Today, I am filled with gratitude to be able to enjoy some amazing food with my family. Being able to enjoy food without guilt or anxiety has been a true blessing to me. I have been freed from the diet mentality for quite some time now. I feel enlightened to break away from my fear of eating something that might lead to a major health crisis.

In our society today, there are many diets available all over the world and it is so easy for us to get sucked into one or many of them. In the name of health and wellness, our society promotes an appearance-based diet culture which creates anxiety at the kitchen table and every time we eat thinking we are one bite away from a heart attack, obesity or a major health crisis.

There are many biological, psychological and emotional damage that dieting causes backed by substantial amount of research. To give you one example, chronic dieting can actually make your metabolism slow down and turn sluggish. That is because when you are on a diet, your body goes into “starvation mode’ and due to this protective mechanism, your body slows down the rate of burning calories in order to conserve energy, because it doesn’t know when you are going to feed it again. As you go through different diets and your body weight fluctuates, your metabolism suffers even more which could lead to major health problems.

A few years ago, I was trying so hard to heal my autoimmune disease that I stopped listening to my body and went on many strict diets which put me under a lot of stress physically, emotionally and psychologically. Dieting was my way of coping with life as it serves as a symbol of control over my chronic illness. I felt trapped and defeated every time I start a new diet in hope of healing myself and ended up failing at the attempt. I blamed on my lack of willpower and self-control which led to many unpleasant experiences and my relationship with food was not a desirable one. I was tired of dieting and yet terrified of eating. My pleasure of eating was stolen and the trust towards my body was almost non-existent during my dieting years.

It is not until I went on a self-discovery journey that puts me front and center that I started listening to my body and freed myself from the diet mentality. How can anyone but you know what texture and taste sensations will be pleasing to your palate and what food or meal will satisfy me? No diet plan or guru could possibly know these things.

It has been a long time coming but today, I am thankful to say that I can now truly enjoy my meals without guilt and nourish my body with gentle nutrition by honoring my hunger, respecting my fullness and enjoying the pleasure of eating. My hope is to share my journey and experience with you so that you can live a life without guilt and judgement regarding your food choices and move towards a more authentic relationship with food.

Here are a few simple tips on how to start saying ‘NO’ to diets and learn how to make peace with food.

• Break up with the diet culture
• Eat when you are hungry
• Stop eating when you’re satisfied
• Eat things that make you feel good
• See food as fuel, not filler
• Honor your body and its signals
• Move your body
• Trust Yourself

If you want to learn more on how to consciously tune in to your instinctive sense of balance by listening to your body to create a strong and healthy relationship with eating and nourish your body with gentle nutrition, please reach out to me. I would love to chat with you!