Focus on What You CAN Have

by Kristine · Published April 4, 2022 · Updated April 4, 2022

I was recently talking to a friend who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She told me that the best advice she has been given since struggling with this diagnosis was “to focus on what you can have, rather than what you can’t”. I told her that I had heard the same advice as well and try to have this same positive outlook on eating and on life in general. While I have never been diagnosed with Celiac’s Disease, there are a number of foods I choose not to eat because they just don’t agree with my digenstive system. I also have an autoimmune disease, and I find that when I eat whole foods, avoid sugar and PUFAS (polyunsaturated fatty acids), and get a good night sleep I feel my best. I avoid processed foods for the most part whenever possible. About 90 plus percent of what I eat is whole food, in that I eat mostly whole food at home and even when I go out to eat if possible. I do have an occassional splurge on special occassions. But I then go back to my usual whole food diet. If I partake in the foods that I should be avoiding for too long, I feel awful and remember why I steer clear of them on a dailyI was recently talking to a friend who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. She told me that the best advice she has been given since struggling with this diagnosis was “to focus on what you can have, rather than what you can’t”. I told her that I had heard the same advice as well and try to have this same positive outlook on eating and on life in general. While I have never been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, there are a number of foods I choose not to eat because they just don’t agree with my digestive system. I also have an autoimmune disease, and I find that when I eat whole foods, avoid sugar and PUFAS (polyunsaturated fatty acids), and get a good night sleep I feel my best. I avoid processed foods for the most part whenever possible. About 90 plus percent of what I eat is whole food, in that I eat mostly whole food at home and even when I go out to eat if possible. I do have an occasional splurge on special occasions. But I then go back to my usual whole food diet. If I partake in the foods that I should be avoiding for too long, I feel awful and remember why I steer clear of them on a daily basis.

I could easily sit and day dream about the fast food and ice cream that I regularly avoid. I could think of my eating lifestyle as restrictive, and some people tell me it is. However, I have found amazing healthy foods that I LOVE and that agree with my body (in that I feel good when I eat them). I look forward to eating my healthy treats, and favorite family dinners. I find ways to make quality food that tastes fantastic, that my body will thank me for. When I look at my lifestyle this way, I don’t feel restricted, I feel energized, healthy, and happy.

Restrictive diets generally don’t work. I have a whole post about living a healthy lifestyle rather than trying to follow a diet (which inevitably I will fall off of). Check out that post here.

I’ve been reading Purpose Driven Life with my daughter for a small group she and I are hosting with her friends. There is a section that talks about temptation. The author, Rick Warren, says that ” Most diets don’t work because they keep you thinking about food all the time, guaranteeing that you’ll be hungry.” He talks about refocusing your attention on something else when dealing with sin (or anything that we want to avoid). When we focus on what we want to avoid, it only causes us to think more and more about it until ultimately we are likely give in to it. We should instead avert our focus. We should focus on what is good and pure. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” If we can have a positive outlook on what we eat, we will not dwell on what we can’t have or what we choose not to have.” Warren says, “The more you fight a feeling, the more it consumes and controls you. You strengthen it every time you think it.” My point being, focus on the good, not the bad.

My friend andMy friend and I then talked about how thankfully things have changed so much over the years when it comes to gluten free choices. You can have just about anything you want in a non gluten form these days. While this is good when you want to indulge, and it’s great for keeping a positive perspective if you can’t consume gluten, this can also make eating healthy while gluten free more difficult. I recently wrote another post called “The Trouble with Gluten Free” about how just because something is gluten free, doesn’t mean it’s healthy. I’ve had many people say, “Oh, you can eat this, it’s healthy, it’s gluten free!” Meanwhile, it’s got tons of processed sugar and/or GMO corn and other junky ingredients. I personally would choose an organic whole wheat pasta over say a processed sugar filled gluten free muffin. But I digress….

