Today I’m talking about eating. Now I don’t know if I’m the best person to talk about that because honestly, I have had a lifelong struggle with eating. Both of my parents were very overweight and it’s just been a constant struggle for me to try and maintain a healthy weight.
Not too long ago I ran into a gentleman, a chef, actually, who was a Nutritarian. Now I’ve never heard of Nutritarian. I’ve heard of vegetarians and pescatarians and all sorts of ‘Arians’, but I’ve never heard of a Nutritarian.
But I really liked what he said, basically, he cooks nutrient-dense foods. So it’s less about the caloric intake and more about nutrients. There are high nutrients with every mouthful that you put in your body. I kinda wrapped my head around that.
You might think like, well, what does this have to do with emotional wellness? Well, a lot. Like how do you feel after you eat the bag of Oreos? How do you feel after you have all those candies? How do you feel after the bag of chips is suddenly at the bottom? If you’re like me, you don’t feel very good.
I don’t feel good in my stomach and I don’t feel good in my head. I feel disappointed in myself. I feel sad, I feel angry, I feel depressed that I did that. Alternately, when I eat well, I feel good about myself, I feel strong and healthy in both mind and body. So before you put that food in your mouth, ask yourself ‘Is this a nutrient-rich food’ you can read the label, but I think most of the time we just know. Aim for nutrient-dense food most of the time and then you can enjoy a guilt-free treat every once in a while.
Here’s a quick nutrient-dense recipe that makes a fudgsicle-like treat:
Blend two ripe bananas, a cup of cashews, three tablespoons of cocoa, and a little squirt of vanilla.
Whirl it all up in a blender. Line a tray with wax paper and freeze it flat. Cut it into bars enjoy! It tastes awesome and it’s so nutrient-dense and it feels like a treat, but it’s all full of good things so it’s good for my body.
So it may take a little bit more planning, think using one day out of your week to plan some healthy meals, you will feel better, not just in your body, but in your mind, eating well, filling your body with nutrient-dense foods. Honest to goodness, it is one more way to stay emotionally well and physically well in turbulent times.
