No! End of blog. Just kidding. But do hear me out.
I travelled to Chile earlier this year and reflected quite a bit on something.
It’s nothing really new, but I pondered on this a little more while I was down there as I encountered examples.
Now, what I’m about to share isn’t specific to Chileans. It’s a Western culture thing (and possibly beyond but I’m not familiar).
A diet culture thing.
So here it is, the thing I reflected on in Chile…
People, especially women, but certainly also men, have a hard time NOT going on some kind of diet.
I’m not even referring to typical diets like “I’m on a diet” type of diet. I don’t think I’ve heard anyone say that in years!
It’s food rules, fads, health plans, cleanses and detox type diets.
They come off as being a less threatening. "It’s a lifestyle, not a diet" type thing.
Well, is your lifestyle telling you to skip breakfast? Avoid sweets or carbs altogether? Is your health plan telling you to avoid, or healthify, some of your cultural foods?
No, you don't have to add kale to your curry, tacos, or cazuela!
Don’t get me wrong. I totally understand the desire to want to follow some kind of eating plan. Eat this, not that. Eat at these times only. Avoid this type of food because it causes x, y, z and you won’t feel great.
It’s nice to be told what to do. It’s convenient. Following diets, plans, or fads is also socially praised, "Oh wow, it's so impressive that you can go 1000 hours without eating!".
I’d be lying if I said I’m never tempted to follow a little wee health/food plan sometimes.
It gives us a sense of control, especially when our lives (and eating...and drinking) feel a little hectic and chaotic.
Food & Exercise aren't the be-all-and-end-all of Health
But while diet and exercise do impact your health, and it’s important to eat nutrient-dense foods and move your body, they really aren't the be-all-and-end-all of health.
They’re made out to be, but they’re not.
There is SO MUCH more that influences your health than food and exercise.
But I won’t get into all those factors today.
The other issue with relying on health/diet/food/fad plans is that it doesn’t help build on your self-trust.
Intuitive Eating teaches you to trust yourself with food
Intuitive Eating is about learning, or relearning, to trust yourself with food. That means that YOU yourself make decisions about food and eating that feel good, satisfying (physically and emotionally), nourishing (to the body and heart), etc.
This doesn’t mean that you should never follow dietary and health advice for specific health conditions. It's totally ok to do so, even necessary at times.
But if you’re trying to heal your relationship to food and you see a practitioner that tells you to cut out a bunch of foods, I PROMISE YOU that would be counterproductive to your health and well-being. And probably unnecessary.
Eating a VARIETY of foods, including the less nourishing ones, is often an act of self-love and self-care.
So these were some of my reflections while I was in Chile. It can really feel hard to trust yourself and your own decisions. But you have it in you!
So let me emphasize:
You don't need to go on a diet or do a cleanse in order to be happy and healthy.
Should you cleanse when you've "overdone" it?
Lastly, I want to share an example of a woman who recently went on a cleanse...
She told me she was doing this cleanse because she had been "overdoing" it, like drinking too much, socializing and eating a lot "party foods" (chips, etc), and felt "gross".
That's totally understandable and I can certainly relate. I've felt "gross" more times than I can count from over-drinking.
Her body was probably in fact craving lots of vegetables, fruit and fresh foods. Like when you go away and travel for three weeks, all you want to eat by the end is home cooked food.
But above all, what her body was likely mostly craving was a break from drinking. Not a break from 10 different food groups.
In her case; however, she wasn't feeling too happy on this cleanse. She felt bored with her limited food choices and anti-social. She was, in fact, pretty miserable.
I gently suggested that next time she can simply take a break from drinking and maybe some of the foods that weren't making her feel too great. Or at least reduce their frequency and increase her intake of fresh foods until she felt better, or more "balanced".
Because the truth is if you drink and party a lot you're GOING TO feel gross eventually.
And it's OK to cut out alcohol and even eat a little lighter, like more veggies, or whatever it is your body is craving WITHOUT committing to a week long or month long detox, and WITHOUT saying NO to chips or ice-cream occasionally because of the rules of the detox.
So do you really need to go on another diet? Even if the answer were "yes", I know that you really don't want to.
But no, in order to be healthy and happy you don't need to go on another diet. I promise.
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