We all need food to survive. Being unique individuals, each on their own journey, we realise that we are what we eat! Loving yourself means eating food that loves you back! So, ask yourself the fundamental question, does the food on my plate love me back? Will it do good to me or will it harm my health?
We all know that good health happens when you eat more fruits, veggies and salads, less fried stuff, good omega fats, whole grains, of course drink plenty of water and sleep well. But many of us are helpless in the face of our circumstances, to make the right choices on all of these. Either there are no fresh veggies in the refrigerator, or just no interest in cooking a meal, so it’s more convenient to order out, or with friends it is easy to order stuff in a restaurant that is completely the wrong choice for health, or somebody brought a box of sweets or chocolate home as a gift, or you are facing a buffet and it is impossible to put the right food on your plate.. so many circumstances you get caught in that make it impossible to stay in charge of what you choose to put into your body.
90% dieticians fail at creating a permanent weight loss, because they focus on restricting calories that keep you hungry. You may lose weight for some time but eventually your body goes back to the normal food and habits it has been used to. It is a very short term solution, just like fad diets like keto, paleo, GM, etc. etc. These fads never stick and cannot create transformation in your life.
When you enrol for our six-month Health Coaching package, I help you understand everything in the context of your current health and lifestyle status. I focus on the quality of your nutrition and meals that are filling and satisfying. I look at so many things: Where you live, what is the food availability for you (at home and at work), the habits you have grown around eating, the convenience factor, what does hunger mean to you, emotions both happy and sad associated with eating, how active you are, what memories of food and parties in your early childhood. So many things. I also help you explore. Growing up food and flavours, who you spend time with when you eat, what emotions are associated with this person.
Even economic factors like what is the budget associated with food, how fast or slow you eat, your personal belief system about food, and knowledge about food.
There are so many things that shape your choices about food. Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching helps you build your self-awareness about everything that nourishes you and how to shift to a mindset that helps you build positive choices.
Changes are irreversible when we get to the grass roots.
The reason why conventional diets don’t work is because they do not get into the grassroots about why you choose food in a particular manner. They prescribe you the food you ‘ought’ to be eating. For a little time, you will follow the “discipline” but after a few days, weeks, or months, your body will automatically and mindlessly go back to the old ways which were comfortable to you.
Once you understand how the food in your plate fits into the larger context of your life, I. help you tune into what food loves you back, and what food does not love you back.
We go back to basics of food. Basic Indian diet is a balanced and healthy meal. Some salad, some lentils and legumes, some cooked vegetables, some whole grains and a piece of pickle for pro-biotic. And you have a great meal. Something you grew up with.
There is a fundamental of bio-individuality. Each person’s relationship with food is unique and each person’s growing up context is different. What is YOUR journey with food on your plate and what is the story, and how would you like to change it.
I do not deny you foods you simply love and are addicted to. All that gets done is by adding healthier elements, the unhealthy elements get crowded out and become insignificant.
Nourishment happens over many levels. Primary and Secondary. Primary nourishment comes from relationships, exercise, spiritual practice, a career with a sense of purpose, and so on. Secondary nourishment comes from the food on your plate. Food choices have many dimensions and it’s about making the right choices even in the worst of circumstances.
Aneeta Madhok, PhD
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
