Food, Friends & Fun Times
You are now in this life stage where you enjoy socialising with your friends at cafes and restaurants. Sometimes you may splurge and indulge in foods or drinks that are not part of your regular diet. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though. It is important to have that connection and spend time with your friends. The emotional and mental benefits from these times are essential to our wellbeing.
As your looking at the menu though there is a battle going on between the angel and the devil on you shoulder. The devil is saying treat yourself! Have whatever you want, don’t worry about any consequences. The angel is counteracting that. It is saying you have worked so hard, do not give in to any cravings. Why don’t you just get the salad (again)?! But which one should you listen to??
The answer is… both! We do need to take care of our bodies and ensure that we fuel it with healthy foods. At the same time though we also need to enjoy our lives. If that means the occasional indulgent meal with friends then so be it!
So How Do You Balance Conscious Food Choices Whilst Still Enjoying Time with Friends?
Let’s discuss some options and ways to manage this. We want to still enjoy our time out whilst sticking closely with our normal eating routine.
Review your normal diet and eating plan to see if there is anything that you can juggle around – Are there any swaps that you could make to give you more leeway to enjoy a nice meal out with friends? By making a few minor adjustments here or there it will help balance out your daily or weekly tallies. Overall this means there will be no major impact on your eating plan.
Research and plan ahead – Look at the menu so you have an idea of what is available prior to going. This will help you to make a more conscious healthy choice rather than one purely based on impulse. You can choose an option that is going to be more suitable to your eating plan. Plus you have the added benefit of having something to look forward to!
Remember, life isn’t about making perfect choices every single time.
It’s about enjoying the time that we have with each other and what’s important to your goals at this point. Have a couple of drinks at your best friend’s 60th birthday party. Enjoy that slice of wedding cake at your nieces wedding. Making happy memories and enjoying the moment are just as important as making healthy, conscious food choices. Every now and then you do need to let your hair down and place less focus on what is going in your body and instead prioritise the moment. Just remember that this is to be in moderation!
Friends Who Think Alike!
The last point I want to bring up is that we tend to surround ourselves with like-minded people with similar views. This can actually help us to make more conscious healthy choices.
You know the angel and devil on your shoulder? Well maybe your friends have these too! They could be providing them with the same insights – maybe I should do this, and maybe I shouldn’t do this, eat this, don’t eat that! They too have the internal dilemma of how to make the better choices and balance out what they want and what they should have.
If they are at the same life stage as you it is likely this is the case and that they do understand it. Being on the same wave length means you will encourage each other to make healthier conscious choices. You can discuss what you want and find the most suitable choices for your respective eating plans, and you can do this together.
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