Food Mindset

You may have recently heard me talk about food mindset in the Facebook group Changing Habits. Food mindset is the way we think about food.

Food mindset has been an interesting topic in my household at the moment. We have been talking about the different types of food we eat, why we eat it, how much it’s costing us and what that means to us. Food mindset is a huge array of different little mindsets around what you eat.

I want you to think to yourself: How do you choose your food? Do you choose your food based on the taste or the nutrient content? Or how you’re feeling at each moment? If you choose your food based on how you’re feeling at each moment, do your cravings serve you? If you’re a little bit grumpy and feeling like you need to pick me up, do you go for a sugar-filled soft drink or chocolate bar instead of something with protein in it? But does that serve you? I want you to think about it because everyone is different and how your food serves you will be different from how my food serves me.

Does your food nourish you? It’s an interesting thought to think: “Is this food actually nourishing me?” What is it providing me? Food can provide you with nutrients, which is one of the main reasons why we need food, but it can also nourish you. A lot of cultures use food as a way of getting together and gathering around food as the main element. Food nourishes you because it nourishes your soul in more ways than one. If you can think of any other examples, let me know. How does your food nourish you? Please put them in the comments.

The next little mindset with food I want you to ask yourself, “am I eating too much? Not enough? Or just the right amount?” Now, that instant little thought was either “too much” or “not enough”. Although rare it does happen that the instant reaction is “I am eating the right amount”. I want you to think about why you think this way, who has told you in the past that you’re eating too much, or that you’re not eating enough? And are they right? And are they right, according to who? Where that little voice comes from is an interesting concept to think about.

We are always constantly changing how we think about food. I know when I was little, I hated avocados, and then I got with my partner and he introduced avocados to me in a whole different way. And it changed how I thought, and it changed my mindset around food and avocados.

We are constantly changing our food mindset. However, what are some barriers to changing your food mindset?

• One thing is time. Creating healthy meals from scratch can often take a little bit of time. One thing that some people don’t have a lot of is time, so they have to try and work around that barrier of time to make sure that they’re getting a full three meals per day.
• Another thing is knowledge and skill. Even if you have been brought up with cooking all the time and you grew up learning how to cook, you may have gone off to university, started working, and then just had to buy takeout or had to live on a budget. You may have been very limited in what you could cook or what you could eat. That knowledge or skill, how to make food delicious, and how to really provide nutrients and nourishment is one that you can relearn. Remember nourishment is also the emotional aspect of eating food as well.
• Another thing is money and opportunity. Some of you may be in university at the moment, or you may have just gotten out of university, or you’re onto your fifth Ph.D. Your money and opportunity are constantly evolving as you go throughout your life. Just like your food mindset. So what you have in terms of money and opportunity, it’s going to be different for everyone. It’s knowing how to make that money and opportunity to work for you to provide you with the best nourishment food available.

If you can think of any others, you’re welcome to put them in the comments. Because you as an individual will have different barriers.

If you have any questions at all, please comment in the group or in the comments below. And if you know anyone else who might benefit from reading my blogs, feel free to share this blog with them.

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About the author:

Jessica is a degree qualified naturopath and medical herbalist at Jessica Sherwood Naturopathy. Jessica is currently based in Auckland but does online consultations as her main form of consultations, she also has a home clinic for those that are unable to use the internet, or would prefer a face-to-face consultation.