Food is not entertainment. These four words helped me change my dietary mindset—which helped me change my eating habits, which helped me drop from 240 pounds to 160 pounds in two-and-a-half years. Fat to thin, unhealthy to healthy, flabby to fit.
Accordingly, I no longer treat food as entertainment; rather, food is meant to nourish: food is fuel, plain and simple.
That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy food, though—I enjoy it immensely: I eat with friends. I share meals with loved ones. I drink coffee with strangers.
The difference is I don’t turn to food to entertain me, to comfort me, or to “get me through tough times.”
I turn to food to power my body, to make me feel great, to keep me healthy (I haven’t been sick in years—not even a common cold). These things come first, and then I’m free to enjoy each meal.
Expanded thoughts: A Minimalist’s Thoughts on Diet.