Food As Nourishment

Food is complicated. But it's also extremely simple! 

It's simple in that we all know that we need food to survive. So you could say food is life. But in our modern world, where most of us aren't enjoying self sufficiency on our dream island or alpaca farm, food has become a lot more complicated.  

While we all might be able to recall and describe the love and tantalizing taste of that scrumptious smelling favourite dish,  it's probably not as common to have the same passion for explaining how that same food makes us ‘feel’. 

Yep, we’re talking food feelings people.. stay with me.

Because food can be tricky. 

I think it's fair to say that one of the byproducts of our amazingly connected modern world, where we talk, learn and entertain so instantaneously, is that often we’re connected to doing or watching, rather than connected to ourselves, our food, and the link between the 2.

So many of us are just working hard doing our thing and living our lives. It's understandable that during this process we can become detached with the practicalities of where our food comes from, what's in it and how it gets to us. If we’re just trying to get our work done, pick up the kids on time, shove some food into them and maybe something into us, it's also understandable that we’re detached from how food makes us feel. 

Both the incredible food feels and the gross food feels. 

Whatever we do, whatever we eat, our body is trying to tell us something. That lip smacking favourite food you were salivating over earlier can be a powerful tool, it's just a question of whether it's a helpful or harmful tool. Does it make you feel fulfilled and satiated, energised and focused? Or do you get quick satisfaction and then feel bloated or stuffed, foggy and exhausted later?

And to make matters more complicated, that same food might be helpful to me but harmful to you.  Food and health can be individual and subjective. Your concept of health is probably different to my concept of health. That same food that's making me feel energised and ready to go might have you bloated and doubled over in pain. Our biology and our relationship to food can be very different. 

Our modern world also brings confusing messages around food and throws labels round like wildfire, just as contagious and with the possibility of getting burnt. Diet philosophies have become the new religion or spiritual path, some people so equally dedicated to living the ‘right’ way that conflict and judgment can separate family and friends. Over food beliefs!  

If we can look inward and listen to what our body and mind is telling us it needs. If we pause for a second and think ‘how do I want to feel?’ and ‘Is that feeling inline with how I feel right now, I believe nourishing food choices can become a lot easier. 

I call it ‘The Power of the Pause’. Maybe a bit hippie for some, but its simplicity and effect can be very powerful. When it's time to eat, whether that's a certain time of day, your body clock ticking, tummies rumbling or just plain boredom: 

Pause, take a deep breath in, a long breath out, and close your eyes.

Imagine the food you want to eat. Imagine putting it in your mouth, tasting it, chewing and swallowing.

Acknowledge how you feel. Was it refreshing? Too salty? Too filling? Warmed you up? Cooled you down? Do you feel satisfied? Do you really want that? Do you want something else? Different food? A glass of water? Maybe a hug?

If you feel a positive reaction then this is probably a great food for you to eat. If you get a more negative response, could you consider another food? If you have no reaction at all, that's okay, our internal dialogue might take a moment to respond to us :-)

There are countless ways this can go but the point of the exercise is to get you to stop and feel what it actually is that you want and connect with the food (or something else) that will satisfy that craving. 

It also works well when it's time to eat and you don't know what you want, you're on autopilot or get swept up with the crowd or choose from habit. And don't worry if you feel silly standing in a busy cafe or street with your eyes closed, I’ve done this with many crazy busy traders and financial sales guys to get them connected back into their body and what they feel like after spending hours sitting and staring at screens… no ones looking at you, everyones worried about themselves :-) You won’t always get it right but the practice will get easier and easier and your body will start to tell you before you close your eyes! Give it a go.

There is endless health information, opinion and research out there these days. All so wonderfully accessible that you can consume at the touch of a button. It tells you what to eat, when to eat, what tests to have, what to buy, what’s the best superfood of the moment. These days foods even have PR people for them depending on the agenda!

But I believe we need to give ourselves a little more credit. We are the experts on our own bodies and minds and we know more about what works for those beloved bodies and magnificent minds than we think we do.

So I propose that instead of looking at food as something to count or check off, something that is good or bad or something that we must do to survive, we look at food as nourishment.

Both the food itself and the environment and habits we create around it, connecting to how we feel and what we intrinsically need for our individual health. Whatever that means to us.