A Better Reason to Make Healthy Choices

Why You Should Cut Yourself Some Slack   

By Rachel Pulley

When you think of nutrition, what comes to mind? Often when I talk to patients or tell people what I do, I hear some variation of the response “Oh, I could stand to lose some weight” or “Yea, I eat terribly, I should probably do better.” When you think about it, that’s kind of a defensive responsive, isn’t it? For starters, I never asked these people about their diet or their weight or how much protein they’re eating or whether or not they’re drinking almond milk. But I also find it interesting that the programmed response to hearing that someone is passionate about nutrition is that the listener is somehow subpar. A quick browse through a health and fitness website will undoubtedly turn up phrases like “moderation”, “self-restraint”, and “motivation”. Not that there’s anything wrong with these words. They are good things that yield good results. But that puts a lot of pressure on the individual, doesn’t it? “Make sure you do x, y, z so you can stay motivated” or so you don’t miss a workout or slack and eat junk food. If you don’t, you have failed yourself and only have you to blame. That’s some serious stress.

What if we just made a small change to perspective? What if we weren’t eating well just to live longer or look good in a swimsuit? What if we were doing it for a more immediate, much more relevant reason – ourselves? Health and wellness doesn’t come down to just one thing. Your physical, mental, and emotional health are all equally important. Giving yourself a hard time because you’re not at the weight you want or you don’t eat the way you should means that you’re ignoring some key parts of health. We don’t get sick just because we’re not eating right and we don’t gain weight just because we haven’t had enough vegetables lately. But we can get sick and gain weight if we don’t do those things. There are plenty of pieces to the wellness puzzle. The important thing to focus on is why we even care about wellness at all. Hopefully your reason is you. You value yourself, you value your happiness, and you want to live a fulfilling life.

Which brings me back to food. One of my favorite (ha) questions I get when I start talking about my love for pizza or a certain taco-serving fast food restaurant is “Aren’t you studying nutrition? Should you really be eating that?” The answer is a big, fat, emphatic “yes”. Eating should be fun. Food should be enjoyable. No one should be miserable or feel deprived while trying to get to (or maintain) a healthy weight. Instead, I encourage you to think about what the food you’re eating does for you right now, in this moment. Sometimes eating tacos makes me happy. But on the other hand, I feel better if I eat oatmeal for breakfast rather than a donut. That feeling is important. The reason why you do or do not eat something is important, and it plays a big role in whether or not you’re able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t eat the oatmeal because you’re trying to fit into an old pair of jeans that, frankly, are out of style anyway. Eat it because you value yourself as a person and you want to feel good.

Healthy eating is not a punishment. Healthy eating is not a restriction from all things you enjoy. Healthy eating is showing yourself love. It’s caring for the beautiful gift that is your body and giving it the respect it deserves. Healthy eating is not salads all day every day. Healthy eating is also having a chocolate chip cookie because HAVE YOU TRIED COOKIES? They’re great.

The point I’m trying to make is that health is a balance. Fill yourself full of fuel that allows you to live a vibrant and happy life. Sometimes that’s a giant bowl of mac and cheese followed by a nap. But eating giant bowls of mac and cheese all day every day can make you feel tired and lethargic, and that’s not showing yourself love either. Make healthy choices because you deserve to be healthy and feel good. Be lenient on yourself because you are human and enjoy food just like everyone else.

This applies in every aspect of life, not just nutrition. Exercise, sleep, and relax because those are things that are good for you and you want to treat yourself well. Have a lazy day where you never change out of your pajamas and stay up until 3 a.m. watching cat videos because you feel like it. Balance your life in a way that allows you to stay well while enjoying the indulgences you love. You’re a pretty neat person, you deserve it.

Rachel is a dietetic intern at Saint Louis University specializing in medical nutrition therapy. She is currently working on earning her Master of Science while still spending as much time as possible with her puppy. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys running, yoga, and exploring the city. Contact Rachel at pulleyra@slu.edu.