Many of you know that I struggled for many years to have a positive relationship with food and my body. I truly believe one of the biggest aspects of a healthy life is having a peaceful relationship with food, even more so than making healthy food choices. For so many years I had so much fear, anxiety and stress around meal time which created a lot of stress for my mind and my body. Here are some of the things that I found immensely helpful when I started healing my relationship with food.
- Avoid all distraction during meal time. Remove your phone, computers and TV. Enjoy each mouthful of food. This helps you to become more in tune with your appetite, reconnects you to your beautiful body and helps to reduce overeating – because you feel more satiated when you are connected to food.
- Stop with the ‘all or nothing’ approach. Please. I used to be the same. If you ate imperfectly, it is OK. Your body is so strong; it can handle it. Forgive yourself immediately and just know you will make a healthier choice at your next meal. You do not need to throw in the towel and give up in that moment. The healthy life does not mean you need to eat perfectly all the time. I also teach you how to indulge with moderation in the Program. Forgive yourself.
- I say these positive affirmations at each meal, “I trust my body digests and metabolises my food.” , “I am grateful for my good digestion.”, “Thank you for this nutritious food that is going to energise and nourish my body.”, “I choose to eat with balance, not perfection.”
- Be kind and be flexible. We are so hard on ourselves when it comes to eating well. Being kind to yourself and having kind thoughts immediately helps you to reconnect to food in a positive way. Sometimes we do not have access to the perfect meal, so just make the best choice available to you and instead of yelling at yourself, say something kind and caring, “I trust my body and I make wholesome choices when I can. I am doing the best I can in this moment.”
- Try and avoid judging yourself at each meal. This is not treating your body with kindness. Being aware of how you eat is important, but not to the point of negative judgment. If you’re hoping to eat better at the next meal, make a simple mental/physical note to yourself to do this. You will do better next time, my love. Just being aware is enough. When I catch myself being judgemental, I take a big deep breath in and exhale with this affirmation, “Let go, Jess”.
I hope you find these help you as much as they helped me. As always, please be guided by a healthcare professional when dealing with your personal food relationship.
xox Jess
