Creating Optimal Relationships With Food

My name is Laura McCarthy and I’m here today to talk to you about optimal relationships with food and how you can have that too.
So this is my absolute passion and what it means to have an optimal relationship with food, is to essentially bridge the anxiety around healthy eating and also this dieting fad because really what I truly believe, is this ‘what you won’t or don’t see yourself doing in the long term don’t do in the short term’.
So to help people have an optimal relationship with food is my mission.
So for me, I have had my own struggles with eating and that is what has cultivated my passion to rid that for others.
So part of what I wanted to bring to you today are three how-to’s on optimising your relationship with food.
So things I wrote down over the years. I just picked out a few that really resonate with me and therefore chose to share with you today.
And number one of those are:
- If you’re feeling wrapped up about the goal of eating for anything but living, take a step back and reframe the picture each morning, each meal, make a point of telling yourself you’re eating to live so, so to enjoy time on this earth. The rest is primal gravy :-D
Which really if you think about it makes much more sense than stressing out about everything your going to put into your mouth and your choices around food.
If you actually think about food and what it’s actually doing for your body, if you have a choice to eat something that is just that little bit healthier, make that choice and over time you’ll feel all the more energised and proud in yourself for it that you won’t want the nutrient lacking food.
You will want to pick the healthy alternative.
So if you’re faced with the choice of an apple or a chocolate bar and you’re hungry, you’re going to feel more satiated and more proud of, and in yourself for that more optimal and nutrient dense choice.
It’s so much more nutritious. It’s so much more dense in terms of its nutrients.
So that leads me to my next tip
which regardless of the dietary approach, your number one focus should always be….
2) Eating whole unprocessed food with an eye towards nutrient density.
So don’t be so worried as to whether to eat this or that, or should I choose this food or should I choose that food? Please just let your focus come from the standpoint of “okay, what is going to give my body the most nutrients” and then just be at ease with what it is you’re eating and enjoy it.
3. Being present. Be totally present with what it is you’re eating at each of your meals and each of your snacks.
In doing so, you’re much more aware of the amount of food you’re putting into your body. When your eyes, therefore, brain sees all that your putting into your body it gets the chance to register this amount and realises it is in fact full.
When you’re constantly picking or grazing throughout the day, your brain doesn’t feel as though its got a whole meal and also your creating this expectation for constant food.
Which often times can be linked or can have us fall victim of emotional eating. So if you find that each time you are faced with a stressful event and you find yourself delving for the cookies or any food in fact when your not necessarily hungry or couldn’t be as you’ve recently ate.
Question that.
Ask yourself what is it that’s actually going on right now that I feel a need to reach for this cookie/food type.
There’s such a learning curve in doing this and a great way in getting to know ourselves because we’re not just suppressing what it is we’re feeling with a substance.
Which in this case it is food, for others, it could be alcohol.
Here instead you are getting to learn about yourself, getting to know what is is that stressing you out and questioning how this event is making you feel and why is it making you feel this way.
Simply by asking yourself ‘why right now am I feeling a need to reach for this food, what is making me feel suboptimal/tense/ stressed … and can I first address dealing with that issue and when I do I can re address whether or not i’m in fact hungry or was it the stressful event I confused for hunger’.
Which in many cases people feel the need to suppress dealing with that negative event, with food, and this is all part of a major journey that I am embarking upon to truly make a change in the world so people don’t have to suffer from
Type two diabetes.
Anxiety around food doesn’t have to be a prevalent issue.
Gorgeous young women and gorgeous boys, (although statistics show it doesn’t seem to be as much of a prevalent issue amongst men) don’t have to suffer from anorexia, because of this, anxiety around food poor body image and unhelpful concepts on what being healthy actually is.
This I want to fundamentally change. It’s my ultimate mission to change the world through optimising the relationship people have with food.
And thankfully the institute of eating psychology is going to help get me there.
I’m embarking on an eight-month course with these people, Mark David is the leader and I have invested so much time and fascination in his learnings amongst other people that are thriving in this industry and I can’t wait to throw myself even further into these learnings so I can serve people at the highest levels. And Provide helpful advice tips and resources so people are not concerned about how much they’re eating or whether or not they should be eating this or that.
They just feel at ease with what it is they’re putting into their mouth, feel at ease and attune with themselves and all in all feel balanced and healthy. Nutritional anxiety free.
I really am looking forward to this journey and educating interested viewers in the process so that you the reader me and all of us can be healthier and happier together. Thank you.
You can watch my video version as well here: