Think about your significant relationships. Consider how you prioritize and devote yourself to others to maintain positive and fulfilling connections. Then consider if you treat your relationship with food with similar values.
Our relationship with food shapes our interactions with others and even ourselves. This relationship – like all positive associations in our lives – needs time, attention and effort. With life’s increasing pressures and seemingly decreasing time, our relationship with food often sits on the back burner.
Colorado State University’s Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center believes a healthy relationship with food means positive and pleasurable mealtimes free of fearful and restrictive thoughts. We should honor the eating experience with intention and attention, and recognize its power in shaping our health and happiness.
Advice for your relationship with food
March is National Nutrition month, a time to celebrate eating and this year’s theme “Put Your Best Fork Forward.” Putting your best fork forward is a reminder that each of us holds the tools to benefit our connections with food. KRNC celebrates National Nutrition month with refreshing advice to support this relationship:
- “We each have the power to make choices related to food and eating habits. If we want to make better choices, we should make small changes that are realistic and positive, changes that incorporate foods and amounts that feel good to us and make us feel good.” – Melissa Wdowik
- “Normal eating can be sometimes overeating and sometimes not getting enough. Normal eating is flexible and varies in response to life – whether that be hunger, a busy schedule, convenience, or emotion. Give yourself unconditional permission to eat and trust your body to make up for any mistakes you may make along the way.” – Shelby Cox
- “Respect your unique body and know that progress makes you your best self, not perfection. Honor your health by making food choices that please your taste buds and fuel your body well.” – Amanda Boostrom
- “Make every meal count. Whether the goal is to provide the energy and nutrients you need in the moment, enjoy delicious flavors, or serve a role in a social gathering; enjoy it and make it count.” – Johanna Bishop
- “Recognize how food serves you. Some foods fuel your body with nutrition, others nourish your soul with pleasure, and food is community and a means to connect with others. Having a healthy relationship with food is more than eating healthy foods. Each time you eat, you have the opportunity to put your best fork forward and make powerful choices using food to connect with yourself and others.” – Kalyn Garcia
To find out more about National Nutrition Month, go to www.eatright.org. Making the right food and nutrition choices is a necessary part of living a healthy lifestyle. To learn more, contact the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center, www.nutritioncenter.colostate.edu, or make an appointment for individual nutrition coaching with a registered dietitian nutritionist. Call (970) 491-8615 to schedule your appointment today!
For delicious recipes, nutrition tips, and to find cooking and nutrition classes, go to the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center website. More great info also available at the College of Health and Human Sciences Pinterest board.
