A Conscious Guide To Saying Good-Bye To Deprivation

A Conscious Guide To Saying Good-Bye To Deprivation

Copyright (c) 2011 The Conscious Plate

Nobody likes deprivation. It just puts us in a bad mood. When we think about being deprived of our favorite foods, it usually stands in the way of our success every time we try to eat differently. Sometimes, it even prevents us from getting started.

Unless we are seriously motivated by something like fitting into a certain pair of pants for a certain occasion, getting ready for an athletic event or knowing that eating something specific will make us immediately sick; feeling deprived often sabotages us. And when we are motivated by these extraordinary factors, the results are often short lived and/or limited. While it's great in the moment and shows us we can do it, it's rarely a lasting lifestyle change.

Does this sound at all familiar to you? Have you ever thought that you'd like to change the way you're eating? Maybe lose a few pounds to change your appearance or your health and keep them off? Maybe you're just feeling like you need more energy or don't like the fact that you eat sugary snacks every afternoon. But you just can't wrap your brain around giving up the foods you love and if you can, it's only for a very short period of time.

Well let's look at it from I different angle. Let's adopt a point of view that may actually allow you to change things permanently.

Like you, I love food. I love it in its raw form and I love cooking it. I love being around it. I love sharing it with people. I love talking about it, writing about it and eating it. I love hearing and seeing what food means to people. In fact, I am admittedly food obsessed and I am very happy with my relationship with food and the choices that I make daily.

I also don't like deprivation. In fact, little saddens me more than when people feel deprived either because they think something is not good for them or they legitimately cannot eat certain foods. And little angers me more than people buying into the myth that eating food that will support your health means a boring, bland diet of grilled chicken with steamed vegetables or plain tofu and brown rice. Eating food that supports the way you want to look and feel doesn't mean that you can't eat delicious food and it doesn't mean that you can't eat food you love.

So what's the solution to deprivation if you want to improve your diet permanently? Change your focus. That's right, change your mind. Don't think about what you can't eat. Instead learn to eat new foods. Start adding delicious and interesting produce, condiments and cooking techniques to the way you eat. Things like sweet beets drizzled with a little roasted walnut oil, creamy mashed sweet potatoes perhaps with a dash of cinnamon and crunchy kale chips made with sea salt. How about some spicy mustard greens sauted with some sweet onions or garlic and a fresh wild arugula salad with sweet juicy pear, crunchy walnuts and salty Parmigiano Reggiano cheese dressed with a truffle vinaigrette. Sound interesting?

Be creative in the kitchen; add 1 or 2 new ingredients each week, and look to the best of nature for inspiration. Add texture to your dishes by adding nuts and seeds. Snack on a sweet and juicy mango or mash an avocado with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some sea salt as a dipping sauce for shrimp cocktail. Have fun with it. It isn't difficult and you will benefit by feeling better. And I am also willing to bet that you'll be eating better tasting food than you can even imagine today.

Once you learn to think and eat this way, your changes will be lasting and you won't feel deprived. Please don't get me wrong, I am not saying eat beets and pumpkin seeds instead of cupcakes, what I am saying is eat beets and pumpkin seeds and you may find yourself wanting cupcakes less often.

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