International Lifestyle Magazine Issue 53 | Page 26
Eating with Feeling
W
Wo r d s : F i o n a R o b e r t s o n
hat a perfect time of year to consider what and how we eat.The festive season seems to be all about
what we eat. Then we have the guilt of what we ate, yet we carry on eating, and worry about the
consequences. If it were as simple as eat less and exercise more then we would all be fit as fiddles,
however, I suggest that this is not the case and were all still craving more energy in our every working day
and at night time, turning to food to comfort us
My recent and most burning
question has been, why do we
comfort eat?
For many of you, myself included,
eating is a function, a practical part
of the day, a distraction and as a
form of entertainment. A social norm
to help us reach a goal if that is to
feel full, give us an energy boost, to
warm us up or just a habit formed
from learnt patterns, eating at set
times even if we’re not actually
hungry. Wow, the more I delve into
this subject the more these seems
to be conditioning about what and
how we eat.
With a few mindful changes we can
all start to change our relationship
with food. Yes we all have one, a
relationship with ourselves and with
the food we eat.
Have you heard it said “ How we are
with something is how we are with
everything”. Let me explain.
What I have noticed for myself and
with my coaching clients is that how
we are with our food and our style
of eating is actually how we are with
everything. For example if we are
confused so will our eating habits
be. If we are functional and practical
we will be equally functional in our
relationship with our food, and also
if we are obsessive so will our diets
and regimes of eating be and all our
relationships.
Don’t get me wrong I think I love
food and eating it, but seldom these
days have I really, really enjoyed my
food to the extent that I can relish the
idea of eating a meal. The flavor, the
texture, taste and smell of a good
meal. That to for everyone is quite
different. So I have taken myself off
on a journey to re discover what I
really like with no rules to follow, no
good and bad foods,
no must or must not have lists
of super healthy foods. I am unconditioning myself. I am going for
foods that attract me, be they Raw,
cooked, sweet,savory, sour, spicy,
delicious or bland or my typical
comfort family favorites, that enable
me to feel full and somehow loved
to my recent favorites of fasting,
juices and really healthy options.
I listened to my body as she chose
what was delicious for me. I listened
to my body after I ate to see how
she reacted to the food, and I
considered the environment I had
just eaten in, the atmosphere, the
setting, my timing, and my thoughts.
I have discovered that I have
naturally gravitated towards lighter
foods at times and heavier foods
at others. And If I felt the need for
heavier foods due to extra stress in
my outer world, with situations like
leaving my home,separating from
my partner, finding a new home and
the prospect of moving.
Then I have taken the foods that I
felt at the time would fulfill me.
I have also made another huge
change, I honour myself with my
style of eating, I sit more comfortably,
I set the table, I turn off the TV, shut
off my ipad, don’t answer the phone
and I actually look at the food I am
about to consume. When I did my
Reiki and energy healing course we
were taught to bless our food, much
the same as saying grace before we
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ate and I have brought this back into
my eating routine too.
Getting back to the question of why
do we comfort eat? My self discovery
is that if we are continually mindless
with our choices of what and how
we eat we are out of control and
not listening or enjoying what we
consume.
To absorb any of our necessary
nutrients we actually need to be
relaxed and feel safe when we eat,
or we are in flight or fight mode,
our bodies are stressed and all the
energy is going not to digesting our
food, but to our muscles to get ready
to run. Our digestion system actually
shuts off. Now I think its funny how
often I have eaten and been moving
walking, driving, I eat
really health