Did you eat a “good” or “bad” breakfast today? How about lunch?
Trick question. I think labeling meals and food as good or bad is a bunchaaaa beeswax.
When I work with clients I help them realize how absolutely unhelpful and crazy it is to categorize food as good or bad. After all, by the time it breaks down and hits our bloodstream, our body can’t tell if that carb was an apple or an apple flavored jolly rancher.
I know what you’re thinking. This dietitian is whack. She thinks apples and jolly ranchers have the same nutritional value. Let me X out of this site faster than Usain Bolt. Hold up.
Yes, as a dietitian, I want all ya’ll eating your veggies. But as a dietitian, I have also seen from TEN YEARS of working with athletes what labeling food has done to your BRAINS. Your brains are tired. Tired of diet rules, tired of restriction, tired of pretend nutrition experts trying to brainwash you.
So our human brain acts like a regular ole’ human brain, and it rebels. It rebels by making you obsess over those “bad” foods so you can’t stop thinking of them and feel CRAZY. It rebels by making you overdo it at brunch and feel tremendously guilty. And then that guilt makes you say “WELL EFF THIS” and eat a bunch more “bad stuff.” That is…until Monday, when you resume eating “good” foods.
Ahem. Am I telling your story? It's because you, my friend, have a human brain. Just like all of my clients. Welcome to the clerb.
I don’t know about you, but I want to leave the drama to the high schoolers. Let’s live life drama free. Enter FOOD FREEDOM. When you learn how to listen to your body and trust your body, when you stop labeling food as GOOD or BAD, stop counting and tracking everything… your brain, it, well, relaxes. Your body flourishes. You become a sane person who can eat a “normal” amount of french fries without thinking twice about it. Dessert becomes just a part of life. The obsession stops.
And it feels freakin’ fantastic. If you’re in the mood for some FOOD FREEDOM fun, then I’d love for you to join my totally free Facebook community so we can bondddd over our mutual love of food and running, as well as follow me on Instagram where I'm always spilling some awesome FOOD FREEDOM for athlete deets!