Ever stop to wonder how people have changed their focus from eating food for “nourishment” or “energy” to eating because they either know they are hungry, or they are eating for pleasure? When did certain foods become extra “special” or viewed as a “treat”? When did it become the norm for treats to be a daily experience? How did food that used to be considered a treat become a regular on the dinner table?
When I was younger, going for a Sunday drive WAS the treat. Over the years, something changed, and going out for a drive (or to the park, beach, movies, etc) was not enough, and the outing needed a “treat” to make it special.
Is it because outings have become so routine, that we feel we must stop for ice cream, chips, or candy to make the trip more pleasurable - the cherry on top of a good day?
Is it because going on an outing or adventure isn’t special - so the outing is ONLY to get a treat?
Is it because we feel that we deserve treats and we have forgotten that treats can be something other than food?
The word “treat” is defined as an “event or item that is out of the ordinary and gives great pleasure” with one dictionary example mentioning going to the movies. The Cambridge dictionary describes it as a “special experience”. Although these definitions do not allude to a treat being food, if the food gives you great pleasure, then it would be called a treat.
Most of us buy food that we label a “treat” – some people buy it more often. For most people they buy it because it gives them pleasure to eat it. The fact that it nourishes the body, or that it does not nourish the body, doesn’t even enter into the purchase.
Or maybe, DEEP down, we know that the treat is “bad” for us, but we justify buying it because we feel we deserve it. How many people on a restricted diet, feel that they have been “good” and that they deserve to be “bad” so they eat something unhealthy?
I could suggest that our issues with food started when “sugar” became widely available to everyone and not just available for the wealthy. I could also suggest that it started with the mass production of food for the city people who could not longer grow or raise their own food. Or perhaps when the production and supplying food for the people became MORE about making a profit than ensuring that people were well nourished.
However, I think it is more than that – a combination of changes in society and in our thinking. Our relationship with food has changed, from one where we eat to nourish our body to one where we allow our desire for pleasure, or instant gratification to choose our foods. We have convinced ourselves into thinking that we need certain foods to be satisfied – or even happy.
Perhaps it is time to change our thinking and the way we think about the food we choose. Try to think of food as “food that either gives you energy” or “food that takes energy away”. If you listen to your body, it will help you know which food is RIGHT for your body. The next step is to forget about eating certain foods when we feel we are being good or bad.
Don’t panic - everyone deserves a treat! Make a list of things that bring you pleasure and nourish you and when you feel you deserve a treat pick something from the list.
My list includes reading, a pedicure, a massage and an afternoon out of the house (typically coffee & a walk)
What are you going to write on your list?
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