The Definition of Food

What is food?   "​any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that is absorbed in order to maintain life and growth”.

There are a lot of things that are NOT nutritious that we absorb. Chemicals, preservatives, carcinogenic dyes - not food.  So, for the purpose of this blog, food is defined as anything that can be ingested because we take in a lot of things into our body, mind, and spirit that are not nutritious.

So, what are you feeding yourself?

Let’s start with the body. What are you eating and why? Are you eating real food? An easy description of real food is that it’s fresh, colorful, and not processed.  Take a moment to reflect on what you ate today or yesterday.  What percentage was real food? What percentage was not? If you are not nourishing yourself by eating what’s best for you, why not? Is it because you don’t feel worthy of the best? Think about that for a minute.

I had food poisoning several weeks ago and it really evoked some deep questions for me around what I eat and why.  I have been paying close attention to my body and have had some big realizations. Here are a few:

• An empty stomach does not equal hunger.
• Craving does not indicate hunger.
• I often eat just because of the time of day, NOT because I’m hungry.

Eating when I’m not hungry usually indicates I’m trying to feed a different aspect of myself that IS hungry.  For example, I gained 10 pounds when my Mom died.  I was definitely trying to fill the void of her presence.  The thing is, eating when you are not hungry, never serves you. Figuring out which aspect of yourself really is in need of nourishment does serve you.

I’m challenging myself to really pay attention to my body and discern when I’m truly hungry and eat only then.  I feel like the extra 30-40 pounds I’m carrying will be released if I listen to my body in that way.  I’m going to pay attention to what part of me needs sustenance.  Do I need to spend more time in prayer and meditation? Do I need to feed my mind?  Do I need some fun with family and friends? Just as importantly, do I need to cleanse myself of toxins that I carry in my body, mind, and spirit? Examples of that are: negative thoughts, fear, judgment, feelings of not being enough, etc.  Can you relate to any of those?

I challenge you to pay attention to what you eat and why. Notice if you eat when you are not truly hungry. What part of you is really in need of sustenance?

In future blogs, I’ll delve into possible reasons people eat what they do.  I will also share with you my personal answers to the following topics:

• What’s eating you?
• Food as medicine
• Food for your mind and spirit
• The spiritual aspect of food
• How to determine what part of you is really hungry
• Three reasons it’s important to feed your body, mind, and spirit

I hope you tune in for these!  These blogs are a way for me to mentally digest life’s experiences. It helps me and I sincerely hope it helps you too.