mind games: when I think about eliminating foods from my menu, it triggers “scarcity brain” – I feel the urge to eat more of the Yes foods than I probably need and in the past, I’ve overdone it when trying out new ingredients (everything swimming in coconut milk; all almonds all the time).

This 21DSD, I’m trying something different. I will focus on the positive – the abundance of healthy, nutritious, delicious foods that are always available to me. I want to reframe my thinking so I keep my brain’s alarm system from ringing: I’m not eliminating food, I’m choosing better food. I’m not losing weight; I’m improving my health.

Science is showing us that our brains change according what we focus on – and that we can guard against the brain’s natural bias towards the negative, by choosing our thoughts. Eating is one of the most intimate acts of…