I believe that our relationship to food should be one based on love, devotion and pleasure.
Food is meant to bring us joy, to connect us to others over the sharing of it, and to fuel our bodies, keeping us healthy and strong so that we can move through our lives in the way that we most desire.
Hint: the point is to feel good.
This is the view from where I stand. I also know that life brings some uninvited guests along on our food experience. Allergies, intolerances, sensitivities and downright itchy, icky, uncomfortable side effects are a part of the everyday reality of so many people these days.
Each person is different, every body is different. Every individual is nourished in different ways, whether by preference or necessity. But when we use the uncomfortable side effects as insights into the way our bodies need to be fed… that’s when the synergy happens.
My oldest son had food related eczema that started showing up when he was 4 months old. Red, itchy, dry patches covered his entire body, turning his soft baby skin rough and flaky. Spots on his cheeks became so dry that they were rubbed raw. Bandaids on the face and long pants in the summer become necessary tools to stop little hands from scratching.
First we distressed. Then we despaired. Then we got down to the roots, the source and raw materials that our bodies use to build our bodies. After some experimenting, taking some foods out, bringing others in, we realized that his body was just not nourished by some of the things that are considered healthy and good for most other people. His body went into attack mode when these things entered his system, and the battle scars showed up on his skin.
Luckily with some research and some training, some creativity and devotion, we coaxed his soft skin back to the surface. Small and simple, previously overlooked shifts made all the difference in healing his little body from the inside out.
It’s a few years later now. He has his own ever changing opinions about food. He has preferences and quirks, like most kiddos his age do. But through his experiences, even he can choose his way towards things that nourish him, intuitively (and with some help from mom and dad, because what are we here for, right?!). He isn’t drowning in scarcity, he knows and expects that his food should be enjoyable to him.. should make his tastebuds dance in delight. He also knows the things that don’t make him feel good. Because remember, the point is to feel good.
Our body is whispering needs and desires to us all day long. When those whispers are overlooked or ignored for long enough, they scream and they dig and they wreck havoc on the places we will feel and notice the most.
Learn to tune into those whispers. Form an alliance with your body and you will take care of each other.
Intrigued at the idea of working with your body rather than despite it?