Food & Nourishment

Food is an intimate relationship,

one we cannot afford to lose. Food is one of our first experiences of being loved, feeling safe and cared for. It is what gives us life and helps us grow. We are nourished and held, snuggled in a blankie and perhaps even whispered to. It doesn’t get better than that!

Nourish & Heal

Somewhere along the way our relationship with food takes the wrong turn and eating becomes something we define as being good or bad. The food is good or bad and we are being good or bad for eating it. We feel as if food has power over us and we are no longer in control of our own choices. Desire takes over and we feel lost. The cookie seems to become a monster in our heads that we cannot get rid of until it wins and we eat it. And then the other monster takes over. Our inner critic, blaming us for eating the cookie. And if it is not cookies it is something else. We feel like an addict needing the next fix and our relationship with food is like teenage love, where we think the world will end if we don’t get it and that our entire life will change if we do. At least sort of for a moment.

For now or for later?

Our need for instant gratification or rather our instinct for fixing what is “wrong” is part of the problem. We want something now but we “forget” to be mindful that something will happen after. Or we decide that we don’t care right now. Our relationship with food is a rather immediate one, especially if desire for taste or instant “feel good” runs our choices rather than our desire for feeling good long term. The sense of needing an instant fix especially takes precedence if we don’t master our hunger, because we will fall prey to our cravings much faster when our bodies have a sense of urgency to get food. Our survival instinct is still what is running the game, which essentially means our hormones because they are our body’s information system. Cortisol gets triggered when we don’t pause, sleep, eat or drink water and stress takes over. And stress is what makes us re-act out of fear or anxiety, rather than making mindful choices that actually work better for us.

That is why mindfulness is the key to change. It allows us to pause before we act rather than re-act, and that is how we change our habitual patterns.

Our body and us.

The sooner we learn to accept that our body is our most important tool to get around everyday, the sooner we can take care of it with some sense of both gratitude, but also basic well-care. You would never drive your car without air in the tires, gas and oil to run the engine, and you would not drive in the dark without lights on. So why do you drive your body that way? Why do you expect of your body that it can function without fuel, without rest, and without the basic care that makes it all function? Our bodies are amazing machines. Like the best of all cars that you can find. If it is a race-car or a old beat up truck is your choices.

That is just basic nutrition. Your body needs:

  • Get your 3 meals a day
  • Get your sleep
  • Drink water in between

Then comes our mind.

Another amazing tool that we have working either for us or against us. You might be at a computer all day thinking it does the work for you but really it is your mind that does it. Now your mind needs your battery charged just as much as your computer does. Actually your brain is the organ that burns the most calories in a day. Go figure, and you don’t feed it quality fuel? You think your latest computer is amazing, you have not met your brain!

Your brain needs:

  • Complex carbs and omega 3 fatty acids
  • Water
  • Pauses and rest to disconnect and re-focus

Then comes nourishment.

To nourish ourselves we need that element of feeling loved, safe and cared for. Like how it all started. This is where instant gratification meets self-love. Where mindfulness meets stress. And where we can take charge of not only our future health, but also how we feel everyday in a more sustainable way. Rather than being a victim of the roller-coaster of hunger and cravings, mood-swings and fatigue, disease and discomfort, we master our choices so they support us in thriving, rather than just surviving.

Your soul needs:

  • You
  • Your care
  • Your love
  • And nourishing foods that feed all of your senses.

Because food is a nourishing relationship that feeds more than just our bellies.

To learn more about how to master your hunger and cravings, please consider getting my book EAT TO FEEL FULL and nourish yourself for good. 

To learn more about how to master your health and your life, please consider signing up for my online 9-step Self-Nourishment course, which guides you through the Path of taking charge of your health by teaching you how to practice Self-Nourishment: the food-knowledge to know what to eat for you, the mindfulness to learn what you need, and the tools to actually change your habits… one step at a time.

Or you can work with me in personal coaching sessions in person or via skype or phone.

This is an excerpt from my public talk: “Nourish & Heal. Why we need nourishment to change our relationship with food, stop dieting and take charge of our health for good.” If you would like to book me for a talk – please see more here and get in touch.

I look forward to helping you take charge of your health with Self-Nourishment.

with much love, hugs and health

jeanette