What do you eat?

 

Of all the questions I get in regards to my job, that is the one I hear the most. Each time I’m asked I can see the anticipation on the inquirers face. It’s either one of sheer defeat as if they are certain the information they are about to receive will not be something they’re capable of or excitement to hear a great secret, finally the one piece of information that will magically change their life and body.

 

My response does not fit either. The truth is I eat whatever I want. The change becomes how I’ve redefined want.

 

The conversation that ensues after stating that my diet consists of eating whatever I want always begins with some variation of “you don’t understand.” The inquisitor always thinking that because I have a career in the health industry I must have a much greater resolve and willpower than they. I assure you, I do not. I love food, ask any of my friend what we talk about most often and they’ll tell you food.

 

I find great pleasure in food, cooking and eating, and the joy that comes with sharing a meal with people. I wasn’t raised on vegetables. In fact, I was so picky that my main foods until my early twenties consisted of bacon and eggs, poptarts, and sunflower seeds. I was also a strict dieter when I first began working in the fitness industry. Eating things because I’d written them down on a piece of paper and deemed them the foods I “should” eat while restricting anything not on my list. I was not happy on either side of that spectrum. I was also not healthy on either side of that spectrum.

 

I love sweets, especially chocolate. Outback cheese fries will always hold a special place in my heart and I’ve never turned down a good beer or a late morning mimosa. I enjoy these things with the same fervor that I enjoy kale (especially sautéed in my cast iron skillet after I’ve cooked meat), Brussels sprouts, and a big glass of water.

 

I want to eat all of these things, and I do. How I got to this healthy relationship with food came when I changed my definition of “want”. I changed my relationship with food when I realized eating began with the first thought of food and ended once what I had ate had been completely digested.

 

Honoring my food, honoring my body, and honoring my wants goes far beyond the few moments food spends on my taste buds. This also means I honor my feelings without food. I eat whatever I want. My want is redefined to include how I (mind and body) feel about my food before, during, and after eating it. This simple (albeit not easy) change has not only mended my relationship with my food and body, it’s allowed me to eat with even more joy than before.

 

Here’s to honoring your next meal,

 

Melissa

www.melissaromano.com