Written by: Heidi Jennings, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Double-shot espresso at 7.00 am. Can of Diet Coke at 1.00 pm. Chocolate bar at 3.00 pm. Glass of wine or two at 5.00 pm. Biscuits with a cup of tea after dinner. But you don’t have an addiction to food, right? Calorie counting. Managing portion sizes. Macro-nutrient obsession. Yo-yo diets. You? Never.
Think again. Almost everyone has an addiction to something, and for many of us, food is the culprit. Even if you think you don’t, allow me to gently point you in the direction of those treats stealing prime real estate in your kitchen cupboard. That special thing you reach for out of habit, boredom, or gasp! Addiction. The mental tally of how many calories you’ve consumed. Assessing the quantity of food on your plate. Are there too many carbs? Not enough protein? The magnetic pull towards a new trendy diet. Maybe this is the one that will magically work! Whether you’re prepared to admit it or not, I guarantee you can relate to one or more of the scenarios above.
It’s not entirely your fault. The food and beverage industries make megabucks from cramming a minefield of processed and refined ingredients into small cardboard boxes adorned with bright colours and catchy slogans and placing them on our supermarket shelves. Cheekily, they then blatantly lie about how ‘healthy’, ‘natural’, and ‘nutritious’ their products are. In reality, processed foods are packed with salt, fat, sugar, gluten, additives, preservatives, artificial flavourings, and colourings and are addictive because they trigger neurons in the brain. They lack any real nutrients and are designed to make you hungry. You end up eating more than you should and the body starts to crave these foods, fuelling the addiction. On top of that, we have the diet industry selling us further lies about high fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, and everything else in between. It’s no wonder we are dining on platefuls of junk with a side serving of confusion.
These industries have a lot to answer for, but ultimately, it’s up to you to heal your own dysfunctional relationship with food. When you can do that, food becomes your most trusted friend and powerful ally, your number one weapon to protect you from disease, and best of all, the ultimate tool to set you free.
If you want to experience the glorious freedom a healthy relationship with food will bring, you must sweep aside the mistruths you are telling yourself about your food choices and habits. Alcohol, caffeine, excess sugar, gluten, dairy products, and refined foods are traps that will ensnare you in an existence of pain, discomfort, illness, and despair. They will damage your gut and leave your body so malnourished from essential nutrients that cravings and further addiction will be the only result. Being honest about your food choices and how they are injuring your physical and mental health is a very uncomfortable subject for many, and very few will initiate change. That’s perfectly fine if you’re willing to accept mediocre or poor health for the rest of your one and precious life. But if you’re ready to experience true vibrancy and vitality and you’re ready to take action, listen up.
Your body craves the dense nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. These foods are supplied by nature and are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that will make your cells sparkle and insides sing. But here’s the real secret behind healing your relationship with food. When you allow your food to provide everything your body and mind need to thrive, your cravings and addictions naturally disappear. Not only that, but your hormones recalibrate, your sleep becomes restful, your skin glows, your mind is stable, and your stubborn body fat melts away beautifully.
So, the next time 3.00 pm rolls around and you reach for that Snickers bar, stop, pause and ask yourself this question. Addiction? Or freedom?
Heidi Jennings, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Heidi Jennings is a Holistic Health Coach specializing in Plant-Based Nutrition. After a health crisis left her bedridden and disillusioned with conventional medicine, she embraced a holistic approach to help her heal. She now runs her business alongside her husband Steve, and together they deliver holistic coaching programs to their clients. They specialize in chronic pain, anxiety and depression, stubborn body fat, menopause symptoms, autoimmune dysfunction, and sleep issues by focusing on the five pillars of health; nutrition, exercise, gut health, sleep, and managing stress. Heidi is also a guest speaker and is currently authoring her first book. Her mission is to change the lives of 500,000 people around the world by empowering them to take control of their health and happiness.
