Over the weekend I made a Banana Cake (a healthy version of course) and I returned to my youth. Joyous memories flooded back- running around in the shearing shed, playing in the wool bales and stopping for smoko with the smelly shearers. I smiled.

Food is a powerful trigger for certain thoughts, memories and feelings- happy, sad, content, nervous, excited, jealous, anxious, depressed and even confidence. The connection of emotions, moods and feelings affecting the types and amounts of foods we reach for, is just as strong.

As emotions have a profound impact on digestive health, it is important to become aware of any underlying thoughts you have around foods. Acknowledge these emotional connections to overcome any negative effects they may be having on your overall health, aiming to create a healthy mindset around your daily diet.

As I listen to my patients, the most common negative emotional connections to food, include:

BEING HEALTHY BECOMES A CHORE.

When you start to despise eating a certain way, this creates an inner stress and will impact the health of every single cell of your body. Lets explore possible causes that may be leading to you feel this way:

• LONGER MEAL PREPARATION

Being prepared is the key to stress free healthy eating. Start your week with a list of which meals you will be having at home, and those you will need to take to work, or other outings. That way you can design a simple meal plan and know exactly what you will need to purchase at your next food shop.

If the actual cooking of your meal causes your cortisol levels to rise, opt for methods that don’t require your attention for long periods of time. My ultimate favourite is slow cooking and roasting meats. Pop it in the oven or slow cooker, and you will have the freedom to attend to other activities for 2-8 hours.

To avoid getting to the point where you have NOTHING to eat in the fridge (particularly for your lunches), make up enough from the night before, to have ready for your breakfast and/ or lunch. Done!

• BLAND COOKING & LACK OF VARIETY

Experiment with different spices and herbs and you will be surprised of the delish flavours you can create.

My favourites are rosemary (for roasts), cumin, turmeric and paprika (for adding to slow cooked meat, roast, curry and stir-fry), thyme and oregano (in mince bolognaise, over baked chicken, fish and a flavour enhancer in liver pate). Hide those cringes, try before you cry 😉

Don’t forget the importance of using bone broths in your cooking, not only for flavour, but also for enhanced nutrition.

When making your weekly meal plan, be sure to include a wide variety of foods to enjoy over the week. When you opt for the same meals, day in, day out, this not only causes your taste buds to go into meltdown, you have an increased risk of developing food intolerance’s and less nutrients are available to your body.

Aim for rotating between 3-4 different types of proteins (wild caught fish, organic and grass fed lamb, beef, chicken and eggs) over the week, as well as a wide range of organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Meal ideas already seem much more exciting, right?

• PRESSURE FROM FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

In clinic I predominantly see women, from the ages of 18, up to 70. For many of these women, a major roadblock in their personal health journey is the perceived negativity from friends and family. If this sounds familiar, just remember that people are scared of change. If you are determined enough to make positive improvements in your life, your friends and family are more often than not, just scared they will be left behind.

The first step is to remember to focus on yourself. Instead of being upset that loved ones aren’t cooking in coconut oil, whizzing up green smoothies and hopping into sauerkraut, does not mean they are unsupportive. If you lead by example, when they are personally ready for change, you will see them too naturally flourish. In the meantime, just enjoy your own journey.

FOOD POISONING PUTS YOU OFF A FOOD.

For years after a food poisoning incident, I was put off of berries. Yep, the sweet little delicacies most fall in love with at first bite. For me, they would turn my stomach, from just the look of them. The reason? I had a berry smoothie the morning before I ate the dreaded left over prawn pizza (that had been left out of the fridge for far too long). Yes, this was back in my pizza eating, beer drinking days.

My point is, that your body can associate certain events, with foods. Just as my banana cake triggered happy childhood memories, the body can relate traumatic events to foods as well.  The important part for you is to recognise what emotions surface. If they are upsetting, or difficult to process, you should consider seeking the treatment of a qualified Kinesiologist, NET practitioner, or Psychologist. This will help you to overcome any negative connotation and allow you to move on and create a happy experience around consuming that food again.

YOU REACH FOR SWEETS WHEN YOU GET STRESSED.

This is a biggie.

You’re stressed to the max, and likely suffering the tiredness 3pm brings. We’ll call you ‘tired but wired’. You need to get through the day and to do this, you reach for the solution- a quick pick-me-up coffee or chockie, to function at your best. Well that’s what you tell yourself anyway.

Let’s back up a bit. How about we get in before this ‘tired but wired’ condition develops. To really get to the underlying cause, lets start with nourishing your adrenals (learn more here), in order to gain a restful nights sleep and wake refreshed. To keep your energy at a stable level through the day, you need to focus on keeping blood sugar levels at a constant. This means getting quality, clean protein sources in 2-3 times per day, together with enough fats. Yes, I said fats! Think olives, olive oil, avocado, macadamia nuts, bone broth, fat off of meats, cooking in tallow, lard, duck fat, grass fed ghee, or coconut oil.

Naturally supporting sleep, energy and blood sugar levels, will help you keep sweet cravings at bay.

YOU EAT WHEN YOU ARE BORED.

This is my weakness, and has been for years.  I’ll catch myself opening the fridge in times of procrastination. If I stop and acknowledge what I’m doing, I soon realise that I’m not hungry at all. Instead I’m just running away from a job or task that I’d prefer not have to deal with. When I’m in clinic with patients however, I will easily go between meals without stopping for snacks and nope, not needing to bite my arm off in starvation. So for me, it’s not about keeping ‘busy’, but staying in the moment and on the task at hand. No escaping, but instead working through any challenges, just one step at a time.

So, a little challenge for you is to ask yourself, if you are truly hungry. If not, acknowledge why it is you are reaching for food- boredom, procrastination, escape, or even trying to suppress an emotion, such as anxiety? Confront the underlying issue and you will be amazed at what your body will tell you.

CREATE A HEALTHY EMOTIONAL CONNECTION WITH FOOD.

By acknowledging emotional connection to foods, you can overcome unhealthy binges and negative thought patterns and allow them to develop into food and thoughts that will instead nourish and serve you.

Happy emotions help create healthy food choices and nourishing foods, feed your mind.