some rules are meant to be broken

Especially if you're an angsty teen bucking the school dress code and/or causing good trouble. Ever thought about rules related to eating behaviors and the food you consume, aka your diet? What happens when food rules cause more harm than good, are used for quick fixes like drastic weight loss, and/or require unsustainable food-related behaviors?

Are you familiar with the term 'food rules?' According to dictionary.com, rule is defined as a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing conduct within a particular activity or sphere. So, fill this in with food and you get:

food rules are a set of explicit principles controlling conduct over food.

I've been seeing a lot on social media talking about food rules and definitely had convinced myself that oh yeah, I don't have those. But then I sat down to have some nachos the other evening. And you know what my muscle memory led me through (both thoughts and physically)? 'Oh, just toss it on top of some salad greens and you're good to go.'

whoa, whoa, whoa there, lady! did a food rule you followed in high school just rear its ugly head 15+ years later?

Why yes, yes it certainly did, and it all came flooding back to me. I remember convincing myself that anything mom made for dinner was healthy if I put in on top of a salad (in reality, everything she made was quite healthy and probably didn't need the extra veggies), but that's what I did and how I explicitly controlled my own conduct around food.

As a health + wellness coach working with clients, don't I formulate suggestions for clients to incorporate into their wellness journeys? Yes, yes I do. And you know what's cool? We can break our co-curated guidelines if we find they're not working! I emphasize co-curated because I don't coach with a top-down approach. The point of a client's wellness plan is to find what works best for them, is as sustainable in the long-term as possible, and to recognize that things (life, work, day-to-day schedules, etc.) all change overtime just as one's wellness journey has twists and turns.

When it comes to food – if the rule isn’t working for you, then it’s time to break the rules and cause some good trouble! Getting creative together can help you achieve your health goals while having a bit of fun.