Friday, October 9, 2015

Trick or Treat

It's the time of year wherein baskets and buckets of candy randomly appear. I overheard Casey ask someone today, out of curiosity, what they are eating. The response: "Candy. I have no self control."

This really got me thinking about our attitudes toward food. Food is an object. It is a tool to keep us strong, healthy and energized. Food is not imbued with the forces of good or evil.

I've been changing my attitudes toward food. I don't think about food in terms of what I can't eat (except in the case of my allergies). I'm not even thinking about what I should eat. Instead, I've been looking at food as what I choose to eat. If I thought of the candy bucket as a forbidden temptation to avoid, it would haunt me all day. Instead, I look at the candy as something I can choose to eat, or not.

I have a certain calorie goal for the day, and I try not to exceed it. I can choose to make candy part of the calories I consume for the day. But I have found that I choose not to. Not because candy is bad or forbidden, but because I'd rather have something else.

The roommates and I used to share meals. Our meal plan for the week was based on what we received in our farm share. We've stopped doing so and now I completely control what I eat. I've only been choosing recipes and food that I love. I've found that I am more satisfied and eating less.

Eating healthy is a choice, not a burden. I choose to eat well, and choosing not to have candy during the day means I choose a beer at night!

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