Confession of a Health Coach: It's not a crime to eat that piece of pie!

Since becoming a health coach, I have come into many instances where people assume that I am very strict on my eating habits. They ask if I ever indulge in something that isn’t nutritional. They assume as a professional, I  never eat the slice of cake, piece of chocolate or bag of potato chips. So, I want to set the record straight....

When it comes to my personal choices, I most certainly enjoy foods!  I do my best to stick to a 90:10 ratio of whole foods such as fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats vs the opposite.  This means that I do my absolute best to eat the healthiest  foods daily and on  occasion enjoy some of my old favorites. So here is my confession about the foods I enjoy. 

My Favorite Treats 

• My favorite choice of snack is without a doubt salt and vinegar potato chips. When around me, it takes every ounce of willpower to keep myself from snatching the whole bag. 
• My favorite holiday comfort food is my mother’s gluten-free stuffing.   
•   I could eat gluten-free pumpkin bread with cream cheese for breakfast every morning.
•  I love Reese’s peanut butter cups!

The reason I share all of this with you is to let you know you aren’t alone.  I find myself wanting a chip and you know what?  Sometimes, I have one or two or three...

The truth about pursuing a healthy lifestyle is to do what is best for YOU.  It doesn’t mean you never eat your favorite foods at Thanksgiving again. It just means, you enjoy it without guilt on occasion.  There is no such thing as perfection.  We’ve all been there when we haven’t gotten to the store, we didn’t prep the food, we’re at a party or go out with friends.  Giving yourself some grace is vital. But it is also important to not let that occasional indulgence turn into a nightly occurrence.

• Enjoy one piece of pie, not half the pie.
• Eat one handful of chips, not the whole bag.

My hope is that you will know that choosing to live healthy is the best thing you could do for yourself. But that also means giving yourself the chance to indulge. It’s one day at a time as you work up to crowding out processed food and replacing them with new healthier favorites!

Before you know it, your body won’t crave that chocolate bar like it used to. You’ll take a bite of that chip and notice that it didn’t taste the same. These are all good things!

And you’ll wake up one day and realize that you love other things and crave them more. This is how I live my life as a health coach and what I encourage others to do for themselves. We are all bio-individual. Yes, strive for health and fuel your body with the best food you can.

​But… it’s not a crime to enjoy one piece of pie.