We are bombarded with reports of what you shouldn’t eat, what has too many hidden calories, what fats to watch out for and what research says is the new cause of cancer. Sometimes I wonder why we eat at all and I definitely understand why we stop caring. One day coffee is the cause and the next day it is the cure, while broccoli becomes the cause.

There is another way to look at food that will resolve this issue once and for all. The purpose of food is to keep up alive. We need the fuel and the nutrients to operate our body and our mind properly. So, we need to start thinking about it as the life saving nutrition that it always has been. That is not to say that we don’t have to be conscious of food allergies, chemicals and processes. But, the basic purpose of food is to keep us operating.

Years ago when food wasn’t as readily available as it is now, people savoured every bite. They didn’t worry about the calories, they consumed as much as they felt they needed so that they had the energy to do the work that needed to get done. Yes, things have changed. Maybe we don’t do the same physical work as everyone did back then. But, the same basic principal applies, food is a gift we are given and should be revered as something that is required daily to keep us living.

The key to a new way of thinking about food is not what to stop eating but what to start eating. Regardless of what you may have eaten (that maybe you wished you hadn’t) you still need that good fuel to keep you going. For example: when you arrive home from work starving, you dip into a chocolate bar, or a bag of cookies, you tend to tell yourself to taper what you might eat next, even if it is a healthy supper. The cookies likely tasted really good, as they usually do. So, hopefully you enjoyed them while you were eating them, they were a treat you offered yourself. However, that doesn’t change the fact that your body still requires some good nourishment. It still requires some natural fruits or vegetables and maybe some protein or grains. So, the only real mistake to be made here is to not eat anything more, like the good foods that you need, because you didn’t get the nutrients you needed in the cookies.

You see, as we start to eat better, we feel better. Our body gains more energy to burn off fat and you start to improve your metabolism. Our brain, our organs and all systems start to work more effectively if we feed them good food and not so much when we starve them. We can starve them by lack of food or we can also starve them by empty calories found in a lot of junk food.

Holding off on eating a more healthful meal because you may be over your calorie limit will not help you. If your body did not receive the nourishment it needs, it will keep telling you that it is hungry. It is not always about whether your stomach is full or not. If it needs minerals and vitamins from some raw veggies, you can eat other things until you are blue in the face, your body will still want more because it knows it is lacking something.

When you eat something that you wish you hadn’t, follow it up with something you know your body can benefit from. Don’t starve yourself because you think it was too much. Eat what you may have needed in the first place. Don’t feel guilty for what you did eat, enjoy it while you are eating it. Then, let your next snack be one that gives you a bit of a natural boost.

Cravings can also be a really good thing. They are your body’s natural means to tell you what it needs to work effectively. Now, if you rarely eat natural foods and consume excessive amounts of one thing, chances are your cravings will be a little manipulated. If your body is used to eating fruits, vegetable, proteins and whole grains, even occasionally then your cravings can be a little more trusted. If you are anxious for some chips, you could quite possibly be requiring more salt, which can be necessary to improve your water absorption. Want a nice big steak; maybe you desperately need more protein in your diet.

We all know that if someone tells you “no” you want it more, even if that person is yourself. So, we need to start saying “yes”, to all kinds of foods. Variety is the key. The more we incorporate all kinds of food into our diet, the more we can trust what our body might need. Start by adding a good food a day that you like. Not sure what to start with? If it is something you could get on a farm 50 years ago, that is usually a good place to start. Worry about what you want to add to your diet and let the rest happen as it may. As the process continues you will start to crave some of the good foods you have added. Your taste buds will start to change slightly even if you have not eliminated the more indulgent foods from your diet.

And at the end of the day, when you can’t stop thinking about the “Big Mac” you can go for it without guilt. Because you know, that your body has and will be getting all the other nutrients it needs, as well. I am convinced a good indulgence now and then is good for the soul. When you do go for it, I hope you enjoy every minute of every bite, guilt free. Because, wouldn’t that be a waste if you didn’t.