Using food visualization to create healthy habits

You may have heard the phrase “eat with your eyes.” Usually it means that food appeals to us first by how it looks. “That looks so good! I need to eat it.” But we can also visualize the food we want to eat and the person it will help us become. Try this exercise to get a clearer vision of the types of foods you’d like to buy, prepare and eat, and how those food choices feel in your body.

Start off by finding a quiet spot and blocking off uninterrupted time. Five or 10 minutes is all you need for this exercise. Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking through your day, making healthy, satisfying food choices:

1. What’s on your plate at breakfast, lunch, dinner?
2. What do you reach for when you feel hungry between meals?

Imagine yourself going food shopping, whether you’re filling your cart at the store or online. Maybe you’re going to the farmers market, or growing vegetables in a garden. 

1. What colors do you see filling your cart? 
2. How do you feel, knowing that you’re making choices that will nourish you? 

Picture yourself in your kitchen, cooking or assembling nourishing meals. What meals do you see yourself making with these fresh, wholesome ingredients? Use all of your senses, imagining the sights, smells and textures of preparing a nutritious meal. See yourself sitting down to your meal. Notice how it would feel, savoring each bite, feeling satisfied and energized. 
 
Visualize the future person that you are, enjoying food in this way. 

1. How does your body feel? 
2. What activities do you take part in, feeling healthy and strong? 

Take a moment to really envision what it is like to be this person, making these choices. 
Now think about how you can use this visualization tool to make healthy choices. What shifts can you make today, tomorrow, this week? Return to this exercise at any time you need motivation for making food choices that bolster your health goals.