where's your focus

With all of the gluten free low fat non-GMO no added sugar whole grain low glycemic zero trans fats - oh, and don't panic, it's organic! - foods out there, how can you tell what will really do your body good anymore? Information overload abounds and it's almost monthly that we read about a new fad food of the moment or try to figure out what's good for us today (gosh, that was just bad for us yesterday!).

I just finished reading an article about the biggest weight loss mistakes people make (Self Magazine, March 2016) and the number one mistake on the list is "Focusing on what you can't eat." Of course that's number one!

Because so often we focus on what we can't have, on what we can't do, on the stuff that's bad.

But what if we changed our focus to what we CAN have? How would that change things?

You can't have pasta alfredo on your diet. You CAN, however, have edamame pasta with vegetables sauteed in garlic and olive oil, with a little freshly grated cheese and freshly ground pepper. You can have a fresh marinara sauce. You can have zuppa di mare. How bad is that?

Or you can't have cheese. You CAN have guacamole with homemade baked corn tortilla chips. Or peanut butter and low-sugar preserves on whole grain, seeded bread (as pictured in the not-too-appetizing photo... but you get the idea). Or avocado chocolate mousse.

You can't have parmesan crusted (or any-crusted) fish or meats. You CAN, though, have grilled mahi mahi tacos, and seared steak with garlic and mushrooms, and grilled chicken with mango salsa. Yum!

When we consider that we eliminate things from our diet so we will feel better, move around better, look better, all while (let's get real) not starving, we can replace thoughts of lack with thoughts of "change is good" and "I get to try new things and new preparations and spices I've never heard of" and "I get to fit into my clothes again." Why focus on the negative when there is so much positive, if we just look at things a little differently?

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©Catherine Borowski 2016
www.celebratingwealth.com

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