Food is a love language
Our relationship with food is strong....
Many of us on a health journey struggle to switch foods, give up things and adjust our way of being. In a sense, these changes in your food will require you to change your relationship with food.
And that’s the key - as your relationship with food is as strong as your relationship with another –it’s like a lover, best friend, therapist, mentor and mother. Food nourishes you in the womb, it comforts you when you are sick, rewards you when you succeed, it is used to celebrate with friends, show someone you care, fuel your body for a big race or marathon in life, feed your brain through exams, spend time with loved ones...and so much more.
The association we have with food is tremendous, and I think it is actually a love language of its own. If our basic needs are food, water and shelter – then it makes sense that the tribe that we call family and friends will be integrated into this ritual relationship we have with food and how we sustain ourselves.
For healing, your relationship with food needs to be nurtured, re-educated and ultimately changed for the better. The foods that you perhaps thought were nourishing an aspect of yourself need to be seen for what they are and you can shift into higher versions of them, which will ultimately nourish you at a cellular level and an emotional and soul level.
Like many relationships we have in today’s world, many of them have been corrupted and it means taking off your rose coloured glasses to see where society has taken a wrong turn, re-assessing your position and starting off in a new direction. This time, your new direction with food is conscious, directed and measured as you see what foods make you feel good and what ones you can leave behind with the old sick or less vibrant version of yourself.
If you are ready to let this version of yourself go, and are ready to embrace a new version of you who has more energy, better skin, bright eyes, is more trim and has a much brighter outlook on life, then you need to be willing to let go of the food habits that were keeping you in your less than optimal state.
Chocolate for example, is a food that has really been corrupted throughout history. In the early days when it was discovered over 4000 years ago in Mexico, chocolate was prepared and drunk in rituals and as a medicine. It was prepared holistically with intent, minimal processing and sugar and enjoyed in very special and select circumstances.
Today, chocolate looks and tastes nothing like it did back then. Rather now, it is one of the most over processed confectionary treats, which is doused in colours, flavours, preservatives and copious amounts of sugar – a substance science has shown to be just as addictive as cocaine. So what once was medicinal has now become a toxic burden to the body, enjoyed all too frequently for many of the wrong reasons.
Things like dark chocolate, carob and sacred cacao. These are forms that the body recognises, as they are closest to nature, which the body recognises and knows how to process. Further, as there are no added nasties and stimulants, there is no extra strain on the digestive system or the adrenals, so you can enjoy the taste sensation, the nutritional benefits and still maintain, if not enhance, your physical and mental state.
Now, I know it may seem trivial, but enjoying your food is a key part of healing and maintaining your passion in life. Food is how we nourish and enjoy ourselves, so it’s more about the how you do this and with what that we are addressing today.
Food should always be enjoyed, especially with the people you love. It is a tool and a ritual we use to show love to others and ourselves. But, let’s get real about what foods we are preparing, cooking and sharing together and let’s make them the best versions available.
If we are to be the best versions of ourselves, then we need to be consuming nutrient dense whole foods, straight from the garden or local farmer, cooked from scratch and shared in a loving environment.
This is the food relationship that inspires me, and it’s what I’m passionate about teaching you to enjoy too through Attune Wellness.
To your health and wellness…
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chocolate
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/14/910