Creating a focus to nourish your body type and health needs is

the best ways to connect with your body, combat illness, and optimize your digestion and nutrition. I know this can be a daunting topic so take a deep breath and let’s go here with an exploratory focus. The aim is to reflect on a way to GROW your interest and effort in your wellness by means of considering healthy foods just for you.

First, there is no need to force yourself to eat healthy foods that stress out you and your body.

Instead use reflection to help you discover foods you recall made you feel great. This reflection is an important opportunity to eliminate foods causing you stress that you were including just because you thought they were fulfilling a particular job in your diet. Once you realize an ingredient or food makes you feel poorly swap out that item or ingredient with an item that fills that same nutritional need you were searching to fill. Reflect and record if you felt better with this new substitute.

Most of us are habitual eaters struggling to consume a variety of foods every few days much less each week.

I found it easiest to begin with a minimalist style of cooking. This helps keep the process approachable. Now is when you want to begin to explore a few recipes online or in books. See if there are some inspiring ingredients for you to take out of the recipes and add to your “food like-list” for future food habits. The recipe sources you find interesting will be use later to begin to grow your meal plan ideas and create options around your excitement for food.

Watch out for these few habits in your eating and cooking:

They are:

under consuming, over consuming, eating at the stressful times of day, mixing foods that can cause discomfort, drinking too liquid much at once, eating too quickly, and not breaking for meals ( ie: eating while looking at a screen).

To create new habits its nice to start small.

As you realize you have certain habits write them down in your “food reflections” page of the PDF attached below. Consider trying to reflect for one week to change one habit. A success tip: start with a less physically stressful change. This will be different for everyone, and remember no “shoulding” yourself here. For example, some people might find it easier to shift the time of day they eat and introduce to an actual break instead of switching to healthier food right away. Work your way instinctively toward how you envision enjoyable meals for yourself. Even if those meal are by yourself try to avoid multitasking while eating. I eat lunch alone most days, and it was hard at first (10 years ago), but I have learned to enjoy the silence and lean into he flavors of my food.

To begin, decide on an amount of time to explore what foods you would enjoy and begin adding them to your shopping list.

Give your self space here and try setting a realistic time frame for your ingredient hunt.
My hope for you is that some, if not most, of those foods are foods that nourish your body and are naturally occurring.

Think of it this way, If you try new recipes 2 meals a week, you are on a roll to planning for a full week! Maybe a goal or intention that feels right to you will emerge as you continue to explore.

For your recipes create time for reflection, consider what you liked eating, and why you felt healthier from an ingredient or recipe. This is the secret to your successful evolution.

If you are eating better and remembering to take breaks your body might give you the signal to take an afternoon rest. This is okay… in fact its great! Give yourself a minimum of 15 minutes to lay down, sit and stare out your window, or enjoy your space and post meal moments.

Use your food reflections and ingredients to gather recipes that include these items.

For example, you can literally Google search “recipes that include ________”.

Are you getting the picture?

This is one way food can be inspiring and not a chore. Especially when it comes to changing or growing your food habits.
I have attached a PDF to the image below. Simply click to open and download. Use your tangible process of pen and paper to enjoy asking your body what it would like you to eat.

Enjoy!

Laura

These are my favorite food inspirations:

Leah Vanderveldt’s book The New Nourishing: Delicious plant-based comfort food to feed body and soul

Recipes published by the minimalist baker at https://minimalistbaker.com/

Lizzie Streit, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, cookbook author https://itsavegworldafterall.com/