5 Mindset Shifts for a Healthier Relationship with Food
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Have you ever stopped to consider your relationship with food?
In our modern world, we are bombarded with advice from influencers and gurus, all telling us what we should and shouldn't eat. It's no wonder many of us end up with a complicated and often negative connection to food.
However, it's essential for our well-being to develop a healthier and more balanced relationship with food. Not only does it contribute to our overall happiness, but it also plays a vital role in achieving the body we desire. The question is, how do we go about fostering this relationship? What does it even look like? And most importantly, is it possible?
The answer is a resounding yes! It is absolutely possible to transform your relationship with food for the better. In this captivating episode of Embrace Your Real, we delve into 5 mindset shifts that will help you develop a healthier and more positive bond with the food we consume.
What I discussed:
Embrace food as fuel and not “punishment vs. reward”
Reject the All-or-Nothing Mentality…
Stop labeling foods as healthy vs. unhealthy.
Starting looking at food for how it makes you feel, not as unhealthy vs. healthy…
Count your macros.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Episode 277 - The Five Macro Counting Approaches: Which One is Best for You?
Macro Counting Made Simple Academy - https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Free e-Book - www.juliealedbetter.com/free-ebook
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Instagram: @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Free e-book: www.juliealedbetter.com/free-ebook
Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-6bda1ca8?ref=cm_sw_em_r_inf_pub_influencer-6bda1ca8_dp_DgsIam9salgfi
Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let's go. [00:00:21]
[00:00:27] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. In today's world, with every influencer and guru preaching what foods we should or shouldn't be eating, it's so easy to develop a poor relationship with food. Like we're convinced that if we eat X, Y, and Z, we're instantly going to gain weight. Or if we don't eat X, Y, and Z, that's the only way that we're going to lose weight. And this just could not be further from the truth. For us to live a happier life, we need to develop a healthier relationship with food. Let me say that again. For us to live a happier life, we need to develop a healthier relationship with food. [00:01:03]
[00:01:04] Have you ever thought that before? Like for me, I never put those two things together. I always put them separate. Like I was like, okay, a happier life in this category. My personal bucket category relationship with food in the health category. No, no, no, no. There's so much cross over there. And for us to build the body that we want, we need to develop a healthy relationship with food. But how do we actually do that? Like, what does it actually look like? And is it even possible? Well, yes, spoiler alert. It is possible. And that's what we're going to be talking about in today's episode. I'm going to be sharing five mindset shifts for a healthier relationship with food. [00:01:38]
[00:01:39] But before we dive in, I wanted to share this review. It comes from, Hey, our pal. She gave a five star review and said:
Just what a mind needs. Absolutely 100%. Ten out of ten recommend this podcast. Julie is such a positive light and is so motivational. I listen to this podcast as I walk and I always feel refreshed and motivated afterwards. [00:01:57]
[00:01:58] Well, our pal, I'm so grateful for you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day. I'm grateful that this podcast is helping you. If you guys could scootch over to Apple Podcasts, if you have any Apple device and leave a rating and review, or if you tune in to Spotify, you can also just rate the show over there. And both of those things really do help us out in the podcast world. Also, if you are on Apple Podcasts or have an Apple device, you can also subscribe to the podcast so that every time a new episode goes live on Monday and Thursdays, they're automatically downloaded to your phone so you don't have to worry about it and you can just tune in. It's 100% free. And then once you're on that page, you scroll all the way down and that's where you can leave the rating and review section. So thank you in advance for doing that. I sincerely appreciate every single one of you guys taking time out of your day to do that. I know that your time is valuable and I am so grateful for you. [00:02:47]
[00:02:47] Okay, so let's dive into the five Mindset Chefs for a healthy Relationship with food. Number one, you've got to embrace food as fuel and not punishment versus reward. I know that it's super easy to look at food as either punishment or reward. This was me for a long time. I did that like X, Y, and Z. I punish myself or okay, I'm not going to eat X, Y, and Z until I do this. And it was this horrible relationship with food. Like you don't work out so you don't get X, Y, and Z or you did work out. So you do allow yourself to eat X, Y, and Z. This leads us to associating guilt with certain foods, which is not going to help our relationship with food at all. As long as we tie food to our activity levels or what we ate yesterday or what we didn't eat yesterday, we're going to continue to be in an uphill battle with food. [00:03:34]
