My Week of Food Freedom

What would it be like to eat whatever you wanted without a second thought? To eat when you are hungry and stopping when you are comfortably full? To enjoy all of the dessert you want without guilt?

Food Freedom: the ability to feed your body intuitively without negative emotions associated with your eating choices

Countless people work to reach their goal of experiencing food freedom; myself included. Despite my being a dietitian, I still have my own struggles when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. However, on my recent trip to Disney World with my sister, I had one goal in mind.

To eat freely without guilt.

To my slight surprise, I didn't gain weight, nor did I eat past fullness. You see, when you release yourself from the pressure of eating healthy 24/7, the unhealthy foods (or as I like to say joy foods) do not seem so tempting. It is natural human behavior to want what we can't have. So, when we feel like we can't have ice cream, chips, or churros, that's exactly what we will want. Knowing this, I went to Disney World with the intention of eating what I craved and making sure I enjoyed every bite of it. This resulted in a week full of a combination of fuel and joy foods. Of course, I am going to highlight the joy foods, as no one is interested in the leafy greens and tofu I consumed.

Of course I needed to get Starbucks in Magic Kingdom.

And no Disney World trip is complete without a Mickey Mouse pretzel.

In Epcot, I enjoyed a variety of alcoholic beverages as well as a Kringle.

Something that is important to note is that by allowing myself to eat what I wanted, it was easier to say no to things I didn't truly love. That pastry is a prime example. After trying 1 bite of the Kringle, I realized it was NOT my cup of tea. Now although there was a slight pain at the thought of the 5+ dollars I spent of the pastry, I quickly realized that if I continued to eat the pastry when I didn't enjoy it, I would be doing myself a disservice.

Now I know this thought process may sound horrifically simple to some of you. But throwing out food is not easy for many people. For some it is the thought of wasting money, and for others it is the ingrained belief that you need to "finish your plate". Regardless of the why, the point is getting rid of food is difficult. So, this was a HUGE win for me. And I am very happy to say that I didn't have ANY thoughts of my intake except "Damn this food is amazing!".

So, next time you travel or are celebrating a special occasion, eat what you like. But that is the key here, eat what you TRULY LIKE. Every bite of food should hit like that first bite. The minute you are not feeling that joy of eating a treat, it is no longer serving you. Now I realize this is easier said than done. However, if you keep putting in the work, I promise you'll get there.

And remember, you are worth the effort.