Sacred Food
As we step into the throes of winter our food choices become even more important as we look to cleanse our bodies from all that indulgence over the festive period, safeguard our immune systems and tackle those winter blues.
Food is such a big part of Christmas, with lots of loving energy being poured into the making of the food, at a time when we feel more relaxed about eating all our favourite foods. You often hear the phrase, “Oh well it’s Christmas,” mentioned as a way of giving people the permission to eat the foods that they would normally deny themselves.
The interesting part to this observation is that building a good relationship with food is significant in building a good relationship with yourself. Allowing yourself to receive the foods that nourish and satisfy you is an important step towards a long-term healthy lifestyle. Also, the love that goes into the preparation of the food and the love that we share and give back to ourselves in the eating, is all important to understanding the sacredness of food.
The message here is that every day is an important day to nourish ourselves with the food that we prepare and eat.
Connecting with our food in this way implies the sacredness of food as something deeper than just necessary fuel and temporary taste pleasure. Instead, this way of viewing food helps us to be consciously aware of how food is nourishing our body and soul. Taste and health go hand in hand here, and eating mindfully is a tool to bring us into the present moment, to take responsibility for our health by making healthy choices and giving self-love to ourselves in doing so.
Being in constant denial of our favourite foods can bring feelings of resentment and then guilt, when we finally give in to the cravings. So how do we find the balance?
Balance is a key word here, and having a little bit of what we fancy goes a long way to help us stay away from feelings of resentment, self-loathing and guilt when we go overboard after too much denial.
The next step is to be mindful with your food selection. Discovering healthy alternatives, that both satisfy and nourish the body, help to implement long lasting food choices. Reading food labels to identify the main ingredients can make all the difference between a healthy option and an unhealthy option; for example, choosing a snack that is made with coconut oil, coconut sugar, oats and various nuts instead of one that is made up of wheat flour, refined white sugar and full fat butter. There are many healthier versions available today that are made up of good fats, good sugars and wholegrain ingredients. If you have time, making your own food with the good ingredients is an enjoyable, creative and more economical solution. This allows you to enjoy your favourite foods and stay healthy by being mindful and replacing them with healthier versions or recreating them yourself.
So really the key theme here is that just because Christmas is over it doesn’t mean that we all have to go ‘cold turkey’ without our favourite foods and be harsh on ourselves in doing so, though more so that with a mindful choice we can enjoy every mouthful knowing that our bodies are nourished and our taste buds are happy!
Words: Constandia Christofi
If you would like to book a Nutrition consultation with Constandia, please visit silverdragonwellbeing
