Let’s be honest, what is life without chocolate? I mean, I could do without biscuits, cakes, candy, ice-cream, crisps, yes you name it and I would swap that in favour of melting-on-the-tongue chocolate. It’s something I look forward to be having and truly enjoy eating. But I haven’t always enjoyed eating unhealthy food. Years ago I could often feel a wave of guilt washed over me after eating chocolate.

What is the point of eating unhealthy food if I don’t enjoy every single second of it?

Self-analysis

After a while, I decided to try figuring out why I simply couldn’t enjoy eating unhealthy food, and here are some of my theories: 

• The message from (social) media at that time was; sugar is bad and will kill you, basically…

• As a nutritionist, I ‘should know better’

• Fought an inner battle as to which degree unhealthy foods had a place in a healthy lifestyle

• I listened to ‘experts’ saying it would enhance my cravings for more

• I was not sure how much I had eaten

Finally, I asked myself; what is the point of eating unhealthy food if I don’t enjoy every single second of it? That’s when I stopped taking notes from ‘experts’ about healthy eating, quit paying too much attention to social media and started focusing on habits and why we behave the way we do.

Define what healthy is to you

The last point on my list was the real game changer to my pondering; I was not sure how much I had eaten. It was a feeling of lack of control., which is not a good feeling to have. I had to admit to myself that I’d obviously eaten too much, or more often unhealthy food than I found to be okay. It all came down to the fact that I had to clarify what a healthy lifestyle really looked like to me. Therefore, I decided to write a list, and here are some key points:

• Choose a couple of days during the week where I eat chocolate (I get less cravings during the week when I know I’ll enjoy it on Friday evening, for instance)  

• Eat unhealthy food only if I know I’ll honestly enjoy it (I trust my gut on this one)

• Do a quick check in; Do I let my emotions decide now?

• Decide how much I’ll eat beforehand

• Focus more on eating lots of fruits, veggies and berries during a week, instead of not having chocolate (best advice I’ve EVER given myself!)

Although we should reflect on eating unhealthy foods, I think it’s important to remember that all kinds of foods play a central part in our daily lives as well as on special occasions. Food is culture, traditions and years of pretending to enjoy your grandma’s salty biscuits (example of identity, right there). In other words, food can play such a wonderful part in our lives, if we just let it.