Nutrition and Food Non-Negotiables
Soooo I posted a shorter blurb of this on my Instagram a few months ago, but I wanted to give you guys some (literal) food for thought this Wellness Wednesday!
I overheard an interesting conversation at a coffeeshop one day. A man was telling his friend how his trainer told him that coffee/caffeine is horrible for you and it was off limits. He then proceeded to tell his friend about how much he misses his morning coffee ritual and the taste of coffee.
The point I'm making here is not to discuss whether I'm Team Coffee or not (😏) but to point out how ridiculously unrealistic and ironically unhealthy this is.
When improving your nutrition game, I have seen time and again how people try to give up everything they love to eat and choke down a kale smoothie when they hate kale.
What do you think the chances are at that "diet" lasting long-term?
I always ask my nutrition coaching clients what their one absolute food or drink non-negotiable is. Typically it's something like cream in their coffee, wine, ice cream, or something like this.
And guess what? We always keep that in, while working towards moderating intake (If your non negotiable is a Big Mac, that's another conversation 😂).
Why do we do this?
So many fitness experts have preached things like "the body is like a car, food is only fuel," but that's simplifying it to delusion. Food & drink are integrally intertwined in our lives, and we need to learn how to work with it, rather than running away from it towards a form of strict and absolute perfection.
Are you really not going to be at a homemade meal your mom made with love because it doesn't fit into your macros that your trainer prescribed? Not going to drink that delicious Columbian pourover coffee w/organic half & half that brings you sheer joy because it'll cost you 60 extra calories? I'm preeeeeetty sure you can find another 60 calories you won't miss somewhere else in your daily diet.
Figure out what works for you, to satiate and nourish your body AND minds' needs. Remember, the end goal here is a lifetime of health-- not fluctuating up and down 10 pounds every month bc you can't stop restricting/binging on your "bad" foods.
Personally, a good cappuccino is one that I don't let myself go without for too long. I love carb-y breakfast food items like pancakes and waffles, but those are ones where I've created healthier recipes to that I actually prefer over classic recipes, so I'm good with trading the classic for my healthier version of those. But ice cream? Oh absolutely not. Give me full fat, full calorie ice cream please. I've tried too many "lighter" or alternative versions and I'd rather have no ice cream at all.
