I love the fact that I now love food. For years, I ran away from food, and more than anything, I feared it. Someone once told me in college that I should “eat to live and not live to eat,” but at a point when I was consumed mentally by calories, food, and my body fat, I could not imagine a life free of thinking about food (or the effects of food) all the time.
I have since found freedom from food through multiple experiences, but primarily through my time in France and through my experience training for endurance sports. France taught me that food is a pleasure in life meant to be enjoyed, shared, and savored on a daily basis. It’s true what they say: French women don’t get fat, and let me tell you, French women do eat. Put two and two together, and I finally realized that you can eat and enjoy food without getting fat. Thanks to this French revelation, I then got involved with triathlon and marathon training which then forced me to see food as fuel for my body, necessary for optimal performance and health.
Eat to live, don’t live to eat, but do enjoy the eating that you do. Your body needs food, don’t deprive it and certainly don’t over-indulge it. A healthy relationship with food is all about finding balance, so stop worrying about exactly what you do or do not eat and instead start looking at the overall way you fuel your body. Every day is an opportunity to improve your relationship with food, so take today for what it is: a growth opportunity.