"We must be the change we wish to see." Mahatma Gandhi
We are habits people.
What is a habit?
The Webster dictionary defines habit as: "a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance; an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary".
Sometimes we are not even aware of our habits. They may go way back to our childhood, and they are so deeply rooted in us that we don't even notice them.
You like or you dislike a fruit or a vegetable based on something that happened to you in the past. Maybe if you taste the fruit today you will discover your taste has changed.
You may eat or not eat a certain dish because of the memory that is associated with it. If you eat the same dish today you may experience something completely different. The new experience now associated with a new memory may create a new habit or change an old one.
Each of us has a personal taste, there are foods we like and others we dislike. Eating is not only about our taste buds.
We enjoy our food with all our senses.
We enjoy food for the way it looks, either for the colors, the shapes or the presentation on the plate.
We enjoy food for their flavors and their fragrance that can be overpowering like a perfume.
We enjoy our food because of the company we share the meal with.
We enjoy our food because of the emotions that we associate with it: maybe some fond memories from your past like the smell that you enjoyed as a child when your mother was baking your favorite cake.
We enjoy our food for all the experiences and activities, present and past, associated with it, which all together has contributed to our eating habits: our preferences, our dislikes and our addictions.
As a child you may have been reprimanded because you did not finish the food on your plate.
You like big portions because you have experienced food scarcity and unconsciously you may compensate for the past experiences.
You may eat too much because there is too much variety and you are unable to restrict yourself.
They are so many reasons why you may eat too much or not enough. Whatever the reasons are, they relate to your past.
The good news is that we can change our habits, we can create new habits. Our eating habits should help us manage our weight; maintain our weight healthily with a healthy and natural approach to nutrition.
It is not possible to change our eating habits in a day or two. We did not acquire them in a day or two either, but we won't need to wait years to modify them. Scientists claim that our body needs around 3 weeks to get used to a change and adopt it as a habit. This should not be a challenge if you take care of one habit at a time
Do it at your own pace, but start doing it today.
To your health and your ideal weight
