It was an interesting workshop last week in The Curious Club, where we delved into our relationship to food. Why? As food is one of those things we cannot ignore. We have to eat to survive.
Although what do we eat and how do we eat?
This is often not as straightforward as it should be. As we learn on the Wellbeing Coach Training, we are bombarded with images of food in magazines, social media, walking around, driving… tempted at the supermarkets to buy x,y,z or asked if you want to upgrade your meal, have a starter, a pastry with your coffee. Or you see friends and it is polite to take their offering of food as a sign of your appreciation of them and so on.
Which results in we have many reasons to eat when not hungry.
Can you think of your reasons?
We often have a story attached to what we eat, such as this is the way we ate as children, this is food which gives me comfort, this is what I am told is healthy, making food is boring, I feel uninspired.
Which means we have a lot of internal dialogue going on with food although you may never have paid attention to it, but if you did, what do you think your story would be?
In our post workshop discussion the theme of denying pleasure with food materialised. As in, the routine of daily eating, of choosing the ‘right’ food (is there really a right food to eat?) had taken over the enjoyment of making food for the sheer pleasure of it.
Food is a beautiful expression of who we are and is not to be caught up in punishment, restriction, guilt, remorse, shoulds and should nots, diets and toxic rules. There is not much pleasure in any of those thoughts.
Can you notice what you are thinking and start to change the dialogue you have around food and pleasure?
If we think about it food is pleasurable, it awakens all our senses but we can see it as another chore and grab the easiest, quickest meal without much thought. Pleasure and haste are not great bedfellows in my opinion!
So my invitation to you for the next week is to slow down and savour your food but not just the eating of it but also the preparation of it. See it as a devotion of love to you as you nourish yourself from the inside out. Find a beautiful recipe and set aside time to make it. Focus on the colour of the vegetables, the smell of spices and herbs, the sound of sizzling in a pan, the texture of the food as you cut it up, the taste of the creation you have made. Invite your senses to play as you find pleasure in the food you make for you.
Then notice what, if any, difference you feel when you take this time and become more mindful with what you eat.
If you’d like some inspiration for what to make, you’re welcome to look through our delicious recipes.
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Photo by Marcus Wallis on Unsplash