Is that food even worth eating?

Whenever I have a day where I have overeaten or eaten something because I was tired, stressed, or angry, my good friend and walking buddy, Windy, will ask me, "was it worth it?"

At this point is the conversation, I grit my teeth, then sigh deeply, and usually respond, "No..."

Most of the time when I eat emotionally, I am eating food that is just "there."  It's not food I would normally eat, and when I think about the taste, the quality, the nutritional value, it wasn't even worth eating. 

That's not to say there isn't unhealthy food I consider worth it.  There is.  I love ice cream, but generic everyday ice cream, not worth it.  But ice cream from The Big Dipper, Cold Stone Creamery (see Sibyl, got the name right that time!), and the Creamery in Virginia City Montana... all so worth it to me.  Juli's homemade cookies (whether made the "old fashioned way," healthy or Paleo), is worth it.  My sister-in-law, Ondrea's, homemade lemon bars, worth it.  The Salted Caramel Bar from the Park Avenue Bakery, definitely worth it. 

The food I have eaten the past week because I was tired.... not worth it.  I was eating fun sized chocolate Halloween candy, two or three Paleo snacks in the evening, and even bought cheesy breadsticks from the cafeteria at work to go with my healthy soup.  Yes, the chocolate tasted good, but in the end, it wasn't worth it.  Especially when I went to weigh in yesterday. 

I have been trying more and more, to really pay attention to what I'm eating.  To take the time to enjoy it, to savor it, to make sure it is truly worth it.  For years, I ate out of habit.  I ate because the food was there, or because I paid for the food, or because someone else made the food, etc. 

Since finishing the 21 Day Sugar Detox (which I obviously need to do again, since I went right back to eating sugar!), I have noticed the quality and taste of my food.  On one occasion, Hubby had bought me dinner and I ordered a grilled chicken, which tasted terrible.  Dry, no flavor, and even the tiny bit of BBQ sauce tasted off to me.  I was going to eat because Hubby had paid for it, but he convince me it wasn't worth it.  We would go somewhere else and get me something I could enjoy.  Over the weekend, while at the retreat, I had ordered a Southwest Burger (no bun) as my indulgence.  I was sorely disappointed.  Though the sauce and veggies that came with it were good, the burger was a bit dry, generic tasting.  Wasn't bad, but definitely wasn't what I had been expecting.

I am still learning to ask myself before I eat something, "Is this worth it?"  And after the first bite (or two) to ask myself again, "Is this worth it?"  If not, then I need to learn to push that food aside and find something that is worth it.  If I don't enjoy what I'm eating, then I shouldn't be eating it.  I need to find the food I like, can enjoy, savor, and make me feel good both physically and emotionally. 

Add this to the long list of things I need to work on when it comes to food and my eating behavior!