When you embark on the journey to be healthier and happier, you usually commit to eating well as part of your wellness regimen. For some of us, what begins as an exciting journey can end up leaving us feeling trapped in very challenging and unproductive ways of eating. Experts say that restrictive eating programs can cause more harm than good and set us up for failure.
So, food guilt is a very real thing. We most often feel it after we eat foods that we consider part of our “no” list. Does eating these foods make you want to run an extra lap around the block or limit yourself to salads, smoothies, and soups to atone for your “guilt trip”? We’ve got to retrain ourselves to embrace a guiltless, healthy lifestyle!
Go guiltless
Here are a few ways to embrace guiltless eating, and I’ll be sharing a few guiltless desserts at the end of this post.
Don’t make guiltless eating a competition
Racing your friends around the track is one thing, but competing with them in other areas? Not so good! If, for example, you’re dining out with friends and someone decides to order a salad to maintain their eating regimen. Their decision shouldn’t impact your meal choice. If you’ve been eating wisely, and this dinner is an exception rather than the rule, enjoy the experience and order what you really want to eat.
Embrace slow eating
When I run my “Eating with Intention” program, I encourage clients to be more aware of what they’re eating and to enjoy their meals. They often realize that they feel full quicker when they slow down; plus, they don’t have to eat everything on their plate. Eat what you want without overdoing it. Pair a regular meal with a small salad or soup, and make sure to include a variety of vegetables. Added bonuses to slow, guiltless eating: reduced cravings, improved gut health, weight loss, and less food-related stress.
Don’t punish yourself at the gym
Some of us get extra ambitious at the gym in an attempt to undo the side effects of poor food choices and to stave off weight gain. In reality, you’d need to eat 3,500 calories above and beyond your daily caloric limit to gain a pound of weight. I’m not encouraging you to be on a steady diet of sweet snacks and high-carb meals, but indulging in a treat occasionally won’t ruin your wellness goals. You can’t out-exercise an unhealthy mindset. The key is to be consistent in your exercise regimen AND your food choices.
Forgive and forget
It’s really not worth it to mentally bash yourself for enjoying a cupcake or consuming more food (and drink) than you planned. The key is to find balance between what you’ve committed to achieve health-wise, and what might occur, for example, at a celebratory event. When you do slip up, handle it with poise and carry on. Food isn’t the bad guy; it’s supposed to be enjoyable, so savor each bite, and you’ll be less likely to go overboard because you’ll feel completely satisfied.
Keep your food enemies outside your house
One of the best ways to ensure that you do not splurge on a pint of ice cream is not to have it in your home at all. That way, if you are stressed and craving, you’ll have to travel all the way to the store to get your treat. Talk about a disincentive! Keeping food temptations out of the house cause us to deal with stress in other, more effective ways. And it saves money!
Meal prep healthy treats
Meal prepping is fantastic, and making healthy treats in advance can cause you to feel better than if you were to indulge in something less healthy. Better to scarf down a bunch of homemade raw cacao protein balls than a brownie. And honestly, the healthier option is more delicious and satisfying.
Put treats in high places
This works exceptionally well if you are short. Having a small stash of treats that you have to climb onto a chair or a ladder to get to can seem like a lot of hard work. Instead, look in your fridge and consume some fruit. Or better yet, make a smoothie and freeze it. That way you can have your healthy “ice cream” and eat it too!
Guiltless desserts
Chocolate Pudding
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- Dash of cinnamon
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes and then enjoy. Garnish with fresh strawberries.
Banana Bites
- 2-3 bananas
- 1 bag of dark baking chocolate
- Your preferred toppings, such as chopped nuts and coconut flakes
Slice bananas into small, bite-sized pieces. Melt your dark chocolate, dipping the bananas into the chocolate to coat them. Sprinkle any toppings you choose (or none, it’s delicious both ways!) and freeze for about 45 minutes to an hour. Take your bites out of the freezer and enjoy.
Almond Butter Cups
- 1 cup almond butter
- 1 cup dark melting chocolate
Combine almond butter with dark chocolate and melt in the microwave in small increments, stirring it in 15-20 second increments until fully melted. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners. Scoop one spoonful into each of the cupcake liners. Smooth mixture as much as possible and freeze for 20 minutes. Slowly peel off cupcake liners and enjoy your delicious, two-ingredient almond butter cups!
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