Saturday, January 29, 2011

Saturday’s Food for Thought

 

Good Saturday morning to ya! I usually don’t post weekend mornings but this one is special! A few weeks ago, I just so happened to become “blogger” buddies with a wonderful woman named Lisa (from Thrive Style). She just happened to stumble upon my Food is Love post and left a very insightful comment.

Food can be love---but I think lots of the issues people have stem from trying to get a kind of love out of food that it can't provide... I teach a mind-body skills course about food, and one of the things we always find is that people deal with food the way they deal with the rest of their lives. Of course...it's a little more complex than that!”

From then on out, I was intrigued! I wanted to know more about her teachings. This woman was full of knowledge! After a few emails (or rather me stalking her), she graciously agreed to do a guest post about it.
So without further ado….Here’s Lisa and her “FOOD FOR THOUGHT.”

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Feed Your Body, Nurture Your Soul

I’ve learned from my experience as a wellness coach that the way people deal with food is often a mirror of the way they deal with other things in their lives. When a person is experiencing issues with food, or wanting to lose weight or change behaviors and thought patterns, there is much more exploration needed than just counting calories and adding nutrient dense foods.

In fact, nutrition knowledge is often the smallest factor in a person’s food journey.
When I first began researching food and emotions, I found that many experts believe in a variation of this statement:


If you’re eating for any reason besides physical hunger, it’s the wrong reason.


I disagree.


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I do believe that we should learn how to not eat when we’re not hungry or to help deal with negative emotions, but there are many things food does for us besides quell physical hunger. Even the way we use language and express emotions in relation to food is important.


Notice the difference in feelings associated with the following statements.


I am obsessed with food
-or-
I am passionate about food


I label foods as “good” and “bad,” and when I eat bad foods I feel guilty, and try to force myself to do better.
-or-
I love to choose foods that provide my body with nutrients, but when I choose ones that don’t, I just consider this “information” to take into account for future decisions.


Perspective is almost everything when it comes to food. Food is magical and wonderful. It can be beautiful and flavorful. We can use it to enhance our bodies’ functions and appearance, and also to enhance our emotional lives and deepen our relationships with ourselves and with others.
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Food nurtures our souls
After my training in Mind-Body Medicine, I realized I had found the missing link for all areas of wellness. This missing link is the relationship between the Mind and Body. We tend to separate Mind and Body into two different things, and when we try to improve our lifestyles we focus primarily on knowledge and strategies for change. However, especially in the realm of food, we have an opportunity to treat both the mind and the body in ways that benefit and honor each other…as well as nurturing the Mind-Body together.


How?


Luckily there are some easy and awesome techniques that help enhance the connection and enrich your life with food and otherwise.
  1. Breathe deeply. When you breathe deeply into your belly, the vagus nerve is stimulated, and this tells your brain to relax (it reduces the release of stress hormones, which cause both mental and physical detriments). When you eat while you’re feeling stress, your body does not digest food properly and doesn’t absorb nutrients effectively. So you can be malnourished in spite of having a fabulous diet! Breathing deeply into your belly while eating, and throughout the day benefits your digestion, stress level, and metabolism.
  2. Drink enough water. Flavor it with things like lemon and/or stevia if you need to! The body thrives on adequate amounts of water (consume 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water per day for the average person). Water is a conductor, a lubricator, a blood booster, and more. Tissues that don’t have enough water don’t function properly, and this messes with your hunger signals (cravings), satiety, and your emotions.
Both of those techniques are easy enough to do if you try a little bit, right? But do you make them a focus during your day? What if you did…and you felt better and ate more healthfully as a result? It’s totally free, and takes virtually no time at all!


There are a lot of other tools, such as Experiential Meditation and the 2-5 Scale, but in the interest of keeping this a reasonable length, I’ll just tell you one more here!