[00:03:34] Instead, we need to focus on the positive aspects that bring to your overall well-being. Right. Like you need to understand that food provides the energy and nutrients that your body needs to function optimally. And embracing this perspective can help you make choices based on nourishing your body rather than restricting or having emotional eating patterns. [00:03:57]
[00:03:58] You also have to remember that you don't just need fuel for your workouts, like whether or not you are working out or not. You need to eat so that you can give your best to those who you love so that you can be fully present with your kids or your significant other so that you can be more creative or productive at work. Like you need fuel for all these different areas outside of your health and fitness world so that you can actually have the energy to go throughout your day and enjoy the activities that you love doing on a daily basis with the people that you love. [00:04:28]
[00:04:29] You need fuel in your body for living your life, plain and simple. And I think that just coming to that realization alone will help you in healing your relationship with food and just overall having a healthier relationship with food. [00:04:42]
[00:04:43] Number two, you have to reject this all or nothing mentality. This all or nothing mindset will often lead to cycles of restrictive eating, followed by guilt driven overindulgence. Guess what? You can have one cookie or two cookies without having all ten. I know this mindset though. Like I've been there, you eat one cookie, you feel like you messed up, you feel like you failed. So then you're like, Well, I might as well just eat nine more cookies because you already messed up. [00:05:08]
[00:05:09] No. Here's the thing. Eating a cookie when you want to eat a cookie is having a healthy relationship with food. Eating nine more cookies because you already eight one. That's not going to likely be the most healthy relationship with food. You're likely not going to be having a thriving relationship with food when you have this mindset around. Certain foods or foods that you did or didn't eat. [00:05:30]
[00:05:30] You need to realize that perfection is not the goal. The goal is to not ever eat a cookie again. No, no, no. The goal is to eat foods that you love in moderation. Like even eating a cookie a day is fine if you're fueling it within what your body needs. You need to have a certain amount of protein, carbs and fats. You need to have a certain amount of carbs per day anyways. And maybe today some of those carbs come from a cookie or maybe every day some of those carbs come from cookies. [00:05:55]
[00:05:56] For me personally, some of those carbs come from a yasso bar literally every single night. I love it. It's a part of my day and I never restrict myself. I'm able to have chocolate every single night. It's one of my favorite things. Josh and I will either be watching something or playing a game we love. We've been playing sequence a lot and we've been playing Skippo a lot, those are our two go-to games, but it's one of my favorite things that night is like we both were like, Yasso time and we just we eat yasso and it's so fun. It's amazing when you're able to incorporate your favorite foods into your daily intake on a daily basis. So then you never feel like you're depriving yourself. [00:06:31]
[00:06:32] Like you need to learn that eating what you want when you want to eat it is okay. That doesn't mean that you fail. That doesn't mean that you messed up or you need to toss in the towel or just completely overindulge. One thing that has really helped me switch into this mindset was learning how to properly fuel my body. Learning that, you know, I have a certain protein, I have a certain carb, I have a certain fat goal for the day that is specific to my body, where I'm at and what my goals are, and I'm able to incorporate my favorite foods into that daily intake and still see results. And it really did help me realize that I didn't need this all or nothing approach to food. And it's possible to have balance. [00:07:11]
[00:07:12] If you want to learn more. I do have an online academy. I will link it in the show notes below, but just overall, the tool of macro counting has single handedly transformed my relationship with food and just the overall approach in which I take when it comes to my health and fitness goals. And I know that it can help you as well. So if you're interested, I will link it in the show notes, but that has helped me so, so much. [00:07:37]
[00:07:37] Number three, stop labeling foods as healthy versus unhealthy. We've got to quit assigning these labels around food because we oftentimes create this black and white mentality around food and we might perceive certain foods to be forbidden or bad where we see other foods as, oh, healthier, clean, and we can't have those. [00:07:56]
