100 Days of Wisdom…Day 35
In todays “diet” culture, many people eat their food with a lot of guilt. They allow thoughts such as: “I shouldn’t really be eating this but it’s ok if no one sees me!” or “I’ll allow myself just this one donut but I promise not to have any for another month!”
What happens then is consumers eat then their food habitually with an attitude of guilt! Without trying to make you all feel guilty, but that to me is a kick in the teeth to all the people around the world who are starving!! So here’s the ironic thing, I am actually deliberately trying to make you feel guilty so that you stop feeling guilty while you eat! Confused? Good!
We are so priveleged to be in a position to have an immense abunance and variety of food available to us 24/7! It’s pointless eating it with guilt. In fact, you have a CHOICE, you can either eat it with total love and appreciation, or you can eat it with a sense of guilt. Eating it with guilt will negate much of the benefit you will get from the food! In my humble opinion, it’s better to eat junk food with love and appreciation than it is to eat healthy food with guilt!
But to eat healthy food with absolute appreciation is vital for your not only your physical but also your spiritual well being! Learn to be grateful for having food in front of you. When your plate of food arrives in front of you, offer a two second silent prayer of thanks. Who are you thanking? It doesn’t matter, just feel the gratitude, feel like you deserve that food, feel like you appreciate the amazing gift sitting on the plate in front of you, feel happy and celebrate the joyous feeling of being able to nourish your body!!
As I’m writing this I’m reminded of the song Homer Simpson sings sometimes:
“Yummy yummy yummy, I got love in my tummy and I feel like loving you!” 😆
Interesting post
Thank you John!! 🙂
I’m reading this as I eat chocolate coated raisens and I have no guilt at all! I think the negativity steams from our childhood association of sweet items and reward triggers in the brain. Unknowingly, every parent/elder tends to reward using sweets and chocolate so we all grow up thinking of them as treats for a job well done. For most it becomes comfort because of the reward centres activation. Obviously there are studies which prove this, which also highlight the hormanal changes due to sweet treat eating. So for all you future parents out there, use other reward methods instead of food. Better to teach children that sweets and choclates are in abundence and not just for when they have been good. That old age social behaviour is wasted in this day and age of fast, convienent, easy to afford, purchase of foods.
Our negativity stems from our minds acknowleding that too much is bad for us, however we can’t help getting that high from the reward centre of our brains, so is born the “comfort eater” who eats and feels guilty about it! We ultimatly turn into mindless eating machines, who loose the ability to enjoy nourishing our bodies. We then loose the ability to listen to what our bodies want, instead we end up satisfying our reward centres in our brain.
I implore you to turn the next generation into ‘spiritual human beings’ and not robots!
Peace and Love – Kav
I remember reading some promotional material on a Nightingale Conant audio program which suggested this sort of approach to food: sitting down and eating in a state of gratitude and oneness, approaching a meal as we might a prayer. It makes perfect sense to do this, as in such a state our body is perfectly relaxed and functioning optimally. It’s probably an excellent cure for indigestion. I almost sent for the program, but then I decided I knew what I should do already, it was just a case of remembering to do it, which most of the time – of course – I don’t. Most of the time I just bolt the food down while thinking of something else. Then when I’ve finished, I start thinking about food again. It’s the same as with everything else, I suppose: be in the moment and pay attention to what you’re doing. Otherwise your life takes place in your absence.
Very true…my favourite saying at the moment is :
BE 100% IN THE MOMENT AT ALL TIMES!
keep telling yourself that, eventually you’ll convince your brain, mind, body and soul to do just that! 🙂 xxx
Thats very true Kavikim what you said about the conditioning and it’s something I didn’t even think much about but there is a lot of truth to that! 🙂
Simon,
“Otherwise your life takes place in your absence.” Very well said! I think I know which audio program you mean as I remember seeing it for myself. I’m guilty of it too sometimes, ramming the food down my mouth without even thinking about it but I’m glad to say that I’m slowly changing that into the good habit of being grateful and eating consciously! 🙂