Fixing your Relationship with Food
We all know relationships are important. They’re what bring us wisdom, information, and the emotional energy to keep going. While it is true that in relationships we get out what we put in, many of us don’t realize how important our relationship to food is. Food is literally our most intimate connection with the earth. Our food comes from the earth and then becomes a part of us. We are what we eat, and the ramifications are profound.
But knowing how to eat is just as important as knowing what to eat.
Some eat to get their minds off of stressful situations. Others eat as a comfort, and some out of boredom. Many, in fact, don’t pay much attention to food, and see eating as an inconvenience. But whether we neglect food or are overly dependent upon it, the result is decreased health, energy, mental clarity, and productivity. But if we fix our relationship with food, we will gain energy, vitality, increased happiness, greater vision, and improved efficiency.
Just as paying attention to others is essential in human relationships, fixing our relationship to food is easiest when we pay attention to it. Use the following three steps regularly to attain and maintain a good relationship with food:
1) Set a goal to prepare a home-cooked meal a certain number of times each week. Try not to hurry; enjoy the process. You can invite a friend or family member.
2) When deciding what to eat, try to think “what does my body need?†Base the answer on your knowledge of what foods are good for you and what foods you may be lacking in. Also, you can learn to “listen to your body†as you pay attention to how you feel after eating certain foods.
3) Pay attention to your food when you eat it. Shut out distractions when you eat. Taste your food. Notice the textures and the subtle flavors. Chew it well, and don’t be in a rush to eat.
4) Enjoy your food. Savor it, taste it, and love it. We humans are meant to enjoy our food, and if we are chewing quickly, always in anticipation of the next bite, we’ll never be satisfied. We’ll always want more. Rather, think about the bite you are eating now. Live in the moment. You’ll be more satisfied at each meal and will eat less with more enjoyment.
The last two points are essential steps in healing your relationship with food. They cannot be underestimated, because we simply cannot know what food our body needs if we do not know the food!
I welcome comments and additional wisdom. Please post them to the blog and let me know what you think.