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When many of us are trying to set new nutritional goals, we are often tempted to fall back into a pattern of checking in with ourselves before we eat. We might ask ourselves “What am I in the mood for?” or “What do I feel like eating?”

The challenge with waiting to feel in the mood to eat healthy foods is that if we are already in the habit of eating poorly and/or eating too much, it will take some time before our bodies and minds adjust to eating soundly and to crave whole foods. We will need to take deliberate action at each meal, whether we feel like it or not, in order to acclimate to a new way of eating.

Some of us have had the experience of barely being able to visualize eating smaller portions, forgoing junk food and chemically laden drinks, but then with some determination we begin adjusting to a brand new way of eating. Ultimately, the consistent actions that we take become normal to us, involves increasingly less effort and our bodies begin desiring the things that are best for it. We may find that we are actually in the mood for a salad rather than a burger and fries, that we would rather drink lemon water than soda pop and that eating too much for our bodies happens less frequently and feels undesirable.

It often takes 21 days to create a new habit. It may take that period of time in order for you to begin to feel like eating healthy foods. To fortify your efforts, consider hiring a life coach to help you with the changes you wish to make and to strengthen your resolve until your nutritional goals become fully integrated.