Excite your taste buds

I love food! Like really, really, freaking love food ! My experience in the fitness industry started with me believing that food is fuel and fuel only, that you should only get one “cheat” meal a week, that you might need to pack your own meals if you want to go to a friend’s house for a weekend just in case they don’t have the right amount of X, Y, & Z you are told you need. My clients, friends, and family can speak to the evolution of my opinion on food because I am sure I was pretty strict when I started out.

I am 28 years old and I definitely don’t believe that food is fuel and fuel alone. We are blessed with the ability to taste and enjoy food, unlike other mammals who are content with eating the same thing day in and day out we like the TASTE of different foods.

We have all had one of these amazing food experiences where we see a plate of beautiful food presented to us, we smell it and our senses are telling our brain the pleasure we will get when we taste it, and when we finally get that bite our taste buds explode with excitement! It is incredible! Why would we or should we cut out those amazing experiences and get stuck eating the same boring things each day? Well we shouldn’t! Don’t think I am telling you to all go out and eat McDonalds today instead of carrots! I mean real food experiences, sitting around a table in the company of those you love, having wine and sharing stories, tasting different appetizers and enjoying a meal prepared with love, and enjoying a dessert afterwards. There is nothing wrong with that every now and then! Stop feeling guilty when you eat something with cheese in it, stop beating yourself up for having a mini blizzard on a hot summers day, quit having a negative relationship with food. Enjoy what you eat, take pleasure and pride in the process of creating something beautiful to share with others.

Please don’t limit yourself to constantly counting calories, measuring foods, and living off of chicken breast and protein powder (unless you love yourself and embrace your body and are training for something that requires you to eat like that). Remember to make healthy choices for you and your family, but don’t limit them to the clean eating routine 100% of the time. Explore different cuisines, excite your palate, and be grateful to have the ability to truly taste different things.