The best (and worst) kind of relationship.
Food.
Let’s face it, food is one of the best things on this planet. Food is wonderful. It’s tasty, it make us happy, it gives us energy and it comes in so many different forms.
BUT sometimes it does the exact opposite. It can be gross, it can make us sad, sometimes it makes us drowsy and if you don’t quite have the imagination for it, it can get really boring.
When I was younger, I was an absolute gannet. It was a regular family joke that I must have hollow legs because I could put away more food than any adult at the table. You name it, I would eat it. Unless it was spicy (this still applies now).
After being at secondary school for a few years I developed a bad relationship with food, as probably most teenagers did. I was so obsessed with being skinny that food became a new kind of evil for me. I would limit myself to only one can of Diet Coke a day and have a light snack for dinner - telling my parents I’d eaten a massive lunch. Then I’d wonder why on Earth I was always so sleepy in class.
I would find joy in being hungry, the stronger the pangs in my tummy got the more I could visualise the fat simply melting away. Little did I know I was generating panic throughout my cells and causing my body to cling on for dear life to any drop of calories it got. I would gawk at pictures of emaciated models and listen with glee when people talked about experiences of anorexia, as if aspiring to one day be that committed.
It sounds crazy now but it wasn’t at the time. And it wasn’t for a long time after, I’m talking years.
When I was nearing my 20’s I met someone, who is now one of my dearest friends, who not only had the same attitude change to food in their teenage years but also had the same lingering issues as an adult that I did. We talked about how we understood now that food was a necessity to not feel super shit & tired all the time but it was still a huge inconvenience. We visualised food as a block of matter that we needed to get rid of out of our body as soon as possible. So we would match up the size of the meal with how many hours we would be working (on our feet in a busy restaurant) to burn it off. A fourteen hour shift with only half an hour break? BRILLIANT. Less chance of overeating.
This went on for many years until… I’m not really sure when. But the both of us now look back on this and are amazed that we have changed so much. If you told 13 year old me, or even 22 year old me, that I now eat around 5 meals a day & spend most of my life working out how to squeeze in more snacks… There would’ve been expletives thrown your way.
Yes, you can put a lot of this down to growing up. But it’s not as if I still don’t get insecure about my body now (silly humans). I think the biggest thing that contributed towards this shift was education. Learning that food is good, that your body needs it and loves you for feeding it. Discovering that although one can of sugarless fizz may seem like a good way to fill you up whilst staying slim, you’re actually much better to eat a giant plate of nutritious veg and goodness.
Hang on… MORE FOOD = LESS CALORIES? Where was this knowledge when I was 14, suffering with crippling stomach cramps & dizzy spells.
Now, I’m not going to tell you what you should and shouldn’t eat. Firstly, because I’m not qualified for that and secondly, because your body is totally different to anyone else’s. What I need to be the happiest, fittest, healthiest version of me might be your kryptonite. If you are unsure about the best food for you, or you have a specific health goal in mind you should chat to our newest faculty member, Dave from CAMFIT Nutrition, who will be running cooking classes every Wednesday evening exclusively for FRESH. and with the main aim being creating tasty dishes that are CHOCKABLOCK full of nutrients.
Dave began as a chef within the fine dining industry, cooking for princes (yep, for realz), celebrities & other notably impressive people before turning his attention to his own health & wellness. He got heavily into fitness & along the way developed an interest in using food as part of his journey, to help instead of hinder. He now holds various advanced diplomas in the field of Sports & Exercise Nutrition and is obsessed with nutrition for optimal health. If you want to eat more, feel great & aid your fat loss journey, this guy is the one to chat to. Find out more about FRESH. Kitchen here.
To give you a head start on adding nutrient heavy food to your diet, here are some top superfoods for improved health and fitness:
Oats (high in fibre, improved digestion, heart health)
Blueberries (antioxidants, reduces inflammation, cancer-fighting)
Apples (antioxidants, reduces inflammation, weight loss)
Green tea (antioxidants, increases metabolism, weight loss)
Flaxseed (essential fatty acids, increases metabolism, reduces inflammation)
Broccoli (antioxidants, cancer-fighting, detox)
Olive oil (monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)/heart health)
Beans (high in fibre, antioxidants, improved brain function)
Cinnamon (antioxidants, detox, healing spice)
To sum up, eat more of the good stuff. And ditch the diet coke…
Big love!
Sara xx
