Taking Responsibility for Our Eating

Recently, in talking with a friend, they mentioned to me that they wanted to lose some weight. In the past, my friend has always told me they leave the responsibility for their health in the hands of their significant other.

I asked if he was ready to start taking responsibility for what he puts into his mouth and for what he does for activity.

You see, I know from past experience that it is very easy to let things like health slack because we have a way when we want to, of giving others our power. We know they love us, and that when we want something, they will often give in. After all, relationships are always a bit of give & take. So, when we are asking someone who we know will offer us compromise to make food choices, we are in a sense giving power to someone who doesn't know what is going on in our bodies. They may have a good idea of what healthy nutrition looks like. They may even be experts on this. They may even be able to gauge your reaction to the foods you put in your mouth. Most loved ones will not want to be responsible for denying you the pleasure of eating just one more slice of chocolate cake.

But on a day to day scale, adults generally know what kinds of foods make them feel good, and which ones don't. We give away our nutritional power so much these days, that we don't really think about it in that way.

We take the easy way out, purchasing boxed, and processed so called foods because they are easy to prepare. We go to restaurants and fast food establishments because they are easy and convenient. We have more appliances and machines than just about any other generation before us, and yet, we are always in a hurry, always busy, and always looking to take the easiest and shortest way out. If this describes you, you aren't alone. I am just as guilty.

But this way of eating is slowly killing us. Our children are plagued with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and so many more forms of chronic illness. When you read that our children are expected to die at a younger age than we are, what goes through your mind? It's one thing to know we are bringing on these chronic conditions to ourselves, but it is quite another to know our choices are affecting our children in such a profound way as to destroy their quality of life, which will ultimately result in a shorter lifespan.

The key is for each of us to take responsibility for what we can control. Taking control of the foods we eat, and our food supply means we start with ourselves. We learn what is going to bring health to us and what is not. We take the time to learn what is going to bring health to our children, and what is not. We learn to cook, and if possible we learn to grow, at least some of our own food, and what will be the most nutritious way to prepare it. We learn about proportions, and how much we actually need to take in. We rely on others for guidance, but ultimately, we rely on learning what is actually working in our bodies and learning to eat accordingly. An athlete is going to need a different nutritional profile than someone who lives a more sedentary life. Finding out what works for you and for your family is hard work, but it is rewarding when you finally hit what works, and get to watch you body, and the bodies of those you love begin to heal.

by Linda Nelson, CHHC

This article was written by Linda Nelson. Linda is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist/NLP practitioner. She belongs to the American Association for Drug Free Practitioners. Linda can be reached at Empoweredlivingbylinda@gmail.com

Download your free copy of my the Nutrition book written by Joshua Rosenthal, founder of the Institute for Integrated Nutrition by going to my website at Empoweredlivingbylinda.com