Most people want to eat healthy food. We all know how important it is to get the nutrients that our bodies need to function well. For our mental as well as our physical health, nutrition is absolutely key.
However, many people see healthy eating as being the opposite of delicious eating. They’re convinced that they need to give up food that tastes good, and settle for less enjoyable food in order to be healthier. In other words, they look at nutrition as a trade-off between taste and health.
There’s actually a lot of research to suggest that this isn’t the best approach. In fact, when people focus on the pleasure associated with eating healthy food, it may help to improve their overall nutrition. Instead of thinking of healthy food as a form of deprivation, we’re better off focusing on the pleasure of eating healthy food.
How Can You Focus On The Pleasure Of Healthy Food?
There are a few different ways you can stay focused on the pleasure of eating healthy food:
Take time to truly notice the taste of your food. Rather than rushing through meals, spend some time savoring the sensory experience of eating.
Put effort into making healthy food that you like. Don’t force yourself to eat things that you really don’t like, just because they’re supposed to be good for you. Choose the healthy foods that you prefer, and find ways to make them more delicious.
Focus on preparing new healthy recipes on a regular basis. When we fall into a rut, we tend to stop noticing the taste of our food. Novelty helps to keep things fresh and exciting.
Share healthy foods with others whose company you enjoy. This will help you associate healthy foods with warm memories. The more you try to make mealtimes a positive social experience, the better you’ll feel about the foods that you ate during those meals.
Take joy in preparing your food. Although we sometimes see cooking as a chore, we can also see it as a pleasure. Cooking along with others can turn making food into a fun shared social experience, so try to have someone join you in the kitchen whenever possible. It can also be helpful to take pride in the new skills you’re developing as you learn to cook new dishes.
How Can You Stay Committed To Focusing On Pleasure?
It’s undeniable that there are some tasty foods that aren’t particularly healthy. However, it’s also true that there are many healthy foods that are very tasty, and are a pleasure to make and eat along with friends and family. Focusing on the pleasure of healthy food may help you to get better nutrition while also enjoying your food more than ever.
Although it sounds simple, this isn’t always easy. If you’d like some support along this path, you may find a supportive community to be helpful. Connecting with others who are also focusing on the pleasure of healthy food will help to remind you of how wonderful this path is.
Inside the Mind-Gut-Skin Academy Reframe and Align membership program, you can be surrounded by a beautiful community that will help to nurture and support you. The beta group for testing the brand-new version of the program will start soon, and I’d love to see you there.