by Tanya
My whole life I have had a love/hate relationship with food.
I love to eat! I love trying new foods and experiencing different types of
cuisine. I love the way my body feels and functions when I eat well. Eating
delicious food is one of the greatest experiences I enjoy in life.
But for me, food is also an addiction. It is a battle in my
mind. At times I eat because my mind tells me I want something, not because my
body actually needs it. I often eat for comfort or entertainment.
That is where the hate part comes in. I hate that I obsess
about food. I hate how my body feels when I eat something I know I should not.
And I hate how defeated I feel when I give in to temptation.
I would be lying if I said I don’t still struggle with these
things. But I have found a way to keep an upper hand. For me, that upper hand
has been focusing on transforming my mind as well as my body. I had to create a
new mindset on balance.
Balance in how I live - making sure I have enough time for
activity and rest. Balance in the way I eat - making sure I am eating enough
from each food group every day and not eating more than my body needs. And
balance in my expectations for myself, realizing that some days I’ll be on top
of my game, and on other days I’ll struggle.
I also started tuning into my body. Every person’s body
functions differently and therefore will require unique food sources. Each
person’s genetics, lifestyle, activity level, goals, dietary restrictions and
preferences will all impact what food sources and proportions are right for
them. There really is no one-size-fits-all formula when it comes to diet and
exercise. Even our own bodies are constantly changing, so at times our diet and exercise
must be adjusted to suite our changing needs.
I’ve heard it said that food is for fuel. For me that really
made an impact. When I began to view food as fuel I started to be more aware of
what I was putting into my body. I began to experiment with food and pay
attention to how my body responded to it. If my body felt bloated or slow and
sluggish after eating a certain food, I’d think twice about eating it again. If
my body had long lasting energy after eating something, I’d stock up on it.
I’ve been testing foods out for so long now that I have a
pretty good understanding of how my body functions best at this point. Of
course there are still times when I try something new, give in to a craving, or
have an “off” day or two. But as long as I listen to my body and am quick to
get back on track, it tends to balance out.
Food is both a blessing and a curse. The Bible tells us that
God set Adam and Eve in a garden full of wonderful life sustaining food. Despite God’s warning about what food would be harmful, they chose to buy into Satan’s
false advertising and eat the food that would bring them death. Not much has
changed.
We still live in a world where food is life or death. It has
the power to be a blessing or a curse. Both too much or not enough of a good thing
can have devastating effects. The key is finding balance.
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