The Kitchen is Not My Happy Place (and That's OK!)

Hi everyone! It's Karen here, and I have a confession to make: the kitchen is not my happy place. Since I'm a dietitian, this may surprise you (I also don't love kale or grocery shopping). If I spend too much time in the kitchen, I literally feel myself getting tense and irritable (by the time Thanksgiving dinner is over, I don't want to see a kitchen for at least a week). But there is some nuance here, so let me explain...

Preparing nutrient-dense food at home is something I value, and I do make it a priority in my day-to-day life. As a dietitian, I appreciate the health benefits that come along with preparing food at home, as well as the family meal time it provides and the money it saves (compared to eating out). But despite years of trying to make myself feel otherwise, I don't get excited about doing the things that preparing food at home requires - cooking, grocery shopping and cleaning up. I felt guilty about this for a while, especially since my livelihood heavily involves encouraging people to prepare more food at home ;) 

In a funny way, my work as a dietitian has helped me overcome that guilt. Over the years, I have heard countless clients explain their struggles with food preparation at home. There are lots of reasons people struggle - time, energy, resources, cooking skills, nutrition knowledge, food preferences, family dynamics, just to name a few. But hearing all these stories made me realize I am not alone (and my role as dietitian does not automatically innoculate me from these feelings!) 

As I was able to let go of that guilt, I was free to consider a new approach to eating - what if I just roll with what I know about myself instead of fighting it all the time (and suggest the same to my clients?) What if I simply try to find the sweet spot between my desire for efficiency and eating well? By looking at it this way, I found out there is a pretty darn big sweet spot. Balanced, tasty meals can be created at home with minimal effort, time, skills and resources.

I also learned that finding value in what you get out of the process can help you overcome your apathy about the process itself. I may not love shopping and cooking, but I do love the feeling of fueling myself and my family with nutrient-dense foods. I love the idea of not blowing money on eating out so I can save it for something I'll truly value in the future. And I love the idea of creating family meal time, and all the benefits that come with that.

In class this week, we'll talk about my favorite ideas for how to create low-fuss meals - I hope you can join us!