Remember the scene from Pretty Woman where Richard Gere is saying how he paid his therapist tons of money so that he could finally say he was angry with his dad? That’s how I feel right now..but about that ‘diet’ industry and society in general.
I came across the following image on Pinterest through someone I know on Twitter, which was based on the original article at: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679717/you-eat-worse-than-you-think
My comment on that site is also pasted below and I think makes for a good blog entry today…
Being restrictive because of health reasons (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc) is one thing. Being restrictive with what you eat in general because you think it’s ‘healthier’ is NOT healthy. It’s what leads to eating disorders. The fact that foods are labeled as ‘healthy’ or ‘not healthy’ is a problem in and of itself. Yes, some foods have more nutritional value than others, but there is a place for all food in our lives. If we listen to our bodies and eat what tastes good to us without restricting or creating forbidden foods and stop when we are satisfied, we are healthier overall. Sure, when someone is following a ‘diet’ and ‘thinking about food’ they may guilt themselves, force themselves, bribe themselves, or whatever into eating more nutritious foods, but it will only last while they are on the diet. As soon as they go off the ‘diet’ they will binge and/or have other unhealthy issues with food or exercise. Where the people who are eating normally are likely making some unhealthy choices, it balances out over time and overall they are healthier in body AND MIND. Diet’s don’t work! If they did it wouldn’t be a multi-billion dollar industry!
Think of a baby. They know when they’re hungry. They cry. We feed them…when they have had enough they turn away, or throw the food away. They won’t eat no matter how much you try to force it down their throats. They haven’t been brainwashed by society into thinking they need to eat less to be thin, or eat more to make someone happy (or because there are starving children somewhere.). We get bombarded with messages about thinness, and dieting disguised as health. We have been led to believe that certain foods are ‘good’ and others are ‘bad’. We have built up food to be our enemy. And we have stopped listening to our bodies to tell us when we are hungry.
Can you imagine the relief of not obsessing about food 24 hours a day? To eat naturally, the way nature intended us to eat? To be able to go to a restaurant without wondering if you will be able to find something that meets your diet criteria (of course allergies and legitimate health reasons aside).
Can you trust your own body to tell you what it needs? Try paying more attention to what it’s telling you instead of what the media, friends, family, and heck.. even doctor’s sometimes, are saying. You know what’s best for you..not someone who is looking to profit off of your insecurity and vulnerability.
My Intuitive Eating Journey 