Eat for vitality…not vanity!
Let’s share a mindful moment together. Have you ever been aware of your reasons behind the foods you choose to eat?
How much does what you look like (or aspire to look like), influence your food behaviour? Why should our appearance be the most influential factor in shaping our food choices?
On countless occasions I have seen that weighing clients on scales can instantly be the decider of sheer happiness or utter disappointment. This can then set them up for how they proceed to eat for the rest of that day. Can we stop and just think about how ridiculous that a number on a scale should be so powerful as to dictate your entire food demeanor?
Have you ever once chosen to eat a food for its effect on your health, longevity or to improve your vitality?
I’d be willing to bet that a higher percentage of people would eat or diet more for vanity as opposed to vitality. A few reasons as to why I think this is so prevalent in the health and fitness industry today:
1. Social Media Pressure
What we are seeing today is the pressure to display a perfect life through the avenues of social media. People have the ability to control how they want their life to be viewed by others and as such it takes a lot of attention to detail to look their best by way of perfect lighting, countless retakes, and finding the best angle for a leaner waistline! Not to mention the effort it takes to document every best moment, to always appear in a state of emotion likely to engage the most ‘likes’ or comments or to create a persona of ‘clean’ living. The era of the insta-famous fitness model is thriving and leaving most of us a misguided, unattainable path of devastation trying to emanate this unsustainable lifestyle.
2. To be wanted or loved
I personally feel this is the biggest reason why one would eat for vanity. In our culture at present, most people think that a leaner, smaller or a more defined physique will be desirable or attractive in building relationships. For humans, the desire to be loved is very powerful – in fact it’s necessary for survival! So society would have us believe that by influencing appearance in a certain way will help to achieve this.
3. Attention
Genuine compliments from friends, family, partners or even strangers on appearance makes you feel damn good. Sight is one of the most immediate senses we depend on everyday, so to capture someone’s attention based on a visual impact is very satisfying and something people can thrive on and seek to achieve to make themselves feel good.
These are all legitimate and real reasons to eat clean. However is it sustainable? Will it make you truly happy? Will it give you zest for life? And more importantly is it healthy for body AND mind?
These are all questions you will need to ask yourself if you feel you need a different approach to nutrition. I can certainly relate to wanting to eat for a desired physique – I was eating like that for over 10 years! I just believe there is more to life than counting calories or minimizing food variety for vanity purposes.
Putting aside the undisputed health benefits of choosing a plant-based eating approach, I honestly feel the pressure and stress of seeking ultimate nutrition for what I look like, has been completely removed. The mental shift from moving to eat for internal health has been an uplifting blessing in disguise, one that has also rewarded me externally too. I’m now 37 years old and in the best shape of my life without the stress of excessive supplementation, unsustainable diets or counting calories and purely choosing to nourish the body I have been given with foods that will benefit my internal health. The physical results from moving to a plant-based lifestyle ironically, was a nice little added bonus!
Final thought…
Every day you live is one less day on this planet so make the most of quality nutrients & vibrant foods that aid in better health & longevity.
Jason Clark – Co Founder of Perform Three Sixty