Most of us know that nutrition is important to optimal wellness. We may also know that positive, anabolic thoughts generate body-supporting chemicals and processes that contribute to overall wellness.

But what about the thoughts we think about our food?

Just like thoughts can be anabolic or catabolic, foods can be anabolic or catabolic, meaning they’re either supporting our body or hindering it. And sometimes what we think about our food can make it more or less anabolic or catabolic.

If you eat something “healthy” but you resent it and feel deprived, how anabolic is that going to be?

If you eat something “bad” but feel totally satisfied, appreciative, and content, how catabolic is that going to be? What if you feel guilty about eating that same food?

So your thoughts need to be in alignment with what you are eating.

One way to do this is to practice appreciating your food. This may seem simple, but how often are you grabbing lunch on the go, wolfing down a snack standing over the sink, or mindlessly eating while watching television?

I’m just as guilty. I eat my breakfast and suck down a cup of coffee while I’m writing my blog. While I am aware that I am eating, it’s over way too fast because most of my focus is on the words reflecting back to me on my computer screen. Every morning, I reach for my cup and am surprised that it’s empty.

And I’ve switched from yerba mate tea back to coffee in the morning because it’s faster. So I’m choosing something that I believe to be “less” healthy because I feel time-limited.

Time is a physical block for me in this situation, so I’m not likely to switch back to tea, so what I can do is practice appreciating the food and process that is enabling me to reach my goal of blogging daily.

Practicing appreciation is a powerful means for shifting our thoughts and our underlying physical energy from catabolic to anabolic.

So instead of being unaware of my breakfast, or worse, feeling guilty that I am drinking coffee, I can instead focus on how much I actually enjoy coffee and how much I appreciate my quick breakfast.

To me, coffee has one of the best aromas around, and I love having a warm and tasty beverage as part of my morning ritual. I really appreciate our new pod coffee-maker that creates a delicious cup of coffee in about a minute.

I love that I have the means to grab a quick and healthy breakfast while I’m writing my blog because it provides the protein my body needs at the right time after my workout. I love that I am full and content while I write, which enables me to really put my focus and energy on my blog.

Being able to have this time to write and still meet all my other work obligations feels like a gift. I appreciate that I have the choice and ability to shorten my breakfast time to do something that feels so fulfilling.

Now I am feeling much better about my speedy breakfast and cup of coffee. This doesn’t change the nutritional value, but being in an anabolic emotional state enables my body to function more optimally, which means it will more fully utilize the nutrition I am providing it, as well as better adjust to the caffeine I am putting into it.

Striving for optimal wellness requires having your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs in alignment with your actions. Most often we try to shift our actions to fit our thoughts and underlying beliefs, but if our actions are supporting our broader goals, then we may have to shift what we think about our actions to attain that alignment.

Our emotions are the indicator of whether or not we are successful in that alignment. Right now I’m feeling pretty grateful for that cup of coffee and am happy that I have that as an option. If I really felt it was doing my body harm—I do know that there’s a lot of research showing that coffee is actually good for you—I wouldn’t be able to shift my thoughts about it so that I could feel better, which would let me know that I really did have to change my actions.

We don’t have to be perfect. But we do have to be in alignment body, mind, and spirit.

Where are your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs out of alignment with your actions? In what area does a shift need to happen? What do you need to change to generate a more anabolic feeling? How do you feel physically when you make that change?

Together we can do it!