You know what’s healthier than kale? A nourishing relationship with food.

It’s a fundamental question that I start every initial coaching session.

Because I can share all the standard recommendations for healthy eating, but if you’re constantly fighting off cravings, overwhelmed by busyness or feeling like food or your body are the enemy, making lasting changes will feel like like just another failed diet experiment.

Contrary to diet culture which has you chasing magic bullet solutions, investing in a nourishing relationship with food is the FIRST step if you want to improve your eating habits, lose weight sustainably, or address a food related health challenge.

Take a moment to reflect on your mindset around food. Are you dieting or nourishing yourself with foods that make you feel satiated, energized, and strong?

Maybe you’ve never given it a thought or maybe you know all too well – but we ALL have a relationship with food. And what I’ve discovered is that our relationship with food may be as deep and revealing as any we might ever have.

How we “do food” reveals a lot about our atttudes about pleasure, self acceptance, trust, forgiveness, emotional expression, sensuality, sexuality, self worth, success, failure, reward, punishment and so much more.

Learning to monitor the thoughts and beliefs that form our relationship with food is key to having the freedom and vitality you desire.

A disempowering, energy draining thought feels heavy, constricting and sets you up for self judgment.

Some examples:

“Eating food makes me fat”
“I deserve this dessert”
“If I eat what I want, I won’t be able to stop”
“Carbs are evil”
“Eating healthy is boring”

A metabolically enhancing thought creates openness, possibility and a joyful way of being.

Some examples:

“I trust the innate wisdom of my body”
“I choose to relax about eating and let go of punishing myself for eating “bad” foods”
“I honor my hunger”
“I lovingly do everything I can to assist my body in maintaining perfect health.

Bottom line, what we think and feel matters when it comes to our metabolic success.

Healthy habits that are driven by fear are not so healthy afterall.

The more awareness and understanding you have of what’s happening inside your body, inside your mind and the world around you, the better you can find meaningful strategies to achieve your health goals.

For a deeper dive into how we can bring more joy and intuition into how we view human nutrition listen to this week’s podcast episode: “Vibrational Nutrition – Embracing the Energetics of Food With Candice Covington”