Free worksheet: Working with food values

A life of satisfaction and meaning seems to come from living according to our values. Knowing what our values are helps guide us in our beliefs, thoughts, words, and actions. The same goes for how we eat.

Most of us are driven by certain food values without even realizing it. Thoughtfully contemplating what matters to us about our relationship with food helps us make decisions that are satisfying in many ways.

Some food values might include:

- not wasting food

- not causing undue harm (to animals, to farmers, to other essential workers)

- eating sustainably, locally, or organically

- connecting with your culture

- connecting with cultures other than your own

- eating for pleasure and entertainment

- eating for satisfaction

- eating to fuel athletic performance

- eating to care for our bodies

- eating to treat certain medical conditions

Identifying our food values is the first step. Recognizing how to respect them is second. Third, it's important to know how two or more food values may conflict at times and how to resolve those conflicts, whether by finding a way to respect both simultaneously or by choosing to prioritize one over the other.

Try this out by using this Food Values worksheet to identify your own food values, how to enact them, and how to resolve any conflicts. And let me know what you discover!