Which foods are good and which are bad?
Trick question! Foods are not good or bad.
When we label a food “bad” and then we choose to eat that food, we see ourselves as bad for having eaten it. For many people, the next step is to beat ourselves up for making a bad choice.
Often if we label a food “good” then we feel that we should include it in our diet. If we choose not to eat the “good” food, we interpret that as being bad, and often beat ourselves up for that choice as well.
Let’s update our labels!
Foods can nourish us, fuel our body, give us vitality and life force energy. Foods can also deplete us, draining our energy by providing few (if any) nutrients, or by producing toxins that require extra energy to move them out of the body.
If we label foods nourishing or depleting, we remind ourselves how they make us feel so we can make an informed choice. I’m allowed to choose depleting foods if I want, knowing that I will likely feel depleted after eating them. If it is my intention to choose more nourishing foods, then the labels clearly point to the choice I will enjoy.
I don’t want to give up pizza!
What if our favorite foods deplete us? Do we have to give them up forever and ever? No! The dose makes the poison. Identifying a depleting food doesn’t mean you never get to eat it again. It may mean we want to give it up for a short time as an experiment to see what happens with any symptoms we have. It probably means we don’t want to eat that food as a regular part of our daily meals. Occasionally allowing ourself the pleasure of enjoying a favorite food that we know depletes us keeps us from feeling deprived, and doesn’t deplete as much as it would if we were choosing it daily.
Replacements or alternatives?
If one of our old foods is no longer serving us, finding new foods we love can be fun! Some foods that are common allergens (think wheat and dairy) now have replacements available in the grocery store. Gluten free breads and pizza crusts are quite common, and many companies produce dairy free cheeses, sour creams, yogurts, and ice cream. I’d like to point out that many of these replacements can contain ingredients just as likely to cause reactions as the originals they imitate, and can actually make us crave the “real thing” that feels forbidden, and enticing. Like all packaged foods, it pays to use caution and read labels thoroughly.
That having been said, I am a huge fan of plant-based dairy alternatives made at home. You can read about the cream in my coffee at this link. You can make a highly credible parmesan with Brazil nuts, and I love nice-cream made with frozen bananas and oat milk!
Let’s update our tastebuds!
Rather than trying to replace old foods, finding alternative choices can be a revelation, and actually rewires our tastebuds. Taste is an intelligence. When we eat junk food, we dumb down the taste buds. When we introduce nourishing foods that are naturally delicious, our taste buds will actually start to crave something new.
My favorite texture is creamy. My tastebuds used to turn to dairy for sweet, creamy goodness. Now I crave mangoes, fresh blueberries topped with coconut milk, avocados, and cashews. I’m not focussed on what I’m missing, because I enjoy what I’m eating even more!
Grow on!
What new foods would you like to explore?
Make a list and explore them!
Keep track of the ones you love and buy them again.
Which foods are you choosing that deplete your energy?
Are you willing to do a little experiment, and let that depleting food go for a week or two?
It’s important to remember that this is NOT forever, it’s simply an experiment to see what happens.
Need help getting ready to release a particular food that depletes you? I help my clients with this sort of thing all the time! Contact me HERE for a short chat to see if I’m the right coach to help with what you’re growing through!