05.23.07

What are you putting into your body?

Posted in Discovering the Senses, Our Bodies, Paths to Bliss, Positive Thinking at 11:00 am

I’ve written before about the importance of savoring the food we eat, but I thought I would go a little bit deeper into the subject today because food has such an impact on our bodies and spirits. The idea sounds fun, am I right? It would be great to only eat food that tastes and looks really great, to really think about just what you want and then enjoying the process to cook it or go out and get it, to transform meals into sensory experiences instead of something to get through. Sure that sounds awesome.

And then reality intrudes and we work all day and grab something for lunch and then scrape something together for dinner and most likely we drink coffee for breakfast. Maybe once in a while on the weekends we have a dinner that we’ve been thinking about and planning and that we really enjoy. And we think, “Yeah, savoring food sounds awesome, but it takes a lot of energy to plan for.” And trust me, I’m with you there. When food is something we have to do, it becomes something we “deal with” rather than something we experience.

Imagine what kind of energy you’re sending your meals if you’re in “deal with” mode. If you’ve scraped together something that isn’t satisfying or feel guilty about eating something that really is, you’re sending negative energy into your food and then eating it. Even if you’ve just grabbed something and you’re not consciously thinking about what you’re eating, you’re still having a subconscious relationship with your food. You’re thinking that the food isn’t really important, or that you shouldn’t be eating it, or that it’s just fuel and you don’t care. The energy becomes, “I don’t care about what I’m putting into my body.”

Notice that I’m not talking about what it is you’re eating. For the purposes of this discussion, that doesn’t matter. What matters is the kind of energy we’re putting into our food. If you believe in the power of thought and if you believe that we are made up of spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical bodies, that energy is going to affect how you process that food. Reiki practitioners often send energy to food that we prepare and eat to help us digest and metabolize food in healthy ways. Think about the movie Like Water for Chocolate. The premise of the film is that the emotions of the chef affect everyone who eats her food. The same thing is true about the energy we’re sending into the food before we eat it.

So imagine a piece of cheesecake and a salad. Let’s say you’re in the mood for cheesecake. You look at it and it looks fantastic. It’s got your favorite flavors and your mouth is watering a little just thinking about it. And you say to yourself, “Oh my god that looks fantastic! I can’t wait to eat it! What a treat! I am a lucky, lucky girl.” You feel great because you’re going to eat something that will really satisfy your emotional body. And then you take your fork and cut off a piece–a little one because you want to draw out the experience–and put it in your mouth. It tastes as heavenly as it looked and you chew slowly to fully experience the flavors. Imagine the kind of energy you’re sending that piece of cheesecake as you’re having those thoughts. You’ve super-charged the cheesecake. Now imagine that you wanted the cheesecake, but you decided to be “good” and eat the salad instead. The salad is a beautiful salad, but it’s definitely not cheesecake. You eat it, but you don’t feel satisfied. Your body was craving something comforting and substantial, but you ignored it. The salad doesn’t taste right, and every bite is filled with a bit of wanting and a little bit of self-loathing because the reason you’re eating the salad is because you think you’re fat. Think about the kind of energy you’re sending that salad. It would probably be enough to wilt the whole thing!

Now let’s turn it around. You’re in the mood for something light so you choose the salad. There are several different kinds of lettuce and it’s all crisp and beautifully green. The other vegetables in it are in season and perfectly ripe. It has the perfect amount of your favorite dressing on it and you are already imagining the wonderful tang of it as it hits your tongue. You feel great because it looks wonderful and you’re going to eat something that’s really good for your physical body. You take your fork and spear different parts of the salad that are going to give you a wonderful medley of flavors and textures. It is the perfect bite. You close your eyes a little to experience all those flavors and textures. Yummy! Now imagine you picked the cheesecake instead. It’s heavy and lands in your stomach with a thud. You feel guilty about eating it and realize that your body didn’t actually want it anyway. You aren’t satisfied because your body was craving the vitamins in the veggies and you let your emotions rule your choice–and then even your emotions weren’t satisfied.

Whether we pick the cheesecake or the salad (and there are definitely times when one or the other will sound better) which way would you prefer to eat? Would you rather pick the salad and feel unsatisfied and miserable when you want the cheesecake or indulge and experience the joy of a treat? Would you rather pick the cheesecake when you’ll only be able to beat yourself up about it and what your body really wants is the salad or choose to listen to your body and have a full, happy experience as you eat the salad?

So let’s return to the scenario where you’re tired and you just want to grab something because your need at the moment is convenience. I’m not suggesting you go through something elaborate to pick the perfect food at that time. What I am suggesting is that you own your choice. If you’re going to pick up something quick–be grateful for the convenience. Choose something you can feel good about (even if what will make you feel good at that moment is a burger and fries.) If the usual doesn’t really sound good, tune in to what your body wants and think of alternatives that sound appetizing to you. Try and remember that eating doesn’t have to be a chore, it can be a satisfying experience. Take a moment to be grateful for the food in front of you no matter what it is and be present while you eat it.

The next step is to make an effort starting one meal a day or meals one day a week where you see them as something to look forward to and something to plan for. Honor your choices by affirming that you deserve to have the best tasting food every time. Tune into the different parts of yourself and try to create meal experiences that satisfy the whole you. Notice how your energy and digestion is affected when you do these things. Notice how they are when you don’t. Imagine what your life would be like if you gave all parts of your life the same kind of attention.

Permalink