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 www.internationallifestylemagazine.com 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