how I worked on my relationship with food

Hi there!

I just spent the last few days at a video convention learning how to build community and make better videos and it was so inspiring to be surrounded by thousands of people who are looking to take content creation seriously by sharing their story and making an impact in the world! It made me realize how lucky and grateful I am (I do work very hard for this but there’s definitely a good combination of fluffy luck in the mix) to get to do what I love every single day and it’s made me even more passionate about sharing all the ways in which my life is slowly changing and sharing what has and hasn’t worked for me.

In my 20s, I had a HORRIBLE relationship with both food and my body. I tried several fad diets, I struggled a lot with body image and a lot of my mental space was occupied by how I looked and how much I weighed. Over time, I have slowly worked on building a healthy relationship with food and seeing food not as the enemy, but understanding how it makes me feel and what it does for my body.

Today, I want to share some thoughts and mind shift changes I have made around food that have made me feel both healthier and happier!

Let's talk about one of my favorite things in the world (right after Boomer): FOOD! I wish we were talking about all the amazing meals around the world that I have been but today we are focusing on everyday meals and how the meals can be a tool to feeling healthy!

First things first, let's talk about breakfast. You know, the most important meal of the day? PLEASE don’t skip it. It’s been shown that eating within 30-60 mins on waking and waiting to have caffeine 60-90 mins after waking can help you feel so much better because of hormonal changes as well! For breakfast, I usually have a healthy portion of protein (usually eggs) with some carbs and good fats. If I am in a rush, I love a protein pancake or oatmeal (topped with fruits) as well.

For my lunch and dinner, I focus on protein forward meals. I eat those with complex carbs and colorful veggies to keep energy levels up without feeling sluggish. For most of my meals through the week, I meal prep for 3-5 days at a time and it’s been so helpful to keep eating healthy instead of ordering a meal. I find recipes on instagram usually and have an ongoing folder with recipe ideas I want to try and when it’s time for me to go to the grocery store, I went up pulling up 2-3 recipes from there and popping those into my grocery list. I find that this adds in enough variety that I can eat healthy food that also tastes good during the week. This has helped me immensely in improving my overall health, feeling more satiated, improving my skin and even my sleep!

Dan jokingly calls me Snackishma, because I absolutely love snacks and often I struggle in this department. I have found that the best way for me to tackle this is to take away all my favorite snacks (the kind I can eat an ENTIRE bag of in 1 sitting) and replace it with snacks I enjoy but won’t eat excessively. I love finding health alternatives for snacks and I’m always on the lookout for more but my current favorites include Built Puff bar (I hate most protein bars), space balls and making icecreams using the Ninja creami.

One thing that has really helped me with snacks or cravings is to never overly restrict myself. If I have been thinking about a particular food and really want to eat it, then I let myself eat it and be mindful of how much I eat. The letting go on labels for food as being bad or good has helped me so much but it has also made me more mindful in what I am putting into my body and how much of it!

Some big rules I try to follow when it comes to eating:

• Never skip breakfast (if I am fasting, I will just break the fast later in the day with similar foods)

• ABDW: always be drinking water

• Limit highly processed foods and added sugars

• Make sure every meal has some type of protein

• Never restrict myself

• Try to go on a walk after a big meal + dinner

• Make sure I stop eating when I am full, not when I am stuffed

• Add in movement to help with overall energy levels

• Meal prep in advance to have healthier food options

• Always keep a healthy meal option in the freezer for those days you don’t have time or forgot to prep

• Keep healthy snacks at home

• Listen to your body and modify what and how much you eat based on sleep / activity / where in your menstrual cycle you might be.

• Eat instead of drink my calories

• Limit / No alcohol

I would love to hear if you have any other tools or resources you use to help fuel your body and mind to live a healthier lifestyle!

One easy/healthy recipe to try : 

Salmon tacos for a delicious summer dinner!

One positive affirmation to remember : 

I am grateful for the opportunity to care for my body through the foods I eat

One thing I am actually obsessed with :

I adore this summer red dress - it’s both comfy and cute and paired with some white sneakers or heels, it can be so easily dressed down or up!

I know diet and food can be a very challenging topic, especially because of our personal relationship to it but once I started to work on my relationship with it, I started to enjoy meals out more, started to be more confident in my skin and find even more happiness and I hope that some of these actionable tips can help you find more health and happiness!

With fluffy hugs, 

Charishma + Boomer (@life.with.a.landcloud)

In case you missed it, I styled Boomer’s hair while I shared his origin story: why we decided on a Samoyed, why Boomer and how we came up with the name and shared how our first day together went!