Embracing the "ish"

My favourite food word is "ish".

For those who know me, I am a passionate, fun loving person.  I am far from perfect, but am so okay with that.  I love what I do for a living, and I love the other parts of my life...my kids, my husband, my puppy, my family, my friends.  These are in no particular order. But as usual, I have gone off topic...

Beet Salad at Eleven22 in Golden, BC

In my dietetic practice, I see all walks of people...picky eaters, children with autism, eating disorders, families who need help with meal planning, weight loss clients...the list goes on.  Food is an interesting thing.  It is something that has no feelings, but yet it can be the culprit of so many feelings within ourselves.  We may feel good about eating a yummy beet salad, and guilty for having the  bacon mushroom cheese burger with onion rings.

The Bopper Burger at Legendz Diner,
Golden , BC

I enjoy all foods, and really believe that all foods can fit.  It is how we make these foods fit into our lives that counts.   Healthy eating is not about perfection...I tell this to my clients constantly, because as soon as you have the word "perfect" in your head, you are destined to feel as if you have failed.  Instead of striving for perfection in eating, go for the "ish"-factor.  It's not about measuring food and reading labels obsessively. It is about knowing what you are eating and becoming a really good and honest guesser as to how much is on our plate (most of the time).  I mean, who really cares if we have a cup of pasta or if it is a bit more?  And really, if we enjoy and savour a great meal at a diner (hence the burger and rings) once in a while,  does it really matter?  What matters is that we are okay with eating healthy-ish.  I eat healthy most of the time, but I have room for other foods too.

Embracing the "ish" can help us with not feeling guilty and make us remember that it's okay if we are not perfect with our food choices.  A wise man (and my uncle!) once said,  "It may not be perfect, but it can be excellent"...some good food for thought!

And for the record, there was no guilt with my diner-dinner...only an "ahhhh...." afterwards.