There is nothing more frustrating than when you’re trying to make good decisions about what to eat and the people around you are a negative influence. It’s one thing when it’s friends or coworkers, but it’s a whole different story when it’s the people you actually live with. Whether its your family or your roommates, sharing a kitchen with people who don’t eat healthy can be tempting and frustrating for people who are trying to treat their body better. My best friend gave me the idea forever ago to write a blog post about this topic with some tips for dealing with this type of situation. At the time, she was living at home with her parents and I was living alone, totally independent. While I did past have experience with the situation, I wasn't very qualified to write this post at that time because I was completely independent and my kitchen was mine only. Now, it seems my friend and I have switched places: She moved out and I moved back home with my parents after finishing grad school to save some money and continue my job search. I definitely understand the struggle now more than ever. It’s especially difficult when it’s your parents’ house, because most likely they are the ones buying and/or making the food. To be completely transparent, there is no simple fix. For me, I have a hard time justifying going out and buying my own groceries when my parents have a house full of food that is right at my fingertips. The problem is that the food that my parents keep around is not at all the kind of food I usually have in my own kitchen. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible food: my family is relatively healthy (or at least they try) but it's just very different than what I would normally keep on hand. I usually just have the food I need for the week and not much else, so I'm not constantly tempted by processed snacks, bread, cheese, etc. Well here at the Nussbaum household, all of that is right in front of my face and it's hard for me to resist a lot of the time. Even though there are some good options in the house, I find myself often reaching for the "treat" stuff that I usually would only eat once a week or so nearly every day, sometimes even every meal!!!!
From what I hear from my patients and clients, it can be just as difficult when you're the parent. Even if you're the primary food buyer and preparer, you have a family to feed and kids/spouses can be picky or prefer unhealthy foods. No matter what your situation is, chances are you can relate to the struggle of temptation and negative influence when it comes to your home food environment. So basically what I'm trying to say, is that if you're in a situation where you live with people who don't eat healthy but you prefer to, I UNDERSTAND THE STRUGGLE. After several weeks, I can really feel the difference in my body, so I'm finally starting to make some changes in order to get back on track with my own norm. So what can you do? Hopefully some of these tips I've come up with can help guide you.
I hope this is helpful for those of you who live with others. Like I said, this list is for me just as much as it is for you. This is my reality right now, and I've just gotta do the best I can! A healthy lifestyle is important, but if it stresses you out more than it benefits you, then how much is it even helping you? Leave me a comment below if you have any other strategies that you use to help improve your home food environment.
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HELLO!I'm so glad you're here! My name is Michelle and I'm a Chicago-based registered dietitian and foodie. I created this blog to share my love of food and wellness with you all, so stay a while! Archives
August 2018
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