Is your relationship to the food you eat, healthy and balanced?

Do you feel nourished and  vitalized by the food you eat?

When most of us think about nutrition we focus on what we are eating.  Interestingly why and how we eat is just as important as what our diet consists of.  As a matter of fact if we don’t become aware of our motivations for eating it is likely we won’t make healthy choices over the long-term.

As a society we have been conditioned to use food to soothe or entertain ourselves.  If we are feeling anxious or empty inside, giving in to strong food cravings can immediately stop that discomfort but of course a short while later the discomfort returns and we need another quick fix.  Grazing all day can take us through our stressful day.

Sometimes we hurriedly eat while watching TV or at the computer.  Eating on the run has become the norm.  Strict starvation or excess consumption followed by purging of food becomes a way of controlling what feels like a chaotic existence.  We end up being in bondage with food trying anything we can find in the outside world to fix this problem.

It’s no wonder most Americans are plagued with weight struggles, digestive problems and degenerative health issues.

Could it be that we need to take a new approach to this common frustrating situation?

How, Why and what we eat are all major contributors to our overall level of health.  Sadly, there are many distractions that strongly influence our day to day food choices – media, school system, peers, parents, and friends.  We are urged to use food as a form of self-indulgence or as a drug.

Unfortunately many of us hold within us negative beliefs, old traumas and anxieties.   In this environment it is difficult to pay attention to the inner messages from our body wisdom. It is more than likely we will tend to consistently choose devitalizing foods.

We have a natural intuitive sense that will guide us to healthy fulfilling choices when we learn to how connect with it.

To access this place within us we must be willing to take an honest look why we are attracted to these foods in the first place.  On the surface it seems that these foods taste good.  Get curious and gently ask yourself what other role do these foods serve?  Instead of looking at food as a problem or solution, open up an inner awareness and observe what the mind is doing.

When I work with people around food issues my intention is to help them to liberate themselves from eating food reactively and habitually which is paying attention only from the chin up.  We must make the courageous decision to begin to care for ourselves allowing a new relationship with food that nourishes us.  Making the choice to let go of immediate gratification and connect with that part of ourselves will aspire us to create health and longevity.

Although this takes making a conscious choice that requires some discipline it is actually easier and more freeing than a constant daily struggle with food.  During this process you will notice you naturally become drawn to higher quality foods.  Yes we will become healthier in the physical sense but just as important, we will become more peaceful and empowered within ourselves.

Please, let go of the search for that diet or gimmick or diet that will solve your problem!  Decide heal your inner life.  Cultivate an inner environment of compassion and kindness for yourself.  This will create a lifetime of ease and grace with all aspects of your life including food.

Simple eating meditation:

Turn off your phone, the TV or any other distraction.  Sit upright and take a few breaths.  Have 1 grape or raisin in front of you.  Pick it up and really take it in.  Feel its texture, look deeply at its color as if seeing and feeling it for the first time.  Take a small bite focusing on the taste and texture in your mouth.

Spend at least 10 minutes fully chewing each bit and really tasting it in a way you have never done before.  If your mind begins to resist the process say to yourself “thinking” and come back to eating the grape or raisin.  Practice this a few times a week with different foods.