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Last night I sat down to with my computer and planner, and I went through my schedule for the week. I scheduled out health content, flipped through some recipes, and emailed a few of our wonderful health contributors. I skimmed YouTube for yoga videos, found a few different ways to make an acai bowl, and brainstormed ideas about skincare, probiotics, and strength training.
Then, my boyfriend and I jumped in the car, drove to Carl’s Jr., and scarfed down Oreo milkshakes and criss cut fries. As we drove down Santa Monica Blvd sipping on our shakes, he started laughing, and said, “Aren’t you’re supposed to be a health editor?” I laughed too, and realized how ironic my last hour and a half had been. Here I was outlining healthy topic after healthy topic, only to then turn around and eat two of the least nutritious foods in the world.
The strange thing was, I didn’t feel guilty. Not even a little bit. And I didn’t feel hypocritical either. Driving down Santa Monica, I felt oddly free.
This morning I woke up, played with my dog, made coffee, and ate a couple pieces of fruit. I glanced past the sugary cereals and toaster waffles I keep stocked specifically for sleepy Monday mornings, and I reached for a Greek yogurt instead. I genuinely had no desire for anything processed, and instead, I was eager to fuel my body with nourishing foods. I didn’t feel any sense of guilt, and I didn’t want to punish myself for indulging in sugary, greasy deliciousness. Instead, my body craved good foods.
My point is this: eating like crap didn’t ruin my diet; it probably made it better. Instead of sending me into some kind of junk food spiral of doom, like some diets would have you believe, that Carl’s Jr. made me appreciate and enjoy the foods I should be eating. It made me want to eat healthy. It also made me feel in control.
As my face was covered in bits of fries and whipped cream, I was reminded that food shouldn’t dictate our lives. We do that. We decide what we want to do, and how/when we want to do it. If we want to dictate our diets, that’s ok, but our diets should never control us. Eating healthy is a privilege, not some kind of binding obligation. It’s ok to eat like crap. If you’d like to live a long, healthy life, you probably shouldn’t eat a milkshake with each meal, but an occasional indulgence is healthy. It keeps you balanced.
Eating like crap helped me reset my diet for the week, and it also helped me reset my attitude. I woke up this morning grateful I could eat something that didn’t make my head spin from the sugar rush, or my stomach hurt from the grease. I appreciated the fuel that the fruit and yogurt provided me. And I no longer had a craving for junk. By giving myself what my body wanted, now I want to give my body what it actually needs.
So yes, if you’re craving something sweet, salty, or just plain greasy… go and get it. Just maybe don’t make a habit of it.
