The Winds of Change

Food is so much more than just sustenance - almost all human cultures use food to celebrate, sooth, commiserate, collaborate, and so on. So it's no wonder we get rather emotionally attached to what we eat. But when there is a health problem that is likely related to what we eat (e.g. high blood pressure, cardiac disease, atherosclerosis, obesity, renal failure, liver disease, diabetes...), why are many of us so desperately reluctant to change our diet?

Why, if we know with great certainty that changing our diet will help us feel better, reduce our symptoms, improve our health, reduce our dependence upon medicine and possibly prevent our disease from progressing? Why do we decide to stick with the status-quo?

Psychologists will tell us many things. We may be in the denial phase of grief. The contemplation stage of change. That we have prioritized self-care lower than caring for others. That we use excuses and rationalizations as tools to facilitate avoidance. But describing the problem still doesn't motivate us to change our food habits.

Perhaps we could use an old counseling trick on ourselves -repeat this statement to yourself - "One the one hand I know I should ___________, however I don't do this because_______". They ask yourself why? How does this serve you? Are you afraid to fail? Are you afraid it will be uncomfortable? Do you fear what others think? Are you using food to avoid a bigger issue? In looking honestly and unflinchingly at the "why", you may come to terms with your biggest nemesis.

We are each entrusted the care of one human body. Just one. Do we recognize and appreciate this gift? Do we find value in it? And if so, what will you do to protect it and care for it? Are you brave enough to look at the "why"? If so, can you summons the courage to overcome it? And if not, how will you get there? The answer will be changes you can LIVE with...

:)