The Hemp Connection:
clean eating

If you follow this blog you know I have a pretty huge issue with the term"clean eating". I get what it's supposed to mean, but I really struggle with how many times I see it referred to with an air of superiority by the person who's talking about it. Eating isn't supposed to make you better than anyone else, it'supposed to nourish you regardless of what you think of others or vice versa.

Many women we work with at inCYST also have trouble with feeling as if there is something inherently"wrong" with them, or that they're broken and in need of fixing. The word"clean", which is the opposite of"dirty" completely plays into a mindset we're trying to undo.

And finally it's still based on rules, and when you're following someone else's rules, you're not entirely in control of your food choices.

I finally came up with something that describes what I wish for all of you. That is, that your eating is EMPOWERED.

Easy to procure and prepare
Marketers would have you think it has to come from someplace exotic and be put through some convoluted manufacturing process to be good for you. Not all antioxidants come from the rainforest and not all foods with health benefit have some other labeling halo like raw, gluten-free, or vegan.

If you live in a small town, or have a tight budget, or have never taken a cooking class, you can still eat well. In fact, some of the unhealthiest eaters I know make many false assumptions about their food religion of choice. There are healthy and unhealthy choices within all food religions. It's how you choose within your belief system that matters.

Mindfully eaten

My friend and I were recently at the Mar Vista Farmer's Market in Los Angeles enjoying an impromptu chocolate tasting by Patricia Tsai, owner of Choco Vivo. She proudly makes stone ground chocolate, flavored in layers that unfold as you let it sit on your tongue. As we were enjoying her lesson, two women came up, grabbed a few pieces of chocolate, downed them without chewing, and walked off. Patricia's disappointment was so evident in her face. She'd put so much time into her product…I was insulted for her as I watched these mindless chocolate eaters.

If you're eating something because you think you're addicted to it and have no control over it, or you overcontrol it because it's high-glycemic or a carbohydrate, or you're thinking more about the calories and whether or not what you've served yourself is going to be enough, or you're eating what a dietitian told you to eat even though you don't like it…you're eating mindlessly. It's only when you're fully present with your food and savoring all, not resenting it or it has to offer that you can truly be full. Until you can do this, you will struggle with eating well. Even if everything on your plate is"clean" or"healthy".

Provides adequate nutrients
As I've said before, I don't have to tell you that a carrot provides more nutritional value than a donut. Your problem is not that you don't know what your best choices are. Rather, it is the barriers that keep you from making them.

Organic when possible

Pesticides have been shown to be linked to hormone problems. Best to minimize your exposure to them. And be sure to thoroughly wash all produce, organic or not, before eating it.

Whole and wholesome
The fewer steps between the vine, the tree, the ground and you…the more value it has to you.

Energy providing and sustaining
A good balance of carbohydrate, protein, and healthy fat will help to keep your energy stablized and enduring. This blog is about helping you learn to confidently eat in that fashion.

Reasonably priced
It shouldn't break your bank to eat well. In fact, if you're finally going to kick the binge eating habit, you may end up saving a lot more money than you think. Extra lattes, vending machine snacks, rack up the money. Eating basic whole foods, in season, is not only bood for YOU, it's good for your wallet.

Ecologically sustainable
If it's good for the planet, it's good for you. Did you know it's not just humans having trouble with fertility? Many other species are not reproducing the way they should. We're all falling victim to the same problem, our planet is out of balance. Putting it back together is one of the most important things we can do.

Bingeing, eating food out of season, overeating a certain food as a culture to the point of depletion, not prioritizing local eating and purchasing…are all out-of-balance practices that when addressed, will have a net effect of enhancing your health.

Delicious

I can't believe I even have to include this, but it is the most overlooked factor in choosing food. If you're not going to like it…do you really think you're going to eat it for the rest of your life?

Didn't think so.

I hope you like the concept of empoered eating vs. clean eating. It's designed to make sure the one in charge of your health…is ultimately YOU.

Clean Eating. It's the new buzzword in diet world. I know its users are well-intended, but I get concerned about some of the judgmental ways in which I see it being used. After all, in 30 years of doing this work, most of the people I've worked with have felt badly about themselves because of their weight, and they have a tendency to use their food language as a code for expressing that.

Got a news flash for you.

What you eat is what you eat. It's nothing more, nothing less.

Of course, the type of food that"clean eating" promotes is something I'm on board with. I'm just becoming concerned about how this term is taking on meanings about character and self-worth that it does not and will never deserve.

--It doesn't earn you brownie points in heaven.
--It doesn't make you a better person than your neighbor or coworker.
--It doesn't guarantee freedom from illness.
--If it's not what you think you should be eating, and you eat it anyway, it doesn't earn you the right to a binge to punish yourself for the bad act you just committed.

You know what they say about porn, even if you can't specifically define it…you know it when you see it. Food that supports your best possible self is pretty obviously just that. Food that isn't, well, you know it when you see it. You don't even need me to write about it, really. What you mostly want here, is either for me to validate your choices or to inspire you to make different ones.

This blog is not about telling you what you should eat. It's about introducing you to foods you may have become afraid to eat because you've been told they're high-glycemic. Or too high in carbs (like those strawberries I wrote about the other day.) Or"unclean". Most of you have problems with your diets because they're not varied enough. Or because you're undoing the imbalances that too much restricting from some previous diet brought on.

I don't allow my clients to use words like"clean","good","right"…when describing their eating. It's counterproductive. It's really important for them to understand that as they are when they walk in the door, I enjoy their presence. There is nothing they are going to do to change that. If they didn't need help with their eating they wouldn't be coming to me in the first place, so there's no point in pretending to be perfect so I'll like them. I already like them.

I challenge you to start becoming aware of how many halos you attempt to hang over your head with your food language. When you stop focusing on using food to be acceptable, what is left? What is focusing on food allowing you to avoid? When we can figure that out…that's when the real changes can begin.

For a day, just a day, be aware of what kind of language you use to describe your food habits. Do your words suggest that you have more worth or value as a person because of what is on your plate? Or that you are a better person than someone else based on what they brought to work for lunch? If eating a certain way makes you feel better (more energy, mood stability, etc.), that's one thing. But if how you're eating makes you feel better or worse about yourself in general, it's time to take a look at why.

And we'd love your feedback. I gave PCOS Diva and soon-to-be inCYST Network member Amy Medling a heads up that this blog post was coming out. She's a big proponent of clean eating and I didn't want her to think I was singling her out in any way. Her immediate response was that maybe we should come up with a better way to describe it. So here's your chance. How can we describe eating that supports healthy metabolism that doesn't easily become a judgmental way to talk about your personal character? Any and all ideas are welcome.

And while you're figuring it out…take a moment and savor the lyrics of this song. It's really, really true. Even if your breakfast was an Egg McMuffin and not oatmeal, or you snacked on red vines instead of hummous and veggies.: )