accept that indulgence is not a crime

April of Acceptance Daily Idea: accept that indulgence is not a crime. 

To indulge means to allow yourself to enjoy pleasure. 

"Indulge" is not a negative word. Indulgence is not selfish. It's not gross. It is simply accepting that there are pleasures in the world and that you are ALLOWED to actually enjoy them! 

You deserve to nourish yourself. You deserve to eat food packed with nutrients. You deserve to have a bowl of fruit on your counter, to put fresh berries in your yogurt, to eat piles of steamed vegetables, or crunchy salads. 

You deserve to take pleasure in your food. Tell the voice in your head that is saying words like "cheat", "junk", "bad", "fat", to SHUT UP!!!! You don't have to "make up for it" tomorrow. You don't need to feel guilty for celebrations that involve food.  

There are no good or bad foods. There is only food. Eating balanced nutrition is important. Choosing not to deprive yourself on celebratory days is equally important. 

Teaching your children to make "healthy choices" includes teaching them to enjoy chocolate without guilt. 

So eat the lamb korma, turkey, ham, haroset, raspberry macaroons, pork chops, apple matzo cake, mashed potatoes, flaunes, gravy, injera, cheese smothered broccoli, haleem, coconut kheer, koulouraka, Easter bread, scalloped potatoes, mithai, dinner rolls, keftdes arni, samosa, cranberry sauce, karajni, butter, kitfo, cakes, cookies, pastries, cheese trays, aloo tikki, chocolate bunnies and eggs, and ANY OTHER FOOD YOU WANT TO EAT!!! 

Depriving yourself simply makes you deprived. 

YOU DESERVE TO NOURISH YOURSELF AND THAT INCLUDES GUILT-FREE ENJOYMENT OF ANY FOOD THAT YOU WANT AT YOUR CELEBRATORY DINNER AND NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE OR COMMENT ... NOT EVEN YOU!!!! 

Be kind,

To yourself too

xo

***NOTE: "acceptance" in the context of my writing is about the belief that all living things are entitled to respect, regardless of their actions and beliefs. "Acceptance" in this context is NOT about being silent, ignoring injustices and self and others, or expecting that we can say something is okay when it isn't. In this context I am referring to the idea that we cannot control what happens around us, we can only control how to respond to those things. 

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