What about our emotional and psychological resources? The time and energy we waste wondering: am I eating the right foods? Am I doing the right exercises? Do I exercise enough? Do I look the way the magazines say I'm supposed to?

My cousin once told me at her work the employees discuss their diets and their bodies on a regular basis. They will sit at meals, talk about the foods they have brought, and the reasons they should be eating something else. They talk about how they wish they could fit into their old clothes, and how they don't like the way their bodies look. This struck me as so very sad, and all I could think was, "What a waste of energy!"�

Why do people do this to themselves? It saddens me to realize we are caught in a vicious cycle. We are caught in thinking about the way we are "supposed to look, supposed to eat"� - and when we possibly deviate from a given, we have committed a sin, and there is no going back. Why is it we are unable to simply allow ourselves to do the best we can with the resources we have, including time to cook, to buy food, to be active, and accept ourselves?

How come it is so much easier to condemn ourselves for what we haven't done, rather than commend ourselves on what we have managed to achieve in a society where we are constantly feeling rushed, rushed, rushed? Why aren't we able to congratulate ourselves for being able to take a ten-minute walk during our break, instead of criticizing ourselves for not going out and jogging for 45 minutes?

I don't know the answer to this yet, but I do like to imagine what could be done with the time and energy saved on not being critical of ourselves.

One way we can save energy is by learning to be at peace with food. You need to learn about yourself and why you have the relationship you do with the food you eat. Once you are able to do this, you will not need to waste time wondering about your food choices, or your exercise activities, or the way you are "supposed to" be.

Imagine if you discussed with your friends and colleagues life, politics (okay, everyone isn't like me and won't do that), travel, good restaurants, and books. Think of the lively discussions about the latest Harry Potter (spoiler alert!). Didn't you just know that Snape was a good guy all along?

Think of all the things you would learn about yourself and your friends if you just weren't wasting energy.

If you would like more information on becoming At Peace With Food™, as well as access to interesting articles and links to nutritional resource websites, visit http://www.AtPeaceWithFood.com/freetips.html