When it comes to food – let your body speak
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When it comes to food – let your body speak
As great as food tastes, pretty much all of us know that eating is about more than just a delicious meal or a yummy snack! As human beings we can’t live without food and there is no avoiding the fact that what you eat will impact your body either for better, or for worse. The food you eat affects your whole body, your health, how you feel, and the vitality (or lack of vitality) you live with each day. For this reason food is an essential ingredient of self-care, playing a major role not only in caring for the physical body, but also contributing to our moods, emotions, energy levels and general wellbeing.
Food and eating is an integral part of self-care, but it’s not just about what you eat, but also why you eat, how much you eat and even the way you eat.
The range of information available today on what to eat is enormous. We live in an age of “super foods”, diet books galore, cooking shows, nutritionists, governments and dieticians all providing (sometimes conflicting) guidelines on what and how much to eat to live a healthy life. Most people have easy access to all of this information and yet obesity continues to grow at alarming rates! So why is it that with so much information, as a society we seemingly continually struggle with food?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare tells us: almost 2 in 3 Australian adults are overweight or obese, and 1 in 4 Australian children are overweight or obese.
(Aihw.gov.au, 2015)
Tips to self-care with food
Tip 1 – for self-care with food is to recognise no two bodies are exactly the same; that every body is unique.
While there are generalisations about types of food that are great for all bodies (e.g. fruit and vegetables), and types of food that will be detrimental for all bodies (e.g. donuts), it is very important to recognise that there is no such thing as one diet for everyone. Self-care with food means acknowledging that your body is unique and that there are some foods that your body really responds to, and some that cause an internal calamity! For example, some people might find that Brussels sprouts are an awesome food both nutritionally and for loads of energy: others might find they tend to cause intestinal gas or bloating and are an absolute ‘no no’.
Tip 2 – for self-care with food is to listen to your body!
It will tell you through a myriad of ways what food is great for you, and what is not. Sometimes the foods you are attracted to, and are literally dying to eat, may not be what your body would ever say ‘yes' to if it could speak. Your liver, for example would likely say “no” to high fat foods, or alcohol, and your kidneys would likely ask you to keep your salt intake down! When you listen your body has much to say, and speaks loudly (e.g. indigestion, bloating or excess weight) about what to eat, and how much to eat.
Your body is the barometer that tells you what food works and what doesn’t work for you. For example, if you are tired or bloated after a meal, this may be your body’s way of speaking about what or how much you’ve eaten. Listening to your body will bring an inner wisdom that is more valuable than any diet book you can buy. A great way to develop self-care with food is to let your body speak to you about what food is truly nourishing for you.
Tip 3 – for self-care with food is knowing that what (and how much) food your body wants is always changing!
Life changes every day for all of us, we age daily, our hormones change, and there are different physical and mental challenges every day. In line with this continual change be willing to develop what you eat, how much you eat, or even when you eat.
Tips 1, 2 and 3 go hand in hand and bring a new approach to eating as part of your own personal self-care program.
1. Know your body is unique
2. Listen to your body’s messages on what and how much to eat
3. Evolve your food choices in line with your body
The food we eat can literally transform how we feel in our body, bringing a lightness that supports our wellbeing, energy levels and clarity of mind. On the flip-side it can leave us feeling dull and dreary, perhaps with a so called “fuzzy head” – or struggling to get through the day, needing loads of caffeine or sugar just to stay awake.
Take the self-care food challenge – using the tips – and put yourself in the driver’s seat as you explore what foods you whole body loves!
Further reading:
A great place to begin with self-care and food is described in the article Making Healthy Food Choices - Stop Connect Feel.
You can also find an abundance of simple and tasty recipes in the Recipes section.
The Food Sphere is packed with articles and audios to assist you in choosing a way of eating that not only nourishes your body, but also brings more understanding of food and the important role it plays in a healthy, vital life.
You can watch this short video from Serge Benhayon on Food and Diet.
More Self-Care Tips.
Filed under
Connection, Breath, Body awareness, Gentleness, Exhaustion, Tension
