Food: Friend or Foe?

I have a love/hate relationship with food!  For so many years of my life I have struggled with eating disorders and always looked at food as the enemy and did almost everything I could to figure out how to eat less and move more.  I’ve tried diet pills, low carb diets, smoothie diets, vegetarian, vegan, weight watchers, liquid diet(aka alcohol only with an occasional celery stick), and the list goes on.  I’ve done just about everything I can to try to control this aspect of my life.  The more I try to control it, the worse off I have been.  The more attention I give to controlling it, the more it nags at me. I find myself ready to jump on every new bandwagon I learn is working for others instead of doing what I know is best and I so often give others advice on…. Listen to your damn body!

I have been exploring the many diet theories and experiences of others for pretty much my entire adulthood, I continue to learn and grow stronger in how I approach food for me in my life and recognize how this is unique and different for each and every one of us.  I also understand that food has been used as a tool in my life to cope with the many emotions and anxieties I experience on a daily basis.  Bored?  Snack.  Sad?  Chocolate!  Celebrating?  Ice cream!  Gathering with your family? Feast!  Anxious? Chew gum! I have a sense of appreciation for this realizing that food has helped me get through many challenging times but feel as though I am ready to start really “feeling” my feelings. This is a work in progress but I’ll keep ya posted on how it’s going.

One thing I know for certain is I find enjoyment in cooking.  I enjoy meal planning, in store grocery shopping(a lot more before I had to wear a mask), prepping food, and cooking up a yummy meal for my family.  I enjoy this more when I have the headspace and time for it which is also part of my food journey and that work in progress mentioned above.  Making time for meditative cooking—carefully and mindfully taking each ingredient for my recipe out and slowly preparing and cooking while also enjoying the process.  This is a hard feat when you’re a full time working mom which is why I have been keeping it as simple as possible. 

Quick & Easy Turkey Burgers:

1 package 99% Lean Turkey

1 tbsp BBQ Seasoning

1 shredded Zucchini

¼ cup of blue cheese

Directions:

1. Just mix all the ingredients together well and make 6 patties
2. Cook on grill!!  Or, in the oven, whichever you prefer!
3. Enjoy!