No Thanks, I’m Not Eating That
We met Kristen in our weekly #attune chat and her commitment to healthy eating and helping others pursue healthy lifestyle changes made us curious to hear what kind of food for thought she would give. Enjoy her tips below on how to address food pushers and tricky social situations.
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So you are at a party with your family, and Aunt Millie’s famous double fudge brownies come to the table loaded with chocolate peanut butter ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. You know that your loved ones could potentially disown you and that Millie’s feelings could get hurt if you say no thanks, but you’ve made a firm decision to adopt a lifestyle of purposeful eating. You’ve committed to eating for the right reasons (to give your body energy and nutrients) and are giving up the junk that makes you fat, fatigued and diseased.
What do you do?
You are at the ball game chatting it up with the other moms in the concessions stand. The candy is selling, the deep fryer is sizzling and the fluorescent orange soda is freely flowing. The other moms are handing out hot dogs and ice cream to their kids with one hand and gobbling down an extra large hot pretzel smothered in cheese with the other. They offer you and your kids some “food.”
What do you do?
You are at a business dinner when out comes the buttery garlic bread, Caesar Salad, and the double cheese lasagna. You are at the movies when suddenly the jumbo popcorn and chocolate covered raisins appear. You are at the church potluck when… Come on, you know where I am going with this. Without even realizing it, you are constantly being inundated with social eating cues / situations, and it’s tough to be different. But face it, right is right even if no one else is doing it.
With the exception of your wedding day, it’s unlikely that you are ever going to have someone physically shoving cake down your throat. Although no one will actually be pushing the food into your mouth, people are often pushy about food. Here’s my best advice when it comes to social eating.
It’s Okay to Say, “No Thanks, I’m not going to eat that.”
Those few words often make people uncomfortable. They just can’t (or more likely don’t want to) understand your food philosophy. To that I say, don’t own someone else’s insecurity. Don’t be afraid of upstream living in a downstream world. What you might find is that your upstream nutrition lifestyle may positively influence the current of someone else’s life in a healthy way.
Every time that food goes into your mouth, it’s because you decide to put it there. Several times each day, you need to decide whether a food is worth it; you have to decide if that food is worthy of being put into your body. Don’t ever be pressured into eating something that will make you feel sick or fat. It’s just not worth it. Your gentle refusal of an unworthy food may slightly offend a friend or make your grandmother nervous, but that is okay. So to Aunt Millie, I say, Thank you very much, but no thanks. I’m not eating that.
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Dr. Kristen Bentson the Creator of YouAnew Lifestyle Nutrition and http://kristenbentson.com/. Her mission is to show people how to change their lives by changing their meals.
Jul 05, 2012 @ 08:50:00
I agree! I have been in crazy food situations where people get hugely offended because I don’t eat what they think I should. My favorite was when someone told me that I should at least eat it to be respectful to the cook. I almost laughed out loud! We were at a BBQ yesterday and I brought my own food to grill – I knew I couldn’t eat what was being served. I could tell some people weren’t comfortable with it but no one said anything. It was a first!
Jul 05, 2012 @ 09:43:00
I love it, Amy!! Never excuse or explain your food choices. You always should do what is best for you and your family. I think it’s fabulous that you bring your own food–I am all about it. So you know, I am politely (no thanks) standing strong in solidarity with you (I”m not eating that).
Jul 06, 2012 @ 05:56:00
I guess I get the “never explain” part, etiquette wise. But for me, no gluten is no migraines and that simple phrase has made many people interested and also just happy for me. It turns an awkward social situation into “how about that, that’s just wonderful.”
Jul 05, 2012 @ 10:07:00
I think its better to feel a little guilty about turning down a food offer rather than feel super guilty after eating it!
Jul 05, 2012 @ 10:50:00
Right on, Holly!!