"I need to lose weight for my holiday abroad," "I need a six-pack for the beach this summer," or "I need to fit into my size 8 dress for an upcoming outdoor festival" are the common thoughts running through most people's minds right now. And what's the one thing individuals do when they want to shed some pounds? They starve themselves.
What is food?
Google’s exact definition of “what is food?” simply says, “any nutritious substance that people eat or drink in order to maintain life.” And while egg whites on a bagel thin and chicken Caesar salad are certainly healthy meals that will provide you with the nutrients your body needs, your body also need other nutrients, thus the term "nutritious" refers to more than just these so called “perfect meals”.
Eatwell guide
The majority of us have learned about the Eat Well Guide in school; it's a circle divided into five uneven portions. Fruits and vegetables make up the majority, next carbohydrates, proteins, dairy products, and last but not least, fats. So if we adhere to the strict guidelines set forth by the most skilled nutritionists, we still require foods such as butter, oils, and yoghurts. So yes, you can have butter on your toast, and you can have a full fat Greek yogurt, as long as these foods are eaten in reasonable amounts, there is no reason they can’t be in your day to day diet.
My experience with food
Since about the age of 11, I was always on the heavier side, not because my parents were forcing cookies down my throat, I was just eating adult portions of food, while not being very active on a day – to – day basis. My weight at the time didn’t bother me too much, I was just a kid, but as the years went on, my self-confidence went down. Whether it was not taking my school jumper off on a warm day, in fear of my stomach sticking out through my shirt, or turning my back to the group of boys while getting changed foe PE to hide myself, I started noticing I would do these little things just to hide my body.
And of course what did 14 year old Francis decide to do, simply stop eating. I’d go into school with no breakfast, not eat all day, and then come home to where my mum will have cooked dinner, and night after night I said, “oh I had a big lunch, I’ll eat this later,” and then proceed to throw the whole dinner in the bin. Did I lose weight, yes, but I also had no energy for anything. I would fall asleep as soon as I got home from school, I would blank out in class due to lack of me being able to concentrate and I would constantly feel sick. Of course doing this wasn’t sustainable, and instead of starting to eat properly, my body craved sugar, mainly due to the fact that my body was shutting down and the sugar would have given it a big “boost.” So after not eating all day again, I would go home and eat an entire packet of wagon wheels, or coconut buns, or anything sweet I could get my hands on. I would eat and eat and eat until a little voice in my head would say “You need to stop eating again.”
From this point onwards I would go about 2 days with no food, and then 1 day of eating enough calories to feed a small family of 4. This bad eating habit carried on for what must have been nearly 2 years. 2 Years of starving myself, binge eating and starving myself again, all because I saw food as “bad” when food is actually your friend.
“Quick Fix”
In most supermarkets you’ll find “fat loss pills” or “cleansing juices” or “appetite suppressors,” which are all advertised as a magic little supplement that will have you looking like a Kardashian in 4 weeks. What’s really in these magic supplements? A range of vitamins, minerals, fibre, caffeine, herbs, and other plants. Do you know where else you can get all these minerals from? That’s right. FOOD! Why spend £30+ on little tablets rather than just go to the store and buy a range of fruit and vegetables which in the long term are better for your health and wellbeing anyway!
Food Is Your Friend.
The moral of the story is simple, food is your friend. If you’re going to a family birthday party, have a bit of cake. If you’re having a BBQ, have a hot dog bun with Ketchup on it. If you just need a night of eating what you want to eat, just do it! No one will judge you; No one will shame you, eat what you want. If you’re hungry? Eat. If you’re sad? Eat. If you’re happy? Eat. Stop caring about what others think of your body and do what’s right for you! Because take it from me, at the end of the day, your health matters more than what others think of you.
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