Conscious Eating
This is a huge part of my life.
So often in today’s society we have completely lost our personal relationship to the food we eat. More specifically, we have lost our connection and lost our gratitude for how our food is grown, where it is grown, how it travels to us, and most of the time even how it is cooked before we eat it. Generally speaking, food as we know it exists only right before it enters our mouths. ☹
There is DEEP healing in not only how we interact and respect our food, in not only the quality of the food we choose to eat, in not only how our food was grown, but in the ENTIRE process of eating. For most of us, that is the shopping, preparing, cooking, eating, cleaning cycle that occurs when we touch, infuse, and respect our food by preparing it ourselves.
We become humbled by this process, because you are right – it is far from “convenient” in today’s world. Although, convenience and health can be two opposing things. Maybe for some of us, we are able to have our own gardens and grow our own food, or buy from a local farmer. This year, I have harvested cucumbers, romaine, green leaf, watermelon, zucchini, squash, herbs, and more!
There is something really profound about caring for your food as it grows before it even hits your fridge.
But, we are really blessed either way.
We have a surplus of grocery stores around us carrying healthy & organic produce, meat, and anything we could possibly need or even want. I do not have to grow all my own food because there are plenty of talented organic farmers around doing that for me (thankfully). I can literally walk to a grocery store from my house and buy clean, nutrient-dense food. How awesome is that!
As the season’s shift, it is a beautiful time to slow it down, check in, and pay attention to the small joys in our Earth life – like preparing or truly enjoying a delicious meal. The turn of the seasons is a beautiful time to honor the fall harvest – whatever you are harvesting (however subtle it may be).
And no matter the season, the food we choose to put into our bodies as fuel is directly related to our level of health and our potential level of health. You have probably heard the saying “You are either fighting or feeding disease with every bite”. I realize this can be quite overwhelming because we are habitual creatures, and it may be hard to break those habits. BUT, there are 4 simple principles I teach so that you can improve the quality of the food you eat AND improve your relationship to the food you eat as well.
4 Simple Ways to Improve Your Health:
- Cut back on processed foods (foods in the middle of the grocery isles – anything boxed, packaged, etc.). Most of these foods have no nutritional content, and they are filled with sugars, grains, artificial flavors & colorings, preservatives, GMOs, and more icky ingredients. Be sure to check the nutrition label for sneaky ingredients that could feed disease.
- Cut back on gluten, dairy, and refined sugars & fats. Simply put, these will absolutely correlate with the levels of inflammation and toxicity in your body. Plus, nowadays there are amazing healthy alternatives.
- Have respect for your food! Honor where it’s been before it hits your plate – it matters. Taking a moment before you eat at a restaurant or at home to offer your thanks and your love to the food can completely shift how your body will digest and metabolize it. This is specifically important if you do not buy, touch, cook, or connect in some way to your food before you eat it. Your intention is everything!
- Have compassion! Be kind to yourself. The beauty is in the process…
CONTEMPLATE or JOURNAL:
- Am I connecting with the food I eat? Am I honoring my food? Am I honoring my health?
- How can I improve my connection to my food?
- What are 1 or 2 simple changes I can make that will help me honor my food more authentically?
- What is a personal, reasonable goal for my own Conscious Eating in a year from now?
Conscious Eating Meditation
Eat a meal with wholehearted, conscious awareness.
Sounds simple, right?
You can find the right time to do this no matter where you are. Trust that you will know when is the “right time”.
Give yourself permission to set aside the everyday worries of your world.
Give yourself permission to let go of the grasps of the mind. Let go of the mind’s tendencies to attach, resist, or judge; and instead, simply allow yourself to experience the present moment in your body. This is important: Put aside all distractions (tv, phone, radio, etc). You will not need them.
Allow yourself to become immersed in the sensations of eating. Indulge in the smell of your food. Taste the flavors as they interact with each other in your mouth. Feel the changing textures as you chew and swallow. Let this be a full body experience. Allow your body to experience the experience of eating with gratitude, with love, and with presence. Allow every bite to dive you deeper into the magic of eating consciously.
Notice what shifts; notice what comes up; notice what evolves; notice how you feel when you finish.
Please reach out with comments, questions, or if I can support you in any way through your journey of Conscious Eating. Many Blessings.
XOXOXO,
Shanin Weisberg
Yoga Teacher, Diet Coach, Energy Healer
https://surrendertosoulwellness.com/
Contact me @ [email protected]
