Ah the festive season. Filled with hope, love, family and food. Oh, the FOOD! Delectable dishes, get-togethers with friends and family with the temptations of food that ‘you just HAVE to try!’ By changing our food mindsets we can minimize the stress around this time.
Perhaps you’ve been eating healthy all year, or maybe you’ve recently made the decision to eat better foods that fuel your body. Maybe you’re on your third diet this year, but this time you WILL have more willpower. I feel you, I’ve been there. This time of year, or any social gatherings can be exceptionally stressful.
What if I told you that it’s not about willpower. We feel guilty and berate ourselves when it comes to our lack of willpower when it comes to food but physiologically there is so much more going on.
The effects of food restrictions
The effects of diets or food restrictions on our emotions are just too big to ignore, especially into the festive season (and any time really) when food temptations abound. The famous study, by Ancel Keys, documents the drastic physiological effects of food and calorie restrictions.
Keys conducted a study where a group of young healthy males without a history of weight problems were put on a strict diet designed to help them lose 25% of their body weight. The participants ate normally for three months and then went into a semi-starvation period which lasted for 6 months followed by a re-feeding program for three months. The average daily calorie intake during the starvation period was 1600 calories.
During the semi-starvation period food became an obsession for the young men. Food was the main topic of conversation, of reading and even daydreams were all about food. Men became more interested in learning to cook and food preparations. Even after the study was concluded they found that they could not stop eating even after they were full and they continued to be preoccupied with food and cravings.
The amount of calories in this study is especially noteworthy as women trying to lose weight are usually encouraged to stick between 1200-1600 calories a day. We tend to restrict ourselves in very unrealistic ways and studies are definitely showing that the more we restrict or forbid food the greater the desire is to consume that particular food.
The “what the hell effect” and how it affects us
When we diet and restrict food we are actually teaching our bodies not to listen to our internal hunger cues but rather our conscious mental cues.We don’t listen to our bodies when it tells us to eat, but more importantly – when it tells us to stop. This leads us to the “what the hell effect“.
We’ve all been there, you’ve maintained your strict restrictions all day or all week just to have one small ‘cheat’ and the next minute one piece of chocolate has turned into a whole slab. Or one ‘cheat’ meal leads to an entire day, week, or festive season of overeating because of all the negative emotions and guilt we feel due to our lack of willpower.
By restricting foods we tend to obsess about it, all we can think about is when we can have it again or how good it tastes or how come other people can have it and be fine but I can’t. It is inevitable that our so called willpower does not work when we put such restrictions on ourselves
Changing our food mindsets
I believe our relationship with food doesn’t have to be so negative, or restrictive. We need to take guilt out of the picture and we need to take away the power food has over us when we completely restrict it. We are human beings who need to eat to live and we are allowed to enjoy it but it is all about our perspectives. A food mindset shift needs to take place.
Rather than restricting our food, which immediately elicits a stress response, or restricting our calories, which sends our bodies into starvation mode – completely messing with our metabolism. Rather than doing that to ourselves let’s look at our eating as an adventure and think of all the things we could ADD rather than remove from our diets.
When we are focusing on adding all the good stuff the ‘bad’ stuff becomes less of an issue in our minds. What is the good stuff? Well simply all the foods that have been put on this earth to nourish and support our bodies functions. These foods are so nourishing that when you have more of these in your diet you have less cravings.
You might be thinking that how could eating wholesome, healthy foods be as nice as my favourite >insert delicious food here<? That’s all part of the adventure! Because what I have found is that some things are even nicer! Bonus, YOU also feel better after you’ve eaten it.
How to start on this new food journey
Firstly I recommend reading this article – 3 Steps towards reclaiming peace in your Body. Finding peace and love for your body is so important. Your body is amazing, it supports you everyday. We want to move away from the fear and guilt around food. We need to relearn how to listen to our bodies again. When we come from a place of peace we can make healthier choices for ourselves.
Next, do some research and find healthier alternatives. Healthy doesn’t have to mean disgusting and this is where the fun really starts. Find people to follow that can inspire you with their healthy recipes. Follow people who have already made major shifts in their food mindsets. Below are some of my favourites that I am exploring right now:
I just love her easy, quick, few ingredient recipes.
Jamie Oliver is all about health and adding all the goodness that the earth provides us into our foods. If you’re trying to get your whole family involved in eating healthy I can’t recommend this enough – my boys just love it.
I just love Mark Hyman’s work! The information on his website is so informative and I feel he is really helping to change the idea of diet culture and move to the idea of adding whole, real foods into our diets.
Finally, Holistic Foodie
Her recipes are so full of the yummy goodness that the earth provides. I doubt you could feel deprived in any way.
These are a few of my favourites but I am still inspired daily by others that I come across or emails that appear in my inbox with healthy recipes. Comment below and share your favourites!
Be gentle with yourself on this journey, missteps will happen but you can keep coming back to that peace in your body and looking for healthy options to add in.