Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset Around Food?

"Abundance is not something we acquire, it's something we tune into." — Wayne Dyer

Last week my husband and I went on a quick trip to Chicago.

While we were there we indulged in some deep dish pizza.

Good thing the waiter talked us out of ordering the medium.

Now, I don't know if it's just the ex-New Yorker in me, but...I didn't like it. And we even went to a place with over 10k 5-star reviews on Yelp...🤷‍♀️

There was not enough sauce, too much cheese and WAY too much dough.

I'll take a thin slice (folded in half of course) over a deep dish one anyday. #sorrynotsorry

But my personal pizza preference isn't what I want to talk about today (I know...bummer!).

What I do want to talk about is the trap of "limited time only" thinking.

Women who are stuck in the cycle of yo-yo dieting often struggle with the feeling of "I need to eat this NOW because it's my one and only chance!"

This SCARCITY mindset usually leads them to eat foods they don't love OR to eat more of foods they do love simply because they have bought into the belief that they might not have another opportunity to eat those foods in the future.

And it's totally understandable that so many of us fall prey to this way of thinking.

Scarcity marketing (Only 2 seats left!, Hurry while supplies last!, 5 people have this item in their cart!) is one of the most common marketing strategies used today...so it's no surprise that it would also influence the way we think about food.

But most of the time, feelings of scarcity are applied to foods that...really aren't all that scarce.

And if we think of a food as scarce, we also tend to think of it as "special".

Which leads to those "I NEED to eat it now!" feelings.

But if we shift our mindset from one of SCARCITY ("They only make these egg shaped Reese's once a year!!!) to one of ABUNDANCE ("I can go buy a Reese's cup anytime I want") it removes the pressure and #FOMO that often surrounds treats and indulgent foods.

Now are there times when you really might not have another opportunity to enjoy a particular food? Of course.

A croissant in France

A bagel in NYC

Ribs in Memphis (or Kansas City or St. Louis...I'm not trying to start a fight here...)

Baklava in Greece

Or a deep dish pizza in Chicago...(if you're into that sort of thing 🤮)

All of these (and more) are great examples of truly SPECIAL food opportunities.

But that Trader Joe's charcuterie plate at your friend's game night...probably isn't a once in a lifetime opportunity.

This doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with eating that TJ's Green Goddess Gouda...it just means that you can let go of that feeling that you HAVE TO eat it.

And when you let go of that "HAVE TO" feeling, you open yourself up to the power of CHOICE.

You get to decide whether or not eating the cheese is the thing you want to do in that moment...

And know that the decision you make right now doesn't need to be the same decision you make in the future.

Saying YES to the metaphorical cheese now doesn't mean that you HAVE TO say YES to it in the future.

Just like saying NO to it now doesn't mean that you HAVE TO say NO to it in the future.

Because...I'm no fortune teller but...I'm pretty sure that there will still be cheese in the future. 🔮🧀

Which means you WILL have another opportunity to eat that food.

This ABUNDANCE mindset towards food allows you to see MORE: more options, more choices...more cheese-portunities...🤓

...AND frees you from the grips of those "Now's my only chance!" emotions.

So the next time you feel like you can't say NO to a "special" treat, ask yourself:

• Is this food really special?

• Is this my ONLY chance to eat it?

• Do I actually WANT to eat it? Or am I just feeling PRESSURED to eat it because of a scarcity mindset?

• If I tuned into an abundance mindset and saw this as simply ONE OF MANY opportunities to eat this food...would I still feel the same pressure to eat it? Would I feel like I have greater control of my choices? Would I feel more empowered?

Remember this isn't about good/bad, right/wrong, do/do not..

👉 It's about CHOICE.

It's removing the pressure of "should", "have to", "need to", "last chance!"...

And tapping into the freedom and power that comes from making decisions that are based on what you truly WANT and VALUE.