We have all done it: eaten more food than we realized through grazing, nibbling on one snack after another, or by acting as the garbage cleaner of our kids dishes.
When we are shoving food down like a goose being fattened for Foie Gras, there is a sadness in that. One of the best gifts of food is pleasure. I missed out on so much joy either by eating in a coma like state or by being hyper focused on the calories/ fat/carb or other ‘diet details’.
To savor food is a huge benefit to your life. Connecting to your senses is a wonderful gift.! Love food … love the texture, the taste and all the nuances of flavor.
As we practice awareness to eating, everything shifts. The level of appreciation for the food itself is an automatic by product.
Most of us are now a few generations from farm life, but that connection to the land and food is in our DNA. Even if we can’t go the Farmers Market every week, go occasionally and reconnect to the land, enjoy the abundance of local fruit and vegetables and homemade goods. Behold the bounty. Treat it as a day out, not as a utilitarian duty. Meet a friend and enjoy a local cup of coffee there. Try a new item of food.
Making the meal a focal point as opposed to just another item on the ‘to do list’ reconnects us to the value of food. When we place value we shift our priorities and become more conscious of our choices.
Once I adopted a ‘Dieter in Recovery’ lifestyle I refused to eat food I no longer enjoyed. My food journey became one of discovery, not only about my preferences, but what made my body feel good. A bloated stomach, an excess of gas, feeling lethargic after certain foods, an upset stomach or maybe it just feels blah offers information. Time to make other choices: Eat foods that make our body feel good.
Start with a list of foods you love, sit down and savor them. Observe how you feel, how the food tastes in your mouth and in your stomach. When you learn more about your food preferences you make different choices. I don’t like pasta that much or rice, but I love the bread. A big bowl of pasta sauce with a hunk of bread is my preference and give me Nan bread with the curry instead of the rice. When I eat the pasta and the rice and the breads it made me feel bloated. Now it feels just right.
Turns out I am not much of a buffet person either. Combining so many different flavors and cuisines makes me nauseous. Instead I choose exactly what I want.
When I grazed it often came with anxiety or the attempt to quell uncomfortable emotions. There is a reason they call it stuffing!
Being aware of what you eat, when and how, will answer questions about your life. Maybe eating through the snack drawer at work is telling you that the job is boring/ stressful and a waste of your life. Grazing is often a signal that something is off kilter. Free therapy, if we listen.
Isn’t it time to pay attention?
Thanks for reading.
Christina