Build a Relationship that Matters?With your Food! (guest post ...

Hello fellow MizFit readers!

Thanks for letting me take over the MizFitturf today.

My name is Talia and I blog at Bite Size Wellness?the homeland to healthy living in a cinch. I wanted to chat about an ignored topic: your food relationship.

If you were going to post a status update stating what your relationship with food is, what would you say?

Going through a divorce? On great terms? Single and looking to mingle (in the vegetable aisle, of course!)?

Maybe you are thinking that I?m crazy and having a relationship with food is, um, weird.

Food isn?t even alive, how can we have a relationship with it? Well, most of us actually have a pretty serious relationship with our food?and it?s an intimate one at that.

If you think about it, the time spent with your food is much more than just cooking and eating.

We talk about it, think about it, turn to it in good times and bad, in social situations, we use it as gifts, write about it (amen to fellow foodie bloggers!), turn to it when we are bored, when we want a reward, for comfort, for health.

Plus, the billion-dollar food industry is sure to have food be at our top of mind just in case you weren?t already wrapped up in it enough!? The list goes on and on.

This intimate and timeless relationship with the plethora of eats out there has caused us to forget that at the root of it all, food is fuel.

Short story for such a relationship saga, don?t you think?

Food shouldn?t fill a hole of sadness or be your go-to in times of celebration.

The goal of food is to stimulate and energize you. While we may not have the time or the resources to always eat a homemade, fresh and balanced meal, there are still ways to reconnect with the once-and-forever love of your life so you can proudly post that food is not thy enemy.

Here are 7 ways to correct your tangled mess of a foodie relationship and get on to living an uncomplicated life with your eats:

• Listen to your Body: Really get in touch with your feelings of hunger and fullness. This is always a work in progress for me because I have become a creature of habit. Noon means lunch whether my belly is grumbling or not. While the taste bud delights often interfere with these feelings, make note of when you feel truly satisfied and when food zaps the energy right out of you.
• Learn more about Food: A healthy relationship with food stems from more than calories and fat. When I first started on my weight loss/healthy living venture I only cared about Points (aka WW ruled my world). However, over time I discovered that other nutrients really impact the way I feel beyond counting calories. Make friends with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals that will help you assess what your body needs.
• Bring out the Journal: In order to make new habits, you have to focus on becoming aware of your current relationship status. Writing things down is the best way to acknowledge the times when food fuels you or fails you.
• Slow it Down: I know that many of us have a sprint mentality, but leave that for the actual racetrack. Eating is one of those times when slowing down will help you stay happily full and not stuffed to the brim?a relationship saver that offers waistline relief. Score! Leaving some cookies on the plate because you recognize your full meter is a major accomplishment and proves that you and food are making stride together.
• Plan Ahead: If you have a meeting with food on a whim, you may be a little more loosey-goosy with your mingling. Planning ahead helps you balance your intake and avoid poor choices (better known as the planned break-up with food the next day). Don?t let the chaos of everyday life ruin your food relationship. A few minutes of thinking can help youstay on track even when life gets crazy.
• Stop Obsessing: There was a time during my Weight Watchers? life when I thought food and I were homies. Turns out, I got a little too involved in my food relationship that I became a flat out control freak. I remember when I had a minor heart attack because my mom put a dollop of olive oil in a pot of boiling pasta so the noodles wouldn?t stick together and I thought the world was over because I had to count that as Points for the day. Who wants to live like that? Although your relationship with food is ongoing and constant, you need to have a general understanding that food will be a part of your life but not rule your life.
• Stay Positive: I know that unlike other addictions or ?bad habits? where you can give them up cold turkey, food will always be a part of your day-to-day because you have to eat to live. Like any relationships that you just can?t shake, you will encounter a few bumps from time to time, but changing your mindset will morph your food relationship from one of constant turmoil to one of bliss. Remeber healthy eating is a journey not a one-and-done transport. Be patient and don?t give up! You and food will be on the same team in no time.

You don?t need to become a farmer that has conversations with apples and only eats organic to have a healthy food relationship.

Just thinking about food as nature?s fuel will get you on track to nourishing your mind and body in a new way that will have you screaming joyous phrases about micronutrients instead of running for the hills with a backpack of carrots.

Let?s remind ourselves of the simplest thing: food you are my fuel?.the rest of the ?junk? is just unwholesome chatter.

Question of the day: What?s your current relationship status with food?

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Hope you?ll stop by Bite Size Wellness to chat in bite size portions with me all day long! Or please say hi on Facebook or Twitter.
Talia Tugman lives in New York City with her nearly new husband. In an effort to be in touch with living a healthy lifestyle in a new city, Talia is sharing enlightened wellness living information with others served in bite size portions at Bite Size Wellness.

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