It’s Never About Food
It’s about to get real. What I mean by real, is, it’s about to get deep. What I mean by deep is, well, keep reading…
As many of you know, I have been a Health Coach for the past six years. I attended the world’s largest nutrition school and both through my professional education and personal experience, have become well versed in the ever fluctuating and somewhat confusing world of nutrition and physical health. Wellness is my passion, and learning about how food nourishes the body is second nature and incredibly rewarding for me and my clients.
Despite my success and infatuation with physical nutrition, I can’t help but to notice the seemingly unsustainable nature of this field. Too often I meet people who are either obsessing over every morsel they put in their mouths, feeling shame and guilt around food choices, depriving themselves of what they really want, or self sabotaging and over indulging when they absolutely know better.
Is food really the issue? Do people really not know what to eat? I have always found that hard to believe. Nutrition is incredibly simple, despite the ever expanding industrialization and processing of foods. In my opinion, if you are even the least bit aware or even concerned about the state of your health and in touch with your body, you know damn well that vegetables benefit your health and potato chips don’t. It’s obvious. Your body responds to proper nutrition by feeling light and energized. Your body responds to unhealthy foods by feeling heavy and depressed. Take a moment to create that connection for yourself. Write down how you feel after you eat certain foods if you want to experiment. It is very powerful.
Food is pleasurable. The sense of taste is an incredible gift we are given as humans. We should be able to delight in the experience of taste, free of guilt, shame, deprivation, and micromanaging. Why would anyone want to feed themselves beyond their capacity? Why would one consciously choose to eat something they know is not healthy? Do we not care about ourselves and our bodies? Why would someone deprive themselves of the things they really want? Many people give power to food instead of choosing. When we give food power, we are at the mercy of our senses. When we replace what’s really going on with food, we are missing the point, and no matter what diet we go on, we will fail constantly because food is not the issue. This is why it becomes a downward spiral. There are millions of diet books on the shelves for a reason. Diet is not the issue. It’s much much deeper.
Life is. Life is the issue. Food makes us. So does sex. Sex is what created your physical body, and food is what sustains it. How is your sex life? Are you experiencing intimacy and love? Sexual connection is nutrition. It is nourishment. How is love expressed in your life? Do you experience the same feelings of guilt, shame, deprivation, or over indulgence around sex as you do around food? Please notice the connections. Our sensuality is directly linked with our overall health and wellbeing. Just as we need to be mindful with our food, we need to be mindful with our intimate partners. Unlike society’s general view of sex as something taboo or dirty or secretive, it is actually the exact opposite. It is to be celebrated. It is the highest form of meditation. It is the ultimate force.
Are you in love with life, despite its inevitable ebbs and flows? Do you receive daily doses of inspiration and support from those around you? Do you willingly give and receive physical touch? Do you experience honest and open communication with your partners, close friends and family? If not, it is likely you will resort to filling these gaps with food. Food provides a temporary relief from pain. It acts as a ‘band-aid’ of sorts. It covers up the issue at hand.. the guilt, the loneliness, the sadness, the emptiness. It is a momentary experience of bliss. That feeling of bliss comes from inside though. Food is a portal to ecstasy, however if taken advantage of, it will inevitably cause health issues. When life is operating out of balance, food becomes a natural excitement and nourishment. There is no question of what to eat and how much is enough. When the issues of intimacy and love are addressed, food issues clear up on their own accord.
What are you trying to fill with food? What are you depriving yourself of? Do you trust yourself? Are there other ways you can experience pleasure in your life without the side-effect of compromised health? Allowing ourselves to receive love and embrace our bodies is at the root of transformation. Consider that you are able to be loved, just as you are. Start by sending some love to yourself. Notice when you are in self-judgment mode, and apologize to yourself. Look at yourself through the lens of compassion. Many of us treat our enemies nicer than we treat ourselves. Be kind to you first. Everything starts and ends with love. Become vulnerable. Allow others in. Communicate. Have an orgasm or two. Make requests and eye contact. Ask for what you want. Create. Get started today.
All the kale in the world will not bring you what you seek if you are not in a constant state of Love and acceptance.
