NUTRITION
Divorce, depression, burnout, self-loathing, loss of our childhood dreams, fear of failure - these are the things that the human mind often cannot come to terms with. And so we throw courage out the window and we eat. We eat hamburgers and hotdogs, ice-cream and candy and cookies and cake all in the name of filling a void of emotions we can’t allow ourselves to feel. We say we’re hungry, but what is it underneath the external craving for a Big Mac that we are actually seeking internally? What Drives Behaviour? We talk so much about changing the way we eat and live to improve and maintain a “healthy” lifestyle. Adding more greens or high fibre foods to our diets and exercising more frequently. These are simply put, behavioural changes. But how do we change the behaviour if we don’t know what drives it? Research professor Brené Brown, who specializes on the subject of shame, remarks, “We are the most in-debt, obese, addicted, and medicated adult cohort in U.S. history.” I truly believe that what drives and lies beneath many of these behaviours is often our inability to deal with our feelings and emotions and as a result, we turn to food for a quick fix. Emotional Roots If we want to change the way we eat and improve our overall health, we must deal with root causes, the origin of our over overeating, making poor food choices and turning to food as a band-aid solution. Emotions and feelings are a great place to start. We must dig deep and find the courage to examine what feelings precede the act of devouring the entire tub of butterscotch ice cream, stuffing our face with potato chips or over-indulging during holiday feasts. When we find ourselves digging in the cupboards in a desperate need for sugary sweets or visiting fast food drive thrus a little too frequently, perhaps we can ask ourselves what prompted us to get there. We may just find that our undeniable craving for sugar is actually a buried cry for love. Choosing Courage As hard as it may be, feeling through what’s going on below the surface just might be one of our best means for improving our quality of health. Find the courage to change the way you interact with your food by finding the courage to feel how you feel, however awful or good that may be. Let courage help you get truly honest with yourself about why you choose to eat the food you eat and embrace your ability to choose greater health.
Jacquie Robertson, RNCP, ROHP, is a Certified Nutritionist practicing clinical nutrition, specializing in hormone imbalance, PMS, digestive health and depression. Her mission is to educate, empower and inspire women to heal themselves naturally through the use of food as medicine, hormone balancing, emotional wellness and self-love. Jacquie offers both in person and online 1-on-1 nutritional coaching and women’s health workshops through her private practice. Jacquie holds a BA (Honours) from McMaster University, diploma from Centennial College’s Workplace Wellness & Health Promotion program and is a graduate from the Institute of Holistic Nutrition. For more information on Jacquie, please visit www.jacquierobertson.com.