Live in the Gray

You may be wondering, what the heck do you mean "live in the gray"? Well, it's really how I feel about food, nutrition and decision-making. As humans we often want to see things as black or white, which is why diets are sooo appealing. "Eat x, y and z...don't eat a, b or c...and you will lose 20 pounds in 5 days and be the happiest you've ever been." Sounds nice, right? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but this just isn't realistic. For one thing, our bodies are far more complex; lifestyle, food preferences, behaviors, genetics, and past experiences all influence our health and our story. Health shouldn't be all or nothing; food shouldn't be good or bad; our choices don't have to be black or white. I believe you can be happy and healthy by living in the gray area.

Part of this realization came about when I was learning about intuitive eating and repairing my relationship with food. Many disordered eating thoughts are fueled by creating food rules (intentional or not), which often include these "good food/bad food" categories that are perpetuated by diet culture and thoughts we have been fed our whole lives; pardon the pun. When we follow these rules we feel good about ourselves, the same way we felt good about getting gold stars in school for doing as we were told. But when we break those rules and we eat a "bad food" we feel shame and guilt and that emotional disappointment can lead to overeating those foods because we feel like we already failed. This is NOT a healthy (or happy) way to live! No choice you make about what you eat should dictate how you feel about yourself, and it does not make you a good or bad person.

So what do I consider living in the gray? Listening to your body to eat foods that fuel you and nourish you, not what society tells you what you should or shouldn't eat. It means breaking down food rules, and not feeling shame or guilt after eating. It could mean choosing the chicken and the veggies in your favorite Indian food dish (why do they make you choose between the two?! Clearly a personal story here, haha). Understanding that even ten minutes of a workout still counts even if it's not the thirty minutes you feel you "should" do. What do you consider living in the gray?