How are we going to get to 100 if we don’t talk about food?
I have certainly avoided the topic long enough, trying to figure out how to even approach what I now know and break it down the way I wish it had been presented to me. (Remember, it’s normal to avoid difficult topics!)
I put off any deep examination of the nutrition part of my health until one year ago. I have struggled with some eczema and rosacea. Wanting to get to the root cause brought me to face my relationship with food, and while I certainly haven’t got everything figured out, I feel good with the many changes I’ve made over the past year and I want to tell you about them.
But remember, this is Project 100. This is a one bite at a time kinda place.
This week’s invitation is to use this particular fresh set of 168 hours to reflect on our relationship with food and drinks by setting one fresh intention.
Make Sure There’s a Heapin’ Helpin’ of Joy
Every single change we make with food will be emotional.
Eating is a big part of each day for me and most of the people I get along well with.
And I’m rather particular. First, because I’m sensitive, I can taste all the notes, and have strong preferences around textures. But second, because I’ve tasted a lot of the world’s best, it’s impossible for my tongue to forget! I revel in food I find delicious.
I know I’m not special - we all want our food to taste good. And my assessment of myself and all the people I’ve ever interviewed about food for various brands over the years is that we want it to magically be healthy enough.
I’ve heard many times that people would rather die than eat cardboard.
But that is a false choice: un-healthy vs cardboard.
I’ve always known that healthy can taste good. I did not realize it would become a part-time job to achieve it in most of my meals.
I do know changing behaviors gets easier stacking new behaviors one by one.
Step one, for me, is getting in touch with the joy I feel for food I find delicious that is actually healthy.
“Actually healthy” is going to have to stay a little vague for this week knowing there is real nuance for each person. However, one generalization that is undeniably, for sure, right on for the human body is the RAINBOW PLATE.
The Rainbow Plate invites you to think, with every new meal, how can I add more color to my plate?
Can I make something delicious from vegetables that cover a lot of colors?
Can I add a garnish that doesn’t impact the taste or texture negatively, but adds some color?
We can write the benefit pyramid together. You know the rational benefits of eating the rainbow will get more nutrients into our bodies. The emotional benefits of adding purple to our plate alone are substantial - it’s a delightful color.
Here’s a the call to action: add purple cabbage, red onion, beets, or beet microgreens to your plate this week.
That was my secret when I enrolled in a four month program, photographing every meal and uploading it for inspection. Two times I was awarded the “Rainbow Plate Award” for having the most color.
Honestly, with my purple strategy and portrait mode, those other two months I was robbed!
Here’s some inspiration to get you going. If you give this a try, take a picture and tag me.