Starting the New Year off on the right foot, many of us will stick to Clean Eating. Overnight our diets alter, abolishing carbs, sugar and junk food, only to crash and burn a week later and spiral into a binge of all things "naughty". Despite our best intentions, come 10pm all kinds of cravings kick in and we find ourselves in bed with half a block of Cadburys and a packet of ready salted crisps. Then comes the guilt. The overwhelming feeling of failure and the (half-hearted) promise of waking up tomorrow and getting it right the next time.
In my eyes, healthy eating IS NOT the same as clean eating. What exactly is clean eating? Do you make sure all your food is washed before you touch it? Do you cook with no oils or fats? Do you ONLY eat vegetables and drink water? I think the term Clean Eating is a ploy, designed by the fitness industry to completely mess with our minds. Does it mean that every food or drink NOT classified as clean, is dirty? No, of course not. But that's not what we're made to believe.
It's human nature to think of anything that isn't wrong, is right. We like to think in black and white, because it makes things simpler. But when it comes to health and healthy eating, we need to start thinking in all colours of the rainbow.
Health is a state of being free from illness or injury (according to the good ol' Oxford Dictionary) but health is so much more than not being sick. Health is a state of equilibrium and balance physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The truth is, if one of these is off balance, everything will be thrown off. So we need to try and achieve balance in all aspects of life.
For example...
Imagine the person who eats 100% "clean" - nothing but vegetables, water, lean proteins and fruit (because according to some "clean eating" guidelines, grains are the devil). Sure, physically they'll look slim, but emotionally they're locked in an obsessive relationship with food, similar to an eating disorder, and most probably are not happy. Chances are, things are going to start going wrong. Anxiety will play a huge factor in their daily lives. Relationships will suffer. Eventually they will get sick because their diet isn't really that great. And despite what it looks like on the outside, that person is NOT HEALTHY.
On the contrary, the person who eats well most of the time, but isn't afraid of a sociable glass of wine or piece of Cadbury's chocolate here and there. They are mindful with their food choices but don't think too much about food, because they have other things going on in their lives. They are relatively sociable (hence the sociable wines), workout when they can and are pretty laid back. Sure, this person might not look like GiGi Hadid as they walk down the beach, but they are HEALTHY.
What I'm trying to say is it's very hard to maintain scenario one, it's too extreme. Extremes are not good for the body, they send us into survival mode. The best thing is to be balanced. Small tips of balance are relatively easy for the body to handle. But going extreme (like cutting out all carbs, sugar and junk food) will send us into turmoil.
So in the New Year, be kinder to your body. Ease into a healthier diet. Don't beat yourself up about one bad meal or "dirty" food choice. Just carry on, evolve, and do the best you can.
I'm now off to find some ready salted crisps....
V x
