Healthy Chicks

Tis the season of cocktail parties, holiday gatherings and all the comfort food! During this time, it’s quite common to feel like you’re “screwing up your diet” and “being bad” by indulging a little bit more than you’re used to.

Last week after Thanksgiving, I overheard a woman ordering her green juice. She was coming from the gym, and said “I was so bad this weekend. I need to start eating healthy again!”

Sound familiar? I hear you. But if you truly want to feel better after a weekend of indulging, punishing yourself is not the answer.

It’s time to ditch the labeling.

You know what I mean…

“I was so bad this weekend, so I need to eat good.”

“I ate super clean today and had a kale salad so I can cheat and eat a brownie for dessert.”

“I’m being such a fatty today!”

“I need to go on a diet.”  

“I’ll start fresh in the new year.” 

“That’s good/bad/healthy/unhealthy/clean/dirty/detox-friend/fatty.”

Sound familiar? This type of thinking does more harm then good, and in fact instills fear i.e. If I eat bad, I am bad. But here’s the thing: food is 100% neutral, so we must take all the crazy emotions out of it!

Instead of all the judgment, choose what makes you feel nourished, and just eat what you want. After all, healthy is not a one-size-fits-all, and it’s much more beneficial to go back to how you want to feel. Ask yourself, does X make me feel good? Is it nourishing my body?

Your body may be asking for a green smoothie, a piece of homemade pizza, takeout Pad Thai, a hearty salad, or your grandma’s famous chocolate chip cookies. Listen to it.

This week, I challenge you to make a list of the foods you label “bad” or “unhealthy” and then come up with different ways to describe them (i.e. pizza is bread coated with cheese and sauce or “yummy Italian food!”) Take it a step further and eat those foods, truly enjoying them!

Do you label food as good or bad? What are your bad foods, and how can you enjoy them vs. forbidding them?