Food is Not a Reward
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There are many of us that struggle with using food as a reward.
Have you ever said, “I’ve been good all week, I deserve this pint of ice cream.”?
“I had a rough day at the office, I need a bottle of wine.”
Food is not a reward and shouldn’t have to be earned. Food is FUEL for your body.
We’ve all done it a time or two before. I mean, who are we kidding, it feels good to “earn” that ice cream and a bottle of wine. it may seem harmless but when it goes a little too far it actually puts food in a position of power—and if we give food the power to reward us for good behavior, we can find ourselves totally at the mercy of our food. It can turn to emotional binge eating and so much more when food has power over us.
There has to be a happy medium here, an 80/20 rule of sorts.
If we continuously use food as a reward system or something that is “good” or “bad” , rather than make wise choices and practicing moderation, we begin to associate it with whether or not we’re even worthy of such indulgences. We start tying it to emotions.we use it to determine whether we’re good or bad and we stress over every little thing when it comes to food. Do we “deserve” to eat cake? Is it “good” or is it “bad”?
We’re always giving or taking away certain foods from our kids bases on their behaviors. If they’re good, they’ll get the treat. If they’re bad, they get nothing. When did we turn to giving food as a reward? I don’t get it.
Somewhere along the line, we’ve learned to feel either proud or guilty about every food choice we make. But it’s just food, and you shouldn’t have to feel guilty about wanting the occasional snack. You shouldn’t feel you have to “be good” to earn it either.
The important thing here is that you don’t tie such an emotional bond to your food. You eat to live, not live to eat. Eat according to your goals and go with the 80/20 moderation. Don’t feel guilty if you eat a snack now and again.
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