It’s an ongoing practice. We struggle with what we eat, how we feel about food, and how to better our relationship with it. This can manifest itself as dieting, restrictive eating, rushed eating, detachment, obsession with numbers and calories, or just an inability to simply enjoy the experience of food. How does this make us feel? Pretty crappy.
The trouble is that this is a cultural issue.
Everywhere we look, we are taught what is important: how we look, what we wear, what parts of us are too big or too small, what we should be eating, how we should be exercising, and how we should behave. It’s absolutely exhausting!
So what if, just for a minute or two, we entertained the idea of just enjoying who we are now; what we look like now; what we are wearing now; how we feel now? What if we were to just simply enjoy our food and not analyze it, give it a name, or curse it as it rolls down our throat.
What if?
5 Tips for Happy Eating
Slow Down: Relax already! Sit down with your food. Breathe. Chew. Just slow down the crazy pace of life to eat. Your digestion will thank you!
Practice Engaging: Pay attention to what is on your plate, in your hands, in your mug. Focus on your meal instead of your computer, your work, your tv, your kids. Pay attention to the taste of your food, its aroma, its temperature. Engage in the art of enjoyment.
Allow for Excitement: It is all right for food to be exciting, we are meant to have an emotional connection to our food. We are emotional beings.
Increase Joy in the Kitchen: Break out some new recipes (or old ones). Put on some music. Have a glass of wine. Make your kitchen a happy place.
Fire the Food Police: Let go of being hard on yourself when it comes to food. Allow yourself the enjoyment, the desire and the pleasure. Food is not an enemy. It is your friend, your partner, your energy and nourishment; welcome it in your soul.