eat to feel good today and tomorrow

I love to eat and think about food all the time. And when I stress or need a boost of energy to get something done, I want sugar and lots of it. Starbursts, Skittles, any kind of cake-like substance will do. While it’s given me moments of great joy in the past, sadly, I’ve learned the hard way that it’s the worst thing you can eat when you’re looking for energy. For example, I once had to drive from Washington, DC to Cleveland when I was exceptionally tired and decided that a constant stream of lollipops was all I needed to get through it. I went overboard of course and must have eaten 50 of those extra-sized Blow Pops that look like softballs on a stick. They were gloriously good and did the trick. I got to and from Cleveland – but as soon as I got back to work, I crashed. It took me about 45 minutes longer to get out of bed that week. I had brutal headaches, didn’t want to eat real food (craved just sweets), moved slower than usual, and couldn’t sleep. All of which killed my motivation and made working, something that gives me great pride, very hard to do.

What I’ve learned as a lover of food is that I need to look at it as not only something that I enjoy, but also as an investment I make every day from which I must get the highest return. I call this ‘eat to feel good today and tomorrow.’ This point-of-view is simple. Sugar-heavy and nutrition-less food give me a negative return – I feel awful, low-energy, and down (not quite Debbie Downer, but close). Nutrition-rich food enhances my overall sense of well-being (aka, I feel like a mix of Wonder Woman and Winnie the Pooh). The latter helps me be my best self, most of the time, not only for me, but for those around me. Since committing to this point of view, my meal and snack choices have become easy. Choosing between the dark chocolate and the candy corn are a no-brainer. But it is also second nature for me to choose avocado and eggs over waffles at breakfast…the broiled sea bass with chickpeas and broccoli instead of the fish and chips for dinner. Each time I choose the better investment when deciding what to eat during the day, I get a boost from the affirmation to myself that I’m doing something that adds to my self-care.

I realize while this ‘eat to feel good today and tomorrow’ thing sounds good on paper, it can be hard to do, especially when one is in the throes of stress from external demands. Even so, if anything from what I’ve written resonates for you, my recommendation would be to try implementing this ‘investment’ approach to food for 5 consecutive days at first and just see how you feel. If you feel better by the end of the fifth day, keep going with it and don’t look back. :)