Sunday, August 23, 2009

Cheat vs. Treat vs. Overall Balance

In my earlier post today, I asked "What's your favorite 'cheat' food?" I put "cheat" in quotation marks because I don't think there is such a thing as cheating when it comes to eating. Maybe using the word "treat" would have been a better option. (But I guess I wanted to tie my question to the topic of the post: my toddler "cheating" on my homemade pizza...).

Some of my readers pointed out that they didn't like to think of certain foods as "cheat" foods. I totally agree. I think when we talk about "cheat" foods we often think of "good" and "bad" foods. And there really isn't such a thing. Once I stopped thinking of food as good or bad, my relationship with food became a lot healthier, and I became a lot healthier.

I think for a while I renamed "cheat" foods "treat" foods. And that was fine. It was a reminder that I could have a treat once in a while. Today I don't think of certain foods as "treats" anymore, but I focus more on overall balance. I think there is a lot of room in what we eat. And there is definitely room for "treats" much more often than we may think if we balance it all out. Also, I think it has a lot to do with portion size. I now eat much smaller portions of most foods, except for veggies, which I eat in large amounts. I eat what I feel like eating, but I honestly don't need huge amounts because I know that I can have more next time. I also try not to eat certain food groups together and have found that not "miscombining" too much makes a big difference for my digestive system.

I can't believe my simple morning post brought out all these thoughts... That's why I like this blog and my readers so much! I get to focus on living my best life, and I never really know where my journey is going to take me... I love hearing from you in the comments and by email! You guys make me think and reevaluate what I am doing all the time. Thank you! :o)

Okay, so I also got a question as to what my "treat" food was. The answer is simple: Cheese. Every kind of cheese imaginable... It's soooo good! And yes, it's okay to have a little when I feel like it... :o)

I hope you had a good weekend! Enjoy what's left of it!

Be well,
Andrea