Why We Eat Foods That Make Us Feel Like Sh*t!
You know you want to make a change. You have even been able to start to identify foods that make you bloated, fart more and even do wonky things to your poop, but why on earth can't you stop yourself from eating them?
The answer to that is complex, but I suspect you may relate to some of the following that just may give you some insight into what's is going on!
Bad Habits
Let's face it we are extremely habitual. We wake up, go pee, get dressed and brush our teeth (hopefully), we drive a certain way to work, we park in the usual spot, we eat at certain times. You see our habits can be good and bad. You can be in the habit of something in your favour of your health and a habit that is not in favour of your health.
Being in the habit of cooking, grabbing or eating unhealthy foods or foods your are sensitivie to can simply be a habit, something you are comfortable or familiar with. Our task is to expand your comfort zone and make something healthier more familiar and eventually it will become a habit. It is for this reason that I tell my clients to start with one new change at a time, in order to develop the comfort and eventually the habit with adopting this new behaviour, recipe or practice as a daily habit.
Definiciencies
Different foods offer different nutrients and depending on the foods your are craving or gravitating towards, these may be an indicator of deficiencies within your body. Here are some examples of cravings and what they may mean.
Chocolate: You may be in need of magnesium
Salt: Your stress levels may be high and you are in need of minerals such as iodine
Bread or Pasta: You are in need of nitrogen, so enjoy some high protein foods
Emotional
There is a certain comfort that comes from food, but know that it is short lived, which is why you keep finding yourself returning for more. Foods can sometimes carry an emotional connection based off of association of experiences throughout our lifetime.
For example if your parents used to reward you with "treats" in the form of a visit to McDonalds or chips and candy, these foods become associated with a sense of accomplishment and recognition. When we are feeling down, or have been rocking our new good habits, these foods still are what we gravitate towards for reward and a sense of comforting.
Understanding your food stories and what connects you to them on an emotional level is absolutely powerful in allowing you to break free of the emotional ties.
Self-Sabbotage
This one can be very similar to the emotional ties. If on some level you feel you are not deserving, capable or worthy of being healthy or happy, then that downloaded belief means at some point you are going to have to off-rail yourself. Often this is a very unconscious process that we put ourselves through, but catching the patterns and asking yourself "what am I really looking for, is it love, is it approval is it really this bag of chips." You may be thinking... heck yes it is, but once the bloating and stomach pain hit you may be singing a different tune.
Lack of planning
You have the desire, you know you are capable and yet this one piece can destroy your plan for ending the bloating, gas and angry poops! Hangry is not a pretty thing and when it comes to avoiding the anger that comes with over hungry and making better food choices, planning and prepping good foods is the only way out of it. If good foods are not available and ready for you then anyone of the above can and likely will throw you off track.
There is no reason why you should feel like a failure or that you can't accomplish what you set out to do. These are the bumps in the road that all you to truly get to know the depth of who you are. So before you give yourself a hard time for falling off the horse, remember how many times you have gotten back on and this time dig a bit deeper into which one of the above is keeping you away from your goals.
