Can you blame your parents for your cravings?

 The short answer to this question is YES. 

But.... sometimes it's a good thing. 

One thing I discuss a lot with my clients is cravings. I don’t think cravings are necessarily bad. It’s one way that our body communicates to us, since it doesn't really speak English (or Spanish for that matter).

My nutrition school calls one cause of cravings, "the inside coming out." In other words, our past and our memories can call us to eat certain foods. 

Here's an example from a Disney classic, Ratatouille.

*Spoiler Alert. I'm talking about the end of the movie*

One of my favorite scenes in Ratatouille is when the little mouse triumphs . The food critic gives a positive review because the mouse's traditional peasant dish reminds him of his boyhood. 

(If you want to get really nerdy, this is actually a concept we learn from Marcel Proust known as involuntary memory.)

Food can taste better because it came from home. Or maybe it was forbidden when you were growing up and so it becomes all the more alluring. 

The  holiday season is certainly a time when we call to memory our past and our rituals that we have had in previous years. It's a time of year where we eat certain foods because of the day.

So as you festivate through the Christmahanakwanzika season, pay attention to which foods call your name. Why do you want them? I know I suddenly start hankering for copious amounts of sugar cookies because of happy memories of fun-shaped cookies and frosting. 

There's a  subtle shift to make when we notice these cravings happening. Realize WHY you're craving sweet things. It could be something simple like because you're blood sugar is low but it could also be that you're missing home or someone or a memory.

 Do your best to attend to the REAL motivation behind your craving. If you're looking for love, get a hug from a friend or a kiss from your partner. If you're missing home, call home.

But sometimes, it can work as well to bake those cookies yourself and relive that experience.  

Just remember you don't have to eat all the cookies to experience that memory. 

*** For more information about cravings or if you need help with your holiday cravings, I'm currently taking clients now and throughout the holiday****

A Disney Princess Feminist

I wasn't recently reading this article on Jezebel about a young woman who has petitioned Disney to have a plus-size princess. Meme Roth has some pretty insane opinions about how "horrible" this would be for young girls. This got me thinking about, you know, the whole princess thing. 

I have the privilege of working with a lot of very feminist ladies who are all talking about how hard it is to raise daughters without barbies and princesses. It seems young girls are overexposed to toys and images that impress upon us  body image ideals and behaviors that hold us back in a lot of ways.

One big reaction I have to this is the formative role that Disney princesses had in my own life. I grew up on Disney. I watched the Little Mermaid so many times that I was convinced I could become a mermaid. And while sometimes I'm disappointed my breasts don't fit perfectly into seashells, I feel like there are traits from Disney princesses that I think straight up made me a feminist.  Here are three Princesses that inspired me: 

The Little Mermaid: 
#1: Ariel made me STOKED about swimming. I pretty much became a butterflyer because I thought it was like being a mermaid which gave me a tough pair of guns. I used to beat boys in push up contests. BOOM! 

#2: She wanted more than to just be a trust-fund baby. She liked exploring and she wasn't afraid to courageously move beyond the world she knew. 

Beauty and the Beast: 

#1: Belle loves reading. I straight up read books because I wanted to be a smartie like Belle. 

#2: She didn't care what people thought of her. I'm still working on this one. 

#3: She loved her dad at lot. Love you, Pops! 

#4: She was willing to overlook appearances in favor of getting to know people before judging them (This is obviously a "problematic" component to her relationship with the beast because he's a little abusive at first... ). 

Mulan: 

#1 Mulan is tough. And apparently, I was also into push-up contests.  So WIN! I really liked being as good as the boys at sports. 

#2 Feels connected to issues of social justice and wanted to participate. I guess you could say Mulan is the reason I founded an Amnesty International Chapter at my high school. She would totally be a member of Pussy Riot. 

Shout out in the comments if you think I missed out on any stand-out animated feministas!