For me, the word, "diet" translates to deprivation, monotony, flavorless and failure. Going on a diet automatically triggers a pseudo starvation panic during which I can't stop thinking about food, when I can eat next and what I'm going to eat when that time comes. I get on Pinterest and stare longingly at brownie recipes. Inevitably, I end up jumping - no, diving into a bag of M&Ms.
I have a very warm and loving relationship with food.
I like to cook. I like the aroma and presentation of food. I like to share it with friends around a big table. I have my favorites but I'm willing to experiment. I like food that changes with the seasons like butternut squash in the fall and berries in the spring. I like the food traditions that come with holidays and special occasions. And I love to eat.
So I'm breaking up with diets but I'm not breaking up with food.
I've tried to come up with a new term for diet. Nutritional regimen sounds too much like military boot camp with someone screaming at me to eat my kale. Clean eating sounds antiseptic.
My new name for diet is my EATS plan.
- Eat and cook real food with ingredients you can pronounce and recognize.
- Accept that you can't eat everything you want all the time. But you can have a little of it once and awhile.
- Take the time to plan, prepare and eat a meal. Take the time to exercise every day. Try for balance, not perfection.
- Savor every bite.
That's a plan I can embrace.
But I still don't think it will motivate me to eat kale. Ditto for chia seeds.
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