Do You Ever Eat “Junk Food”?
A question I get sometimes is, “Do you ever eat ‘junk food’?”
The honest answer is not really. I eventually stopped eating “junk food” when my body and thoughts stopped having cravings for specific tastes.
I used to plan what I would eat based on what flavors I wanted to experience: a loaded black-bean burger from Chili’s, a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza from a place an hour car ride from where I lived, a caramel gelato from a store in another city, loaded nachos I made, specific Ben & Jerry’s flavors, toasted croissant sandwiches from an amazing croissant baker. The list makes me smile thinking of all the planned outings and prepared meals I did to enjoy the flavors of food.
Luckily, the experience of eating food for taste rather than for nutrition eventually showed me how important the nutrients in real food are.
For me, what I eat is either 1) food that my body can use to nourish and sustain itself, or 2) food my body has to work harder to process. This distinction matters more than the words healthy or junk.
Real food has nutrients my body can absorb — protein, fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals. Real food can be sweet, rich, and indulgent. It also has the necessary nourishment the body requires.
“Junk food” usually means food with empty calories. It is food that gives the body fuel but very little to absorb and use as nourishment. The body takes in the calories but is still lacking.
That’s the real distinction. Not good food and bad food. Just food my body can use for nourishment and food my body cannot.
So what are the fun foods I eat?
• Dried bananas (often)
• Smoothies I make
• Ginger and banana fruit rolls
• Tortilla chips (rarely)
• Cacao nibs (rarely)
• Locally grown and produced chocolate (rarely)
• Ice cream (rarely)
None of these are “junk.” All of them are foods my body can use for nourishment and foods I enjoy.
The reframe I’ve come to is this:
Eating well isn’t about avoiding food. Eating well is about choosing nourishment and enjoying what I eat.
My body and mind no longer crave the tastes of foods that provide little or no nutrients for the body to absorb. When I do crave the taste of a specific “junk food,” that is usually a signal to eat something nutrient dense.
There is no perfect way to eat. There is, however, the practice of eating with awareness of what your food provides and what the food is doing for or to your body.
Welcome to the meal.
Stacy https://youtube.com/shorts/2KojbaIMGd8?feature=share
I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.