We’re food obsessed and if we don’t shift that mindset it will continue to have dire consequences. “Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat.” Socrates.
A simple idea that we, at least in North America, have very backwards. Most of our society lives to eat. Be truthful now. Do you?
There is an entire network dedicated to food. There are hundreds of TV programs on a wide range of channels focused on food. Magazines that dominate the newsstand are highly focused on food. Whole sections of the bookstore are on food.
Try to think of the last social outing that was not food first, something else second.
Common Events Tied To Being Food Obsessed
- Networking group breakfasts
- The weekend barbeque
- Birthday’s
- The business lunch
- Christmas Dinner (or pretty much any other holiday)
- Getting together over coffee or tea and…
- After work for drinks and appetizers
- Going for a run or walk then meeting at the coffee shop for a drink and muffins
If you’re being truthful I think you’ll find food and drinks are the central and primary focus of a large number of social gatherings.
The problem is that much of what served or available in all of these scenarios or highlighted on TV, in magazines, etc. is not exactly healthy. And because of our obsession and our acting out of unconscious habit we consume and over consume way too much of those unhealthy choices.
Yes, absolutely YES, food is vital for life and yes, absolutely YES food can taste great AND be healthy.
But through very effective marketing and media and through repeated attendance at any of the above mentioned events we’ve become conditioned to love increasingly unhealthy choices… and way too much of it!
It leads to increased stress when we are trying to eat healthy and there are few good choices or we feel obligated to eat choices served or we want to serve healthy choices at our own events but feel we may be judged if we do not serve what everyone is used to seeing.
This, of course, leads to poor health.
Increased stress and an unhealthy lifestyle leads us on a path towards highly preventable lifestyle related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and even cancer and of course, how any of those may impact your life.
Break The Mindset Of Being Food Obsessed
The mindset of our obsession with food has to be broken. If you are struggling with how you look, how you feel, how you feel about yourself, or with a lifestyle related illness this is even more imperative.
- We must accept that it’s okay to host a social event and serve healthy choices even though many attending will be expecting otherwise.
- We must accept that it’s okay to speak up and suggest alternative more healthy restaurants in social or business settings.
- We must learn to ignore TV, the internet, magazines, books, and other things that attempt to drag us back towards food obsession.
- We must learn to say NO!
Until acceptance shifts from intellectually getting it to emotionally embracing it and you can consciously frame food more healthfully your struggle will likely continue.
Beginning with a degree in exercise science and kinesiology, Brent Haydey has evolved over thirty years as an entrepreneur; building four businesses, and as a health, executive, and life coach.
