I Heart Food

Today - more than ever - food has become a central focus in our culture.  It seems there are restaurants, delis, convenience stores, hot dog stands, and food trucks on every corner.  A multitude of television shows are devoted to food, even several whole channels!  Our culture's obsession with food is very complicated.  Another post for another day.

On a personal level, I have always loved food. In grammar school, I would watch my mom prep dinner until she shoo'ed me out of the kitchen to do my homework.  Growing up in a Chinese family, I could not avoid being a "foodie" if I tried!  There is a Chinese or American holiday almost every month in which I gathered with my seven cousins and brother and aunts and uncles and grandparents to feast! In middle school, my enjoyment of cooking and baking went to a new level as I watched the CIA and Martin Yan cooking shows on PBS every Sunday from 3-5.  In high school, I even contemplated attending culinary school!  My emotional connection to food, driven by my meals with my extended family, is very strong. Eating is comfort in tough times and the mode of celebrating in good times.

Although I have luckily never had a severe weight problem, I can get carried away with food when I am stressed or unhappy.  I'm sure you can relate - it can be a downward spiraling staircase. Eating when unhappy leads to jeans being a little tighter or unwearable which causes more unhappiness and leads to more eating.

About 99.9% of people have an emotional connection to food.  It is something that can be difficult to control since we eat at least 3 times a day and often even more than that.

My secret to breaking a spell where I keep reaching for food is to start eating quality foods.  When I start feeding myself nutritionally dense foods, I tend to become more clear-headed and break the cycle.  This process has helped me start to better understand my connection to food and be aware when I start tumbling down that rabbit hole.

I am very excited to share with you a new program that I have put together centered on weight loss while touching on emotional eating.  My Quality, not Quantity Program focuses on eating and living with regard to quality - not quantity! It's a 4 week webinar series that will cover topics like ideal and not ideal foods, eating on a budget, organic foods, and eating with awareness.  To sign up and for a full description of this mind-blowing program - click here. I can't wait to share with you this helpful information in shifting the way you eat and live!