Food facts and rules – what fits you?
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Food facts and rules – what fits you?
We grow up under an umbrella of food facts and rules that guide and sometimes guilt us into eating a certain ‘right’ way, like thinking we should all eat three meals a day. Sometimes the very thing that we think is good for us may be locking us into a relationship with food and eating that is not a good fit for our body.
A suit that is made for one-size-fits-all feels and looks very different from one tailor-made to fit us perfectly. This difference is something we could consider in our relationship with food. When we eat in a way – like eating three meals a day – we may be clothed, but far from wearing something tailored to perfectly fit and complement our body.
When we start to measure, cut and sew clothes for our own body shape and lifestyle needs, we can end up with a fit that feels amazing and which suits and serves us down to every last seam and button.
Equally, when it comes to tailoring our diet to ourselves instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, our body shows how well the fit is in our levels of wellbeing, mental health, energy, vitality and clarity, through to changes in our physical appearance, size and shape.
It can be confusing and demanding to follow the many one-size-fits-all diets, food rules and facts, such as making sure you have breakfast, eating protein at every meal, juicing, keeping up your calcium with dairy and so on. Yet even when we follow these rules we may not end up feeling or looking great in our own skin.
When this happens, we can often try harder instead of taking a step back for a wider view. For example, carpet snakes can take a month to digest a meal, so they don’t eat every day. How long does it take you to digest a meal and for your body to be ready to eat once again? It will be different for all of us depending on the meal itself, our body type, and the physical demands and schedule of our day. What fits one body and lifestyle will not fit another.
For example, my husband eats one meal a day; for him this is dinner, usually around 5.30pm. It is not a loaded up, huge meal, but a normal dinner, like fish and salad or veggies and steak. During the day he drinks tea, water and has a morning ritual of a decaf coffee. Some days he may eat a piece of fruit in the middle of the day or on a weekend some sort of snack, but these are not every day or every weekend – they happen when he feels the need to. This is what works for him, and his body and well-being shows that it is a good fit, even though in eating this way he breaks many food rules.
To our food-rule-conditioned ears, Antony’s one meal a day behaviour seems inconceivable and weird, even dangerous and irresponsible. However, the proof is in the pudding, so to speak, and his photo below shows him not to be anorexic, weak or unwell, but a vibrant and healthy 53-year-old.
He wasn’t always like this. His dad is overweight and he was heading the same way. This all changed in 2006 when he saw a photo of himself where at a height of 165cm and weighing 100kg he got a clear picture of where he was headed and he decided then and there to change his relationship with food, tailoring it in his own way to one that left him feeling well in his body.
Clearly, eating once a day suits him and fits his body and the work and lifestyle demands he needs to meet daily.
You want the latest diet to help you ‘lose weight’? here it is –
"Feel what to eat not eat what you feel"
Miranda Benhayon Esoteric Teachings and Revelations, p 380
Beginning to seek a fit with food starts with trusting the feedback our body very clearly gives us when it comes to tailoring our way of eating to our individual needs, understanding that what works for us may contradict the many current food facts and rules, or even the eating habits and beliefs of those around us at home and at work.
Appreciating our uniqueness gives way to discovering what type of diet – that is what food, preparation, quantity, time and way of eating – truly suits and fits our body based on the feedback it forever provides us with. No matter what the food facts and rules of the day may be, the proof is always in our body and the quality it delivers to our lives every day.
Filed under
Weight-loss, Digestion, Evolution
