No Eating After Dinner Challenge: Day 14

Every day, all day, I think about food.

• Preparing three meals a day for 6 people.
• Getting snacks for the kids
• Figuring out my own nutrition timing
• Planning dinner with the family every 10 days
• Grocery shopping multiple times a week
• Remembering what snacks and drinks my kids had
• Making sure everyone drinks enough water
• Asking myself if I am bored or actually hungry.

It’s no wonder we have become obsessed. From that list above, I am living and breathing food even when I’m not fueling myself. It’s everywhere. There are so many recipes, videos and pictures of people’s food all over the internet. We showcase food for more than what it’s original purpose was: to keep us alive. It has become the centerpiece for our get togethers. It is the main concern for parties and if you are anything like my family then you are planning your next meal while you are eating your current meal. I’m all for preparedness but our society as a whole has an obsession with food.

I’m no exception.

It’s nice to know that I’m not alone in my skewed relationship with food. It’s almost as if it has human qualities and we idolize it, putting it on a pedestal. If food didn’t taste so good I would be happy eating the same thing everyday but with all the flavor combinations, it’s hard to resist trying new things. The problem is not food itself but the over consumption and eating to deal with emotions.

I get why little kids eat the same thing everyday and are okay not having a ton of variety. They are still in the stage of life where food is sustenance and nothing else. They eat because they are hungry and for no other reason. It is only when they get exposed to new things that food becomes more than fuel. It is curious to me how my youngest can leave almost an entire plate of food because he wants to play.

For him, there are more important things to take care of than eating. He doesn’t even think about eating after dinner unless he is truly hungry. 99% of the time, he is satisfied with what he ate and is good till breakfast or even longer. His body tells him when he needs to eat, not his brain.

The problem occurs when other people (like me, guilty as charged) give him snacks as a way to cure boredom while at a sibling’s sports game instead of letting him be bored. I do this with all the kids. They are not hungry. It’s more about keeping them entertained with food so they will be quiet.

And I wonder why our family has an addictive love food. I do things out of what is convenient for me and instead of being truly intentional about food with my family.

Time for another change, kiddos! Mom is really waking up here!

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