“Vitamin P”…Why Pleasure with Eating Matters

Do you find yourself eating something just for the sheer pleasure of it… but then feeling guilty?

You have the thought, “I didn’t really NEED that”.

Today on the podcast I’m talking about why pleasure with eating actually does matter and how you don’t need to feel bad about eating just for pleasure.

I used to be so afraid to enjoy food “too much” because I was so afraid that if I allowed myself to just eat for pleasure and enjoyment, then the floodgates would just open wide up and I’d lose all control with eating.

But we were made to enjoy food. Pleasure with eating is part of a healthy relationship with food. And when you have a healthy relationship with food, the floodgates actually don’t just open up. You actually won’t just lose all control. You’ll be able to eat, enjoy the ice cream or the chocolate or the chips or just the really yummy dinner until you’re full and satisfied and then stop.

This is what’s possible for you, too. You don’t have to be afraid of enjoying food. In fact, as I already mentioned briefly, we were made to enjoy food. And not only that, but our bodies and our health, as we’ll get into here next, actually benefit GREATLY when we prioritize pleasure (aka vitamin P).

Why pleasure with eating matters…

We were made to find pleasure with food for our survival. Our survival rests on us going and finding food. So when it comes to pleasure with eating, this is part of how we were designed. We have taste receptors for the very reason of helping us to continue to feed ourselves.

And second, studies show that pleasure actually increases nutrient absorption and metabolism. I share three studies in the episode that look at this.

So now I want to share a couple of ways to increase pleasure with eating…

1. Heal your relationship with food. When you’re constantly worrying about what you’re eating or anxious, it takes away from the enjoyment you could find with that meal. This is largely part of what I help my clients do. This is also going to help you be able to eat for pleasure without overeating. Click HERE to learn more about working together on this for you.

2. Eat what you’re craving/ what sounds good. A good way to figure this out is asking yourself “What sounds good?”, “Do I want crunchy/ smooth/ sweet/ salty/ hot/ cold?”

3. Make it PRETTY! Just take a little more intentional time to make your meal more visually appealing. A few ways I like to do this are by taking leftovers out of the Tupperware and putting my meal on a real plate and adding color.

4. Make your environment enjoyable. Sit at the table. Eat in a calm environment.

So just to re-iterate. You do not have to feel guilty for enjoying what you’re eating. You do not have to feel guilty for eating for pleasure.

And if you’d like to work together to help you have a better relationship with food and be able to eat the foods you love in a really calm and controlled way and have balance with eating, I want to invite you to work with me inside Stop Dieting Start Living, my course + coaching membership. Learn more about working together HERE.

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5 Things I do Everyday As An Intuitive Eater

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Are You Turning "Everything in Moderation" Into Just Another Food Rule?