2. We believe that every food is a choice.
This one is hard. This one is so, so hard. This one is hard because it goes against everything we’ve been taught and everything we’ve internalized about food. You know what we’re talking about. The chocolate cake you just have to try. The cheese plate you just have to try. The whiskey cocktail you just have to try. But here’s the thing, and again, I know this is going to be tough to hear…
You don’t have to try it. You don’t. Trying the cake, the cheese, the cocktail: It’s a choice. Before you close this webpage, scoff to a friend and say, “These teachers don’t know what they’re talking about.” take a deep breath, think thoughtfully and truly to yourself, and acknowledge what that tiny voice in the depths of your conscience is telling you right now: you don’t HAVE to try anything.
We’ve already explained why we believe each food makes you more healthy or less healthy. Like we said, we truly believe there is no in-between. There’s no “healthy” pancakes. There’s no “light” brownies. There’s no “healthier” tequila. There are simply choices. Choose the pizza when you’re on your honeymoon in Italy at the oldest trattoria in Rome. Choose the wine when you’re traveling with your best friends through Napa on a girls’ weekend you’ve saved up for all year. Choose the foods that make you more healthy because you want to do what’s best for you and your body. Choose those other foods when it’s special, when it’s tradition, when the experience is more than late night Dominoes, or mediocre vodka sodas(or Cheez-Its off a student’s desk at snack). And most importantly, when you choose to do a Whole30, do it with intentionality and integrity and purpose because you deserve to give yourself every benefit the program has to offer. (More on our belief about cheats and slips coming soon).
Again, we know how hard this is: To stop yourself from fixing a broken heart with cookies. To stop yourself from settling the butterflies in your stomach over work by filling it with foods that you think will make you feel better. But when these choices arise, ask yourself. “Will eating this really make me feel better? Will I be less worried about my meeting with my boss? Will it fix my broken relationship? Will it erase the fight I had with my sister?” Unless you are a magician, the answer will be no 100% of the time.
We hope you choose to join us on March 1st. We can’t wait to share some delicious recipes with you, support you as you tackle the sugar demon, and provide you with resources to make the planning and execution of your Whole30 as seamless as possible. We’re excited, we’re ready, and we can’t wait to see what happens. We choose you, do you choose you, too?
