Let’s Eat for Enjoyment

A few years ago I wrote about The Perfect Diet. I was still in grad school, not yet an RD and my personal nutrition philosophy was still in the womb. But I have to say, to this day, I agree with pretty much all of what I wrote.

I’ve been wanting to chat about the perfect diet again for a while but kept putting it off because something else would come up. Like this Baked French Toast. Or Fudgy Avocado Brownies. Typical.

But after reading this post from Alexis, I knew it was something I needed to talk about again.

So on this 11th week of my 52 Weeks series I want you to eat for enjoyment…

Alexis wrote about how healthy food bloggers may be a part of a problem that seems to becoming more prevalent — the obsession with healthy eating. With “clean” eating. Orthorexia.

Since I know I am part of the camp that encourages you to drink your greens at breakfast and eat as many colors in a day as possible and watch your portion sizes and spend time on Sundays prepping your food, I feel responsible to step up and speak up.

I want to set something straight… I want you to eat the rainbow because I think it will make you feel better. Because eating mostly plants, lean proteins and some fats provides your body with the energy it needs to work optimally. America has a huge obesity problem and everyone could benefit from eating more veggies.

But not to the point of obsessing about eating more veggies.

There are days that go by where the LAST thing I want is a salad for lunch or with dinner. So I don’t eat it. Months that go by when the thought of a green smoothie… or ANY smoothie… is repulsive. So I don’t make one.

But then there are months where I LOVE my green smoothies for breakfast, carrot sticks and hummus for a snack and a salad for lunch. Like genuinely love the taste and crave the taste of more veggies. But that’s ME. 

I want you to eat for YOU. Not because I ate a smoothie for breakfast.

I share my healthy eats because in this incredibly busy world I think we can all benefit from a few more ideas. Because it excites me. Because before I became a dietitian I was a foodie who loved to cook and experiment in the kitchen and try to make versions of my favorite foods a litttttttle bit healthier.

Not because I think we should only be eating healthy foods. Because I believe in moderated moderation. I want you to learn to listen to your body and eat what you crave.

But I want you to feel your best too and that often goes hand in hand with eating the right balance of healthy food with the indulgences that you should eat. Because you CAN have your cake and feel good too!

So what I’m trying to say is no, I don’t strive to have a perfect diet. I don’t strive for my clients to have perfect diets. I strive to have you eat foods that make you feel good while enjoying every morsel of food you eat.

If you want help learning to listen to your body to feel your best, reach out (citnutritionally@gmail.com).
XO