I am a member of the Park Slope Food Coop and for those of you haven’t heard me either complain or rave about it (I do both), well that’s another story. The Coop has really great produce, cheese, bulk items, raw chocolate, etc.. that are fresh and affordable since each member has to work a shift.
While working my shift last week I overheard another member say, “I’m giving up sugar…and when I say sugar I mean maple syrup, honey, agave… I’m giving up wheat…and when I say wheat I mean bread, pasta, pizza and only having 2 tablespoons of grains: quinoa, amaranth… I’m giving up dairy…and when I say – well you get the idea.
While although that way of eating is extremely healthy, what’s the point of living? Shortly after that, another woman asked if I was a vegan – I then went out for a meatball sub.

I even had a few sips of Coke
Aware this was certainly not one of the healthiest things I could have eaten, I ordered anyway – and savored half of the warm, gooey, sandwich. Do I eat that way every day? Nope.

I shoot for something like more like this – colorful nutrient dense eating.
When it comes to food, as it comes to anything else in life, it’s all a balance. And finding your unique balance is essential to your health and enJOYment of life. You can have a vegan diet filled with green juice & algae – but if you’re not enjoying it – what’s the point? I’m all about green tonics and seaweed, but I also enjoy a pizza and beer every now and then.
The thing I find troubling is when we ‘indulge’ we often then bear the wrath of our inner critic, “I can’t believe you did that, that was so gross, you have no self control, you are a fattie and always will be” ….at least that’s what mine sounds like. Then we end up feeling worse about ourselves and our self worth. Did eating a bowl of ice cream really make you that much worse of a person? I don’t think so. I’m interested instead of food being right or wrong, finding a well balanced approach to eating.
There are many reasons behind what we eat and how we eat, and that can give us a lot of information about our relationship to ourselves – which is the most important relationship we have in this world. Take a look and see what comes up when you reach for what you reach for – and be as gentle as you can be. Be a detective, use your food choices as evidence as how you are feeling, drop the judgement and replace with patience and forgiveness. Because it’s always changing, just like the weather.