What exactly is healthy eating? Whole-foods? Organic? Low-carb diet? Is it gluten-free? Is it sugar-free? Vegetarian? Vegan? Keto? Paleo? Isn’t it confusing?
Meanwhile, the story I’d like to tell you happened about six years ago. I was living in South France at the time, where the sun shines almost all year and the Mediterranean Sea is only an hour away.
I ate bread, cheese, pasta, French quiche, and pastry on most days. I even made my own mayonnaise from eggs and olive oil (yum yum). However, one day I read an article about how dairy is bad (I was a pescatarian at the time), and how you should combine foods you eat, and that you should not eat fruit after a meal because it will rot inside you and make you sick. Furthermore, the only healthy way to start your day is with warm water with lemon and a green smoothie (spoiler alert: all of this information/advice is complete nonsense!!)
In less than a day, I started hating my boyfriend at the time, as well as everyone else who ate not only meat, but also dairy and gluten, and who also ate fruit after a meal! “How could they’ve done this?! This is extremely unhealthy!” – I judged.
When I stopped eating dairy, I truly believed I was superior and had discovered ‘the answer’ that no one else had
To summarise, living in South France was wonderful (sunny weather and delicious food), but it also left me feeling extremely lonely and sad. I was in a toxic relationship, feeling trapped and unable to see a way out. In other words,
because I couldn’t control the situation, I unconsciously began controlling what I ate
As you can see, the control was quite strict – I was so afraid to eat anything from the major food groups that I didn’t eat much for a few months, and on top of that, I was angry at the entire world.
For a long time, I struggled to understand what healthy eating entailed. I was convinced that there was a secret formula that would not only help me lose weight but also make me immortal (erm, what?).
Above all, the answer I was looking for so long was this:
“Healthy eating is eating whatever makes you feel good. It comes from unconditionally loving and accepting yourself (with all of your flaws that aren’t really flaws at all), not from fear of gaining weight or what others will think. Food does not define you, nor does it make you a better or worse person.”
I’d like to hear from you now. What does healthy eating mean to you? Have you ever been confused and unsure about what to eat because there are so many different diets to choose from?? Please leave a comment below 🙂
Lots of love
Simona xx
Do you feel overwhelmed by emotional eating and want to learn how to develop healthier eating habits? I offer private coaching to help you find a more balanced relationship with food. For more information about my coaching services, click here.
