultimate "comfort food". It meant sunny days of apple picking, time paling around with my mom, and long, leisurely, fun afternoons. In college, it became a bagel with lox and cream cheese. In my twenties, it was pizza, scones, and…more bagels.
I've noticed real shame and guilt in my clients who find comfort in their food. These days, we've been so conditioned to think that getting "comfort" from our food is WRONG. That food is meant to act as pure sustenance, nourishment, and to be completely separate from anything "emotional".
But I sort of think that's B.S.!
Getting comfort, pleasure, and — yes — feeling "emotional" about our food is absolutely normal. Food is a part of everyone's culture, it represents ritual and family, and it's there with us during times of celebration, tragedy, and everything in between.
So to expect no emotional connection to your food is to set yourself up for frustration, confusion, and guilt.
I'm not saying, "feel sad? I recommend chowing down on 2 pints of ice cream tonight!" — obviously, that probably wouldn't lead to the best results in the end. But what I have found for myself, and for our clients, is that finding healthier, more nourishing choices — that still hit those cravings — is the best way to go.
These days, as a self-proclaimed scone-lover, I bake a batch of high-protein, gluten-free scones EVERY weekend! I find them so comforting — hot, slathered in grass-fed butter, right out of the oven. This is still very much a "comfort food" for me, but without the same detrimental health impact that the usual baked goods carry.
Are there food-switches you can make in your life that would still feel "comforting", pleasurable, and enjoyable that could be an upgrade from your current choices? I recommend experimenting to find out! Seek out healthy cookbooks and cooking blogs. Check out your local health food store for alternative options.
Feeling comforted and getting pleasure from food is natural, normal, and nothing to be ashamed of.
Can we help you swap out some of your less-healthy options for renovated alternatives? Post your favorite comfort foods on our FB page and we'll see if we can renovate your recipes for you!
Love,
Andrea
P.S. – Are you ready to get the support you need to Feel Good Every Day? There's still time to Register for our 8-week online program before the doors close. We're waiting for you!
You can feel good every day. And we are here to support you.
And the Moss Wellness Team
