04/04/2024
I go through phases with food. We all do. I go from being in a deep hole of a food rut to feeling inspired and creating the most elaborate and complex meals. Sometimes I make my own almond milk, sometimes I buy it. Sometimes I hate it altogether and drink my fave local raw cow’s milk. Some week’s meals are loaded with plants and other days I only want to eat bread with butter. Sometimes I am starving and others I don’t even want to see food. These fluctuations are influenced by sleep patterns, cycle changes, my relationships, my schedule, my location, the season, podcasts, instagram, sickness, health, the moon, mercury ;-), the time of day, pretty much anything and it’s not predictable. We all experience this. It’s life! The trouble comes when we resist these fluctuations. When we scold ourselves for being “bad” or “not as good as I was last week”. When we eat the food with guilt instead of joy.
We can apply these fluctuations to pretty much every habit in life. And while, I do think healthy habits are important and I think that nourishing foods (not healthy, but nourishing!) and movement and sleep, and all the things required every day, I do not think it needs to be “perfect”. Whatever the F that is, anyway.
It’s taken me a long time to really tune in and listen to my gut, no pun intended. And it’s a challenge to create healthy habits and find balance. Exercising is a great example. Many people live under the assumption that if you’re not panting and sweating ;-), then it wasn’t a workout. FALSE. In fact, it’s not healthy or sustainable to workout to that degree every single day (especially if you’re not training to be an olympic athlete). What is healthy is to get up and move every single day in the way that your body needs. Walking is probably one of the single greatest exercises for any body, and assuming your legs are in working order, that can pretty much work any day of the week. Yes, making time is another piece of this, but that is for another day. The hard part is really listening to your gut and knowing what you need in each moment.
Anyway, back to food. There is no such thing as eating “perfectly” and we do not need to eat the same thing in the same way at the same time every single day. For me, it always comes back to my guy, Michael Pollan’s rule: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.
How many times have you created the time to meal prep for a week and then didn’t do the same the following week? Wanted the hamburger instead of the salad, waffles for dinner or eaten something you hated because you thought it was “good for you”? Following it up with a side of shame and self hatred. Set intentions and not followed through? It happens to all of us, but in truth I think it’s the emotional piece of this that hurts us the most.
It’s about balance. I love the 80/20 rule. Do the best you can 80% of the time and then give yourself a little grace during the other 20. And remember “doing the best you can” isn’t perfect! Doing the best you can is making choices with grace and joy and loving yourself in your best moments, and in your worst. It’s about accepting that there is no such thing as perfection. It’s about choosing to eat what makes you feel good in the long term most of the time, and sometimes it’s about the short term joy. And remember comparison is the thief of joy! You do you. You know when you are doing what is right for you versus doing what you think you “should” be doing. Stop shoulding all over yourself, and go dig into whatever brings you joy!
xoxo - Jess