These days people are choosing to avoiding certain foods for any number of reasons. You may have been diagnosed Celiac Disease, an Autoimmune disease, or maybe you have digestive issues like irritable bowl or SIBO. Maybe you are eating well to help improve your hormones, or because you want to feel better overall. Or maybe you just want to fit into those jeans you were able to wear pre-covid. Regardless of the reason, if you see what you are doing as restrictive, it will be a LOT more difficult. Not only will it be frustrating, but you may be setting yourself up for failure. However, if you think about all the amazing foods you love and can still eat every day, this mindset will most likely set you up for success. AND, you will feel much happier about your situation.

Whenever I decide I want to tighten up my eating I go through a process. Maybe I just went on vacation and didn’t have much control over my food choices. Or perhaps Thanksgiving and Christmas lead me to splurging on a little too much dairy and I want my digestion to run a little more smoothly. I always do the following:

1.Menu plan. I choose our family’s favorite healthy meals. I pick things that are healthy and that I know my whole family loves so I won’t get pushback. I often ask the kiddos if they have a favorite healthy meal they haven’t had in a while that they miss. Or I let them help me cook. They are so much more likely to eat the food if they cooked it. The less pushback I can get from the family, the more likely I’m going to stick with healthy eating myself.

2.Go shopping. I stock up on all the food I need and put away anything I don’t want to eat where I wont see it. Or I give it away to someone who is able to eat it. I find that if I am stocked up on all my favorite healthy foods (fresh berries, bell peppers, grass-fed beef etc) I am likely to stick with it healthy eating.

3.Food prep. I make all the food I can ahead of time. I make a double batch of turkey meatballs and freeze them. I make a bunch of healthy breakfast muffins for the kids and I. I chop up all the produce I can ahead of time. My kids are more likely to grab the carrot sticks and strawberries if they are cut up and easily available.

4.Make some healthy treats. I’m an all or nothing kind of person. My hubby is not. He can have a day of pizza and ice cream once a week and go back to eating relatively healthy the next day. If I eat ice cream, it’s a slippery slope. So, every Sunday when he has his ice cream I like to have a healthy treat to eat so I don’t crave his ice cream. One of my favorite treats is avocado pudding. I have a sweets recipe page full of ideas if you are looking for some. Often times though I’m intermittent fasting on Sunday nights these days so it’s not even an issue. Like I said, I’m all or nothing. If I’m not eating, I’m usually not craving anything. I can relax on Sunday night, watch Impractical Jokers with the hubs while he eats ice cream and it’s not a temptation for me. So find out if you are “all or nothing” or “all in moderation” and if you need a treat, find something healthy that you just LOVE so you don’t feel deprived.

5. Keep a positive mindset and be okay if you aren’t 100% perfect (no one is). Unless you have Celiac’s (in which case even a smidge of wheat can throw you), you most likely can have a splurge every now and then. My hubby and I LOVE Giordano’s pizza. So once or twice a year, when happen to be in the cities we indulge in one of our favorite dinners. I don’t beat myself up. I enjoy it fully, and know that I wont be eating that way every day… or else my health would plummet pretty fast. Check out “How I do Cheat Meals” (any why they aren’t cheats) here.

I hope this post was helpful. I know it’s tough when you may have been diagnosed with a disease that changes your lifestyle entirely, or you realize that you have to I hope this post was helpful. I know it’s tough when you may have been diagnosed with a disease that changes your lifestyle entirely, or you realize that you have to make some pretty big lifestyle changes to better your health. But your mindset and outlook can make a world of difference. I LOVE all the foods I eat. I don’t live on boiled chicken and steamed broccoli. I find ways to make healthy foods taste amazing so that I don’t feel deprived. At one point I was eating some sort of chocolate every day and was still sticking whith good whole foods. These days I’m often keto but still have higher carb days from time to time. I still love everything I eat… especially grass-fed steak. Yum! I genuinely love the foods I eat. I hope that you do too!

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