Eating healthy shouldn't be something we do on occasion, but a daily life choice we make. Why don't we? Because we love food! One of the biggest pleasures I have is shopping for groceries. I slowly glide my shopping cart up and down the isles, staring at the freezer compartments for new and exciting baked goods. I love everything I see, which is the problem I have with food. I do love food.
When I was younger I enjoyed food, but I wasn't as possessed by it as I am today. I was too, busy tending to my family, working long hours and trying to keep my household intact. Now that my family is grown, I'm divorced and living on my own, food has become a focal point in my life. I have hobbies which I enjoy, but there is something about baking sugary goodies that keeps me happy. I'm constantly baking cookies, cakes, brownies and pies. I've thought about starting my own online bakery I enjoy it so much.
Years back I decided my love of jewelry would make a fantastic business, so I bought thousands of dollars worth of jewelry. Within a couple years of marketing jewelry, my passion for jewelry diminished. It was no longer a hobby which I enthusiastically enjoyed, it was an actual job that required long hours of work on my behalf. Something tells me if I did start a bakery, my passion for food would also subside.
What is it about food that makes us so happy? It's psychological and rooted in our childhood. Certain foods bring back memories of holidays spent with love ones, meals our mother or grandmothers prepared for us with love. When I cook the favorite dishes of my family, all the warmth and joy I felt preparing those dishes return. Is it no wonder that we are a nation of obese individuals? Food is an instant feel good high, so of course we're going to eat, eat, eat! We all like to feel good.
What doesn't make us feel good, is when we look at ourselves in the mirror. All those added pounds and bulges make us feel worse about ourselves, instead of better. How do we break this cycle of food, weight and depression? When stressed, I reach for chocolate. I firmly believe there is nothing chocolate can't cure. When nibbling on my candy bar (or shoveling it down in three bites), I instantly feel my spirits lifted. Who would suffer a blue mood when it can easily be replaced with a sugar high?