Summertime is approaching fast and we are starting to get ready for the patio and bbq season. Along with warm summer nights comes a vast array of treat foods that may make you feel food guilt when enjoying.

Let’s just stop right there! Does “guilt” and “food choices” even belong in the same statement?

Before going more into this blog post, I just want you to know that feeling food guilt about your food choices is not normal eating behaviour! I’m not joking! Feeling guilty over your food choices may indicate that you might need to work on your relationship with food.

When I think of guilty I think of someone committing a crime or doing something morally wrong.

Eating or enjoying food shouldn’t feel like you are committing a crime.

Trust me when I say,  “All foods fit into a healthy diet”. Yes, that means ice cream and donuts. One of the very first things we work on with our clients is to help them normalize their eating.

We guide our clients in strategies that help them become aware of what makes them feel energized. We help them match their food intake to their hunger. Most importantly, we promote that most of our food choices be for physical health, while some are for pleasure + satisfaction.

Yes, pleasure and satisfaction.

If you are craving chocolate and try to avoid eating it, chocolate will likely be top of mind frequently. Then when you are presented with an opportunity to eat chocolate, because it was forbidden, you will likely consume more than you wanted to. It is simply the principle of restriction at play here.

If we restrict it, we will want it more!

Let’s be curious about our nutrition choices and not critical or judgemental!

5 STEPS TO TAKE TO REDUCE FOOD GUILT ABOUT YOUR FOOD CHOICES:

1. Start consuming the forbidden food. Enjoy it mindfully and without distractions. The more we normalize the forbidden food, the more “meh” or “neutral” it becomes. Think about If I asked you to eat jelly beans every single day for breakfast, lunch, and supper for 3 months. Eventually, habituation would set in, and you really wouldn’t care about having jelly beans anymore. This is because you have free access to them at any time, and they really become no big deal.
2. Listen to your inner voice and combat negative self-talk with positive messages.
3. Don’t categorize foods or eating as good or bad.
4. Don’t beat yourself up how about what you eat, and let go of the food guilt
5. Honor your hunger. Fuel your body nutritiously and frequently. We know that when you get too hungry, it is very instinctual to be ravenous, and it’s very hard to make good food choices when you’re ready to rip the fridge door off. Recognize that being hungry is not being healthy. Hunger will sabotage the best intentions when it comes to healthy eating.

So no can we all agree to not moralize our food choices?

Ok great! Let’s get into some healthy alternative food choices that you can try this summer that is great choices too.

When we upgrade or modify our food to be healthier we aren’t making the smarter choice, it’s just a different choice. If we were to say it is smarter, then I guess the unmodified version makes us stupid. Well, that isn’t the case. Altering our food, or as I like to call it, “healthifying” our food isn’t always the right choice either. If pleasure and satisfaction are lost in the alteration, then there really is no point in the modification.

BELOW ARE SOME OF MY TOP FAVORITE ALTERNATIVE FOOD CHOICES AND TIPS FOR THE SUMMER!

Try Social Lite Vodka instead of high sugary alcoholic beverages on those warm summer days. Each can is unsweetened and less than 100 calories, and lower in alcohol!  

Try Black bean burgers instead of regular ground beef burgers.  Most veggies burgers are more like a rice & veggie patty. Look for high protein veggie burgers like black bean burgers.

Try mixing in lentils or grated carrot into ground beef.  We have a lot of ground beef in the summer and one great way to lean it out is to mix in plant-based protein or veggies with the same texture!

Make your own seasonings for the bbq, high sodium store bought ones. See my fajita spice seasoning.

Frozen banana ice cream: Use bananas to get the same creamy texture as full fat milk products. You need to try this recipe for Cherry Nice Cream.

Check out my Global News segment on Guiltless Summer Food Choices

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Looking for more support regarding quick and easy recipes or help with meal planning?

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