Here we go…. The food topics are almost always guaranteed to get emotions going. Why? Because the chemical compounds in food react with the chemical compounds of our bodies and minds and we feel them as emotions. Yes, chocolate can make us “feel” elation, alcohol can make us feel more relaxed, caffeine can make us feel more alert, and so on. In more ways than one we are what we eat. Although, what we eat doesn’t necessarily make us “who” we are it certainly makes us “what” we are. We are made up of our body’s reactions to the components we consume. For this reason I think it’s very important for us to be eating what we “want” to eat rather than what we “feel” like eating. Because often what we want to eat is merely out of habit or addiction to the feelings that certain foods evoke. Notice the difference in the way you answer the two following questions:
- I feel like eating ______________.
- I want to feed myself _______________.
I really believe each one of us has an incredible amount wisdom inside of us that is just waiting for us to tap into. When we want to improve the quality of our life and health it’s very useful to take a step back out of the emotions of food and view our habits more objectively. Defining a food philosophy can be helpful for you to make healthy and empowering food choices. It can act as guide when you make food choices to help you stay on the track you want to be on rather than just satisfying a temporary and fleeting feeling.
The philosophy I use now has come out of years of my own struggles with food. I finally feel good about how and what I eat and I know that it also makes me feel better. (Feel free to visit my other blog www.kateeo.blogspot.com for my personal story which I’ll be posting in a few days.) In a nutshell my personal philosophy is to eat as much natural and “primitive” food as possible. This means I try to think about the basic needs of my body in each season. If I lived before modern conveniences, which is what my body was designed for, what would I be eating? Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of items I indulge in and enjoy fully but I do work hard to eat and feed my family in a way that supports our bodies and minds so that we feel healthy and happy.
When you define your personal food philosophy, you might consider your own relationship with food. Is it a healthy one? Is your diet empowering you or is the majority of the food you eat merely satisfying hunger or cravings. There are so many factors that come into diet choices: time, convenience, taste, health needs, ethics, and more. You might ask yourself what factors are motivating your food choices. Do you feel good about what you are feeding yourself and your family or are there some little shifts you might like to make to nourish your body, heart and mind better. What do you want to feed yourself today and beyond? What are the small shifts can you might make to feed yourself better and how can you begin to implement them? Small changes over time have lasting effects. Having a personal food philosophy can help you navigate all the food advice that is out there in so many great books and websites. If you are looking for a place to start or some fresh ideas check out some of my recommendations listed below. I hope you eat well this week. Take care!
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Although I’m sure my mom takes credit for teaching me to cook and she certainly got me off to a good start, I really learned to enjoy cooking by watching The Food Network while nursing my daughter! Some of my favorite cooks on the network and website are Giada DeLaurntis, Robin Miller and Rachael Ray.
www.wholeliving.com website and magazine
www.everydayfood.com website and magazine
I also am a big fan of the cookbook section of the library. I always have a few food philosophy and cookbooks checked out. I think the best diet plan book I’ve read in a long time is…
The Core Balance Diet by Marcelle Pick (not for vegetarians!)
Here’s Marcelle’s website.
I also think Ayurveda is an amazing lifestyle strategy and you’ll hear more about that in the months to come. This one takes a little investigation to get going but once you understand some basic concepts it is a remarkable system for bolstering health. As I was typing this article based on Ayurveda came into my e-mailbox, check it out… http://life.gaiam.com/article/spring-detox-foods-shopping-list?utm_source=bluetext&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Life&RMID=2011_02_17_Glife_DetoxFoods_20PctBackCare&RRID=11851664
love this! thanks kathleen!
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