How dating advice can apply to your food.

When you are selecting food just as when you are selecting a partner here are the steps you should consider. 

Where do the good ones hangout?

The chances of finding a high quality mate in a bar are very slim.  You need to go where there is a higher concentration of loyal, consistent, and healthy people.  It's the same with food.  Bar food is not the type of food you should get married to.  (For this article married to food = eat it, since once you eat it that food becomes a part of you).  You need to go where the good food hangs out.  Not the chip isle of the grocery store.  Shop the produce, deli, fresh meats, eggs, etc.  The middle aisles of the grocery store are generally full of the non-marriage material and cheat on you types of food.  They promise you happiness and health but once you marry them, they turn around and make your pants too tight and you depressed. 

Don’t trust the online dating profile!

You don’t trust the online dating profile so why do you trust the front of the box?  The front of the box is the online dating profile of food.  It is the place they try to sell you on their good qualities and not even make mention of any bad qualities.  Someone might claim to be athletic (which might mean they like to watch sports on TV).  A food might claim to be a good source of calcium or fiber but it only has trace amounts especially when compared to its calorie level.  Read the side of the box.  The nutrition label is what you are stuck with if you decide to marry (eat) this food.  COMPLETELY ignore the front of the box. 

Is this they kind of person I want to meet my parents?

Something to ask yourself when considering a food (dating).  Is this the kind of food I want to introduce to my parents?  I don’t know about you all.  I was excited to introduce Sarah to my family.  I knew they would benefit from knowing her as much as I do.  Can you say the same about your food?  Is this the kind of food that will benefit your parents?  Is this the kind of food you would want your children getting married too?

Do they bring out the best in you? 

In my life I’ve had a few of those bad influence friends and even dated some girls that did not bring out the best in me.  One of my favorite things Sarah’s Dad said was that he liked me because of how happy Sarah was.  Sarah and I stretch each other to be better.  Does your food make you better?  Or does your food make you less healthy, strong, and happy.  (I’m not talking short term happy like puppy love or digging into a bowl of ice cream, I mean after the puppy love goes away and the ice cream is gone are you still happy?)

The List

We do it for our ideal mate.  Why not do it for our ideal foods?  Make a list of TOP qualities you would like in your food.  Don’t just go saying salty, melty, and chocolaty.  That’s like saying all you care about in a mate is lips, butt, and abs.  That hansom fella with the perfect lips, abs, and butt might be an alcoholic or abusive.  Need to go deeper than just the initial moment.  You can have a few of those things certainly.  On my list for my ideal girl I did include that I needed to be attracted to her physically.  (I got super lucky with Sarah).  Here are a couple of my top qualities for my foods:  Fill me up, provide nutrients my body needs, tasty, keep me full for a while, give me the strength and energy I need for the day.  Make a list and try to choose most of your foods based on that list. 

Learn from past relationships

We do it in dating (if we are wise, don’t want that same jerk again) why not do it with our food too?  This can be powerful and change your life!  The last food you married (ate) how did it make you feel?  What was the effect on your body?  Just like some relationships are toxic and unless we learn and study we keep jumping into them, our food can also be toxic to us.  There may even be undiagnosed food sensitivities (like a slight allergy), with symptoms like acid reflux, swelling, joint pain, diarrhea, constipation, weight gain, heart attack, stroke, and even cancer.  The last 3 take a longer time to notice, but if you can avoid the first ones on the list, you will be less likely to have to deal with the BIG issues.  Keep track of what you eat, how it makes you feel, and any effects it might have.  One of my reasons for drinking less alcohol was it had an absolutely direct correlation to a squishy belly.  I liked my abs too much to make them hide.  Learn from the food relationships of the past and make your decisions based on what you learn. 

Conclusion

Be selective when you are marrying food, after all it will become a part of you.  You’re worth it!