How I Changed My “Food Culture”

I was never really satisfied with my body. 
I lived with it. 
I tolerated it. 
And I thought about it, a lot.

Predominantly, what I used to think, at 5’3″ and 140 pounds was:

“My body just IS this way.”

I also thought, “Hmmm, my body looks like everyone else’s in my family.”

But did it occur to me that was maybe because they taught me how to eat?! 
Nope.
Why? Well, I really liked eating whatever I wanted, that’s why.

But I knew that I wanted to live in a healthier body, and it became clear to me that the food “culture” I was used to wasn’t going to get me there. I remembered back to a dream of healthy living I had had when I was much younger and couldn’t believe the contrast between that vision and my current reality.

I saw myself as a salad-eating yogini, but in actuality I was a sugar addict, carb-over-eater who sat all day and most nights at a desk in an office with no windows. I needed an overhaul.

I had to learn a new lifestyle and re-arrange my thinking.

I had to try out whole new theories about eating. Up until then, I thought every meal had to include starches and end in dessert.

I thought muffins were a healthy breakfast and I thought eggplant parmesan was “virtuous” because it contained a vegetable.

I thought a certain brand of ice cream was healthy because it had tie-dye on the packaging (never mind that I am allergic to dairy!)

I needed to change my “culture” around food. 
And my new culture was more about life than food:

• Life without processed carbs.
• Life tasting my food and caring about the flavor more than feeling full.
• Life appreciating fruits and vegetables in their natural forms and feeling closer to the earth this way
• Life appreciating the company, as much if not more, than the food.

Conscious living was a philosophy that hadn’t occurred to me food-wise. It was a spiritual (and of course physical) awakening for me. I got so many benefits from the new philosophy: dropping weight (22 pounds), looking better, feeling better, increased desire for sex, increased ability and desire to exercise, increased confidence which helped me in my career, increased pride at choosing my thoughts, and on and on.

I didn’t just change my thoughts about food, I changed my actions related to health.

I experimented with healthy marinades. I “tasted” my food and discovered and attended the best exercise classes ever. I now happily and easily maintain my weight below 118 pounds and I love my food (still!)

I know from my own experience having gone from a size twelve person to a size four person, how good it feels to deal with body issues once and for all. What are your beliefs about your body and food? Do you have a food “culture” you need to change? I would love to hear from you!

To your health and vitality,

Laurie