An Empowering Question

We’ve all been tempted by foods that we know don’t support our health and wellness goals. I know I’ve had some pretty interesting conversations with myself which have sometimes led to full blown arguments about why I should be able to eat that chocolate cake when I know full well that the sugar has a negative effect on my body.
One question I ask myself that seems to help put a fairly abrupt end to the argument is, "Does this food support my health and wellness goals?"
So for instance, if I'm standing in front of the fridge and want to dive into leftover dessert, I ask myself "does this serving of dessert support my health?" If the answer is "you could do better" or a simple “no”, then there you go! Short, sweet, and empowering!
This same question works if you are scouting about looking for a late-night snack. "Does this snack support my health?" Or what about wanting to hang out and watch TV rather than go for a walk, "Does sitting on the couch support my health and wellness goals?" "Does skipping lunch support my health?" You get the idea.
If you were to instead say, “It’s okay for me to have a piece of cake this one time don’t you think?” then you’ve just given the mind permission to think of all kinds of reasons why it’s okay. Until you eat it. And then the mind starts in with all the reason you should not have eaten the cake creating that well known downward spiral. 
The reason asking the question “does this food support my health” works is because you're asking yourself a question that doesn’t allow for an emotional response. You're not asking a debatable question, you're simply asking a question that cuts right to the essence of what you want to know. It’s allowing you to be in partnership with your body and work together toward a desired goal – your health.
Keep in mind as well that I’m not suggesting that it’s never good to eat dessert or sit on the couch. There are times when these are perfectly okay things to do and when you ask the question, the response you receive will inform you accordingly. There is no right or wrong here, only opportunities for growth and learning.
Try asking yourself the question and pay attention to how you act based on the response you get. Be mindful of your actions and be open to learning about yourself! 
Blessings,
Deborah