I had the honor and pleasure of being a guest blogger on Hilary Fosdal’s website (no longer active).
Here is my contribution –
Making Peace with your food
How can you succeed in this new, healthier lifestyle that you’ve chosen?
Here are 3 tips from gluten-free expert and nutrition coach Edie Hoppin.
#1 Focus your attention on the new and delicious food options that you can eat
Deprivation sucks. But Edie says that “when you think in terms of ‘I can eat the whole world!’ you’ll have a better chance of discovering new foods that you love.”
#2 Make a list of all the foods you can eat that are available in your grocery store
Or do it the lazy way, like I did. I walked into Trader Joe’s and one of the associates on the floor saw my confusion as I stared at the ingredients on a bottle of salad dressing. When I asked if they had a list of the gluten free items in the store she happily printed me out a list. It was eight pages long!
Not every grocery store will be as prepared as the Trader Joe’s I walked into, but it’s worth checking online or calling the store to see if such a resource exists. It’ll save you time and frustration if you can scour a list of food items and check off or highlight what you want to buy and then find them in the store.
The alternative is getting very familiar with reading ingredients labels, reviewing all your regular food and snacking choices and weeding them out one by one. But that takes a lot more time and effort at the start and sometimes you just want a bagel not a homework assignment before you can make your breakfast.
#3 Find a coach or a support group
You’re going to have questions. Turn to people who have answers.
Support groups are great places to mourn the food you miss, but also an excellent way to discover great restaurants that cater to your dietary needs.
Better yet, hire a coach and make that first shopping experience in the grocery store less of a terror and time-suck.
Feeling like you could use some encouragement? Video?
How to Set Yourself up for Fresh-Start Success in 2019
I had the honor of guest blogging for Nuflours Bakery
Check out my blog on their website about starting the new year successfully – click here.