[00:07:57] We have to break free from this mentality because it can lead to shame, shame, it can lead to guilt, it can lead to most definitely an unhealthy relationship with food, which is what we're trying to break free from. [00:08:09]
[00:08:09] I want you to imagine living in a world where all foods are within limits, like there's no such thing as healthier, unhealthy, there's no such thing as you can't have this food and you can't have this food. [00:08:20]
[00:08:20] It's possible you can live in within this world where all foods in moderation are able to be eaten and still build the body that you want. You can have both things. And so when we break free from this mentality of black and white around food, we realize that we don't have to have this all or nothing approach. And the beautiful thing about that is that when we stop overindulging and then start restricting to make up for our overindulgence, which leads towards this toxic yo-yo dieting pattern that so many of us find ourselves in, we are able to break free from this. [00:08:55]
[00:08:55] So instead of looking at food as healthy and unhealthy, I want us to shift our focus and ask ourselves, okay, what's going to make me feel my best, but also what foods do I want? What foods do I just I love to have and eat them in moderation. And this is the most beautiful part about learning the tool of macro counting is that you learn what your body needs in terms of protein, carbs and fats. And then you also start fueling your body with the proper amounts, but without restricting yourself. And you realize that you can literally build the body that you want while eating all of your favorite foods in moderation. And when you have this confidence and awareness of nutrition, it can be so empowering. [00:09:39]
[00:09:39] And I talk about this a lot on the podcast because I, for a decade of my life did not live empowered around food. I was confused. I felt shame, I felt guilt. I felt like it was something that I needed to earn, like I talked about earlier and impacted so many of my social situations. And I know so many of you guys are probably you might be in that position that I was in. And I want you to know that I'm on the other side of it. I want you to know that it's possible to not live in this perpetual state of like, Oh, I can't have this or oh, I ate this and then feeling guilty and then just going on these yo-yo toxic patterns that are consuming your life. [00:10:16]
[00:10:16] When you educate yourself with how much your body needs and then you start to practice it and you start to learn, Oh, this is actually what it feels like to have energy. Oh, this is what it actually feels like to be able to. Crash my workout, but also eat my favorite foods in moderation. It will genuinely change your life. [00:10:33]
[00:10:33] Number four, start looking at food for how it makes you feel. Not just this black and white, unhealthy versus healthy. When we start viewing food through the lens of how it affects our energy levels, our mood, our digestion, our overall well-being, we shift the conversation from external judgment of is this healthy to this internal guidance of like, how does this make me feel? It's about recognizing that our bodies are unique and what works for one person might not work for another person. [00:11:00]
[00:11:01] So let's take, for example, the cookie. Some might label that as unhealthy, but what if the cookie brings you joy? What if it fuels your body for your workout? It enhances your overall satisfaction with your meals. If that's the case, it's essential to honor how it makes you feel and embrace it as a part of your balanced eating approach. [00:11:16]
[00:11:17] On the other hand, if eating a cookie for lunch every day makes you feel sluggish, you're experiencing these energy crashes. It's affecting your well-being negatively. It might be worth considering other options for your mid-day fuel. [00:11:28]
[00:11:29] It's all about finding what truly nourishes and supports your body and makes you feel your best. You need to remember that this generalization of these sweeping statements of healthier, unhealthy, it's going to be unique from person to person. And we just need to remove those altogether and say, you know, I prefer this food over this food. Not necessarily. Oh, that food is off limits. [00:11:53]
[00:11:54] For example, I personally cannot have any vegetables or I can have some vegetables cruciferous. I think that's how you pronounce it. Cruciferous vegetables, which include kale, broccoli, cauliflower. What other foods? I know I'm missing some foods, but those are the main ones. And onions. I can't have onions. There are uncooked onions, I should say. Those just don't make me feel my best. Look, I feel completely wrecked in my stomach when I have those. And that is one thing that I've learned. Also, a lot of sweet potato. I just can't have, has too much fiber. And I've only learned these things after I learned how to properly fuel my body because I was aware of it. I was starting to educate myself about these things. [00:12:32]
