Treating yourself with special food is cultural, psychological, spiritual, and social. In such an affluent society, foods that are meant for special times are consumed excessively. I’m not going to name any one particular item, because the problem is all the special carbohydrate combinations we each allow into our bodies. The combination is too high. The list includes edibles that are commonly considered health foods. We often don’t count “health foods” in the list of total carbohydrates for the day, but our Western menus are high in carbohydrates. Don’t get me wrong, healthy calories are better than unhealthy ones, yet they still count. Vegetables, excluding corn and potatoes, are carbohydrates that can be eaten in unlimited quantities; however, few consider them a “treat”. Our bodies long for vitamins, but our tongues often crave nutrient poor selections. Everyday is a celebration here in a Western culture. We should enjoy life and celebrate achievements, but not all of our pleasure/rewards need to contribute to our growing health concerns and waistlines. There is no need for sweet treats or comfort foods to be rewards. I want to inspire you to look beyond food for meaningful reinforcement of your accomplishments. Here is a list of non-food rewards. Please feel free to add in the comments any non-food rewards you think of. Your suggestions could help some else. Click to Download a PDF of Non-Food Rewards.
Non-Food Rewards
Low Cost Rewards List
- New Nail polish
- Pick wildflowers for the table
- Find an old favorite show on YouTube
- New hair cut/hairdo
- Try a new tea in the park or forest
- Watch the sunset/sunrise
- Layout in sun for 15 min. Each side
- Epsom salt foot bath (1 c epsom salt)
- Epsom salt bath (2 c epsom salt)
- Evening walk with friend
- Read a new book
- New favorite music
- Comedy YouTube
- List your blessing
- Hug 5 people
- Join a Facebook support group
- Go to beach
- Take a hike
- Learn 5 new stretches
- Give a bucket of stuff away
- Have tea with someone
- Call a friend
- Send someone a card
- Volunteer to help someone
- Paint a room
Higher Cost Reward List
- Massage
- Manicure
- Take a class on something new
- Take a roadtrip
- Have a sauna
- New outfit
- Have a facial
- Go to a comedy show
- Magazine subscription
- Beach vacation
- Learn to play an instrument
- Buy a new kitchen gadget
- Redecorate a room
I’d add: call a friend, play a game with someone who enjoys the same games you do, do a puzzle, take satisfaction in completing something you’ve been wanting to get done (among other things.) In my case, there are limitations in doing some of these, too, so getting to do them will be a true reward. Meanwhile, I’m trying to learn which foods give more reward with less drag! 😉
Great ideas! Playing games with friends is a double bonus. Vegetables give lots of rewards with no drag. 🙂