[00:12:32] Previously, I didn't know what amount of fiber I needed to feel optimal. I would just eat and then some days I would feel disgusting and other days I wouldn't. But I wasn't putting the two and two together that what I was eating or what what I wasn't eating was directly correlated with how I was feeling. So at the end of the day, you just have to remember that it's about finding what works for you and what makes you feel energized, what makes you feel balanced and nourished. And this is a very personal experience and it should always take precedence over these societal judgments or external opinions on certain foods. [00:13:06]
[00:13:06] Like I can tell you, there are some people in my life, if I were to say, you know, when I talk about, oh, I have a yasso every single night, they're like, Oh, that's so bad. Like, why are you having chocolate? You know, you should really only do that on the weekends or whatever it is. And I've just learned to kind of tune out all of the other voices and just ask me, okay, how do I feel? What are my energy levels? What is bringing me joy and ultimately know that it's going to be a person to person experience. And it's very, very vastly different from person to person. And that's the most beautiful part about learning how to properly feel your body. [00:13:40]
[00:13:40] Which leads me to number five count your macros. I've mentioned this a lot, but really genuinely learning the fundamental tool of counting macros can help you take all of this and put it into action. It's easier to see that foods don't need to be healthy versus unhealthy, or that you don't need to have this all or nothing approach when you are giving your body the proper amount of macronutrients that you need daily, right? You'll see that once you fuel your body with the carbs, the fats, the proteins that you need daily, you can actually start to change your body composition without feeling like you are limiting your favorite foods or eliminating them completely from your daily intake. [00:14:17]
[00:14:18] Once you learn to give your body the proper amount of macronutrients that it needs regularly, you realize that you're able to eat your favorite foods in moderation and build the body that you want and most importantly, sustain it long term. [00:14:31]
[00:14:31] So if you want to learn more about that, I do have a free e-book even go to www dot Julie A Led better dot com forward slash free dash e-book. I will link that in the show notes below. If you're just ready to dive in, you're like, I don't need a free e-book. I just want to dive in. I want you to help guide me. I want to do this thing. I do have an online academy. It's called the Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy. I will link both of those things in the show notes so that you can either download the free e-book or go check out my online academy program. But I really think that both of those things will help you just realize that it absolutely 100% is possible to have a healthy and thriving relationship with food and build the body that you want while enjoying it and being able to sustain it long term. [00:15:13]
[00:15:13] Okay, so let me recap those five ways to build a healthy relationship with food. Number one, embrace food as fuel and not punishment versus reward. Number two, you've got to reject that all or nothing mentality. Number three, stop labeling food. It's as healthy versus unhealthy. Number four, start looking at food for how it makes you feel. And number five, properly fuel your body. And I would encourage you to utilize the tool of macro counting. [00:15:38]
[00:15:39] If you love this episode, I know you'll also love episode 277 - The Five Approaches to Counting Macros: Which one is best for you? So some of you guys know or have heard of macro counting and you're like, I don't want to do it. I don't think I can do it. I don't want to count all three macronutrients every day. That sounds really stressful. In this episode, I really share that it doesn't have to be so cut and dry. It doesn't have to be so black and white. There are some approaches to macro counting that you can take and one of them might be best for you. So maybe that's just focusing on your protein intake and your overall caloric intake. I really dive deep into this and I hope that this gives you kind of a broader picture of macro counting so that you don't just write it off and say, No, I could never do that because there definitely are some approaches there that I think are a lot more friendly when you're first starting out, or if you just definitely don't want to count all three macronutrients. I'd dive really deep into that topic, so I link that again. Again, it's episode 277 - The Five Approaches to Counting Macros: Which one is best for you? [00:16:38]
[00:16:39] I hope that you found this one helpful. I hope that this gave you maybe some insight or education inspiration. If you have a friend or coworker that you feel like would benefit from this specific episode or just this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story, your Facebook story, Whatever social media story you find yourself on. That is all that I have for today's episode though I love you so dang much, I mean it, and I'll talk to you the next one. [00:17:08]
[00:17:17] All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes. It's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk. Healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:17:17]