Mindful Eating
Choose one piece of food (whatever feels reasonable to you). When I’m working with a group, we each choose one grape or one piece of chocolate.
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I usually talk the group through the steps, but you can do it on your own too.
  1. Put the piece of food in the palm of your hand and look at it. Notice the color, texture, and overall appearance.
  2. Roll it around in your hand, touching it with your fingers. Notice its temperature, shape and the hardness or softness of the piece of food.
  3. Breathe deeply as you do this, but focus on the food more than on your breath.
  4. Think about what the piece of food will taste like and notice if your mouth starts to water. Close your eyes if you like.
  5. Bring the food to your nose and smell it. What does it smell like? Notice whether you want to eat the food or not. Pause.
  6. Put the piece of food in your mouth, but don’t chew it.
  7. Roll it around in your mouth and focus on how it feels on your tongue, its texture and shape.
  8. Bite into the food once and be super aware of the feel of it in your mouth and its taste.
  9. Begin chewing the food slowly, focusing on its texture and flavor.
  10. Chew it slowly until it dissolves and finally swallow it.
After you’re finished, reflect on the process and what it felt like to slow down and be present and aware of just one bite of food.
Many people notice how much satisfaction they can get out of one bite of food when they’re present for it, as opposed to eating larger quantities of food on “autopilot.”
There’s no right answer regarding how you should feel---it’s just an exploration that is individual for you!


The implications?


You can practice this (maybe not so dramatically, but still being more present and eating without distractions).
You can start to feel the connection of how food can simultaneously feed your physical hunger and nurture your soul.


If you are interested in more information, I’d love to discuss it with you! You can also check out the website for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine to learn more about their trainings and their groundbreaking work around the world.
Lisa @ Thrive Style
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Lisa, I cannot thank you enough for sharing this! It has opened up my eyes to a lot more about our relationship with food. And with that being said, I am now hungry………OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
I will THOROUGHLY enjoy this snack!
Cheers!
LC

41 comments:

Carrie said...

great great post!!! thanks for sharing this!!

Tina said...

Wonderful post Lindsay! The Mind/Body connection is often, as you said, "the missing link. We need to fully embrace the fact that health is all-encompassing (Mind, Body, Spirit). Once we start to reinhabit our bodies and fully listen to the messages it is sending, everything else will fall into place! Have a great weekend!

Wendy said...

Agree with Lisa fully, and appreciate your sharing this here Lindsay.

As a middle school teacher, I decided to really focus on my relationship with food this year. In the summer, it's insanely easy to eat when I want, what I want, how I want, etc. The school year brings a lot MORE to it.

Things I've learned:

*keep 1 or 2 bottles of water ON my desk (if it's/they're on the floor, I probably will not grab 'em)

*allow myself the 1 minute for a "bano break" between classes (my hallmates and I regularly cover for each other if we'll be longer!)

*walk BEFORE eating lunch (this allows me to get in touch with what's going on beyond the rapid fire world of middle schoolers!)

*bring healthy options to our monthly grade level meetings and be vocal about what's best (last week this resulted in a change from a Dessert Day for Administration Appreciation Week to Dessert Day AND Fruit Basket- each of the 2 teams on the 8th grade were assigned one... and many people jumped on board with fruit/nut/water ideas!)

*share the food with others (we now routinely swap rice crackers, veggies, and hummus for homemade soup, and other items too)

*listen to what's best and step away from systems (After the 1st week or so of school, I realized my 4th period kids weren't paying attention. They were hungry and had 90 more minutes to go. We discussed how in the summer they can eat when they want, etc. Snacks are allowed during that period. They come in, eat for 2 minutes, and get ready. Then they work til the end in a super focused manner. I do need to tweak the permitted snacks though, and we'll work on this as Semester 2 starts soon. This works because I'm not in a lab and we have created a set of solid rules and expectations, and there's a lot of respect and open communication.)

The results are phenomenal! I've kept "my bod" and gotten healthier as the year has gone on, others are becoming more aware, and little by little the focus is becoming health in our building! :-)

Gen said...

Awesome guest post!!!!!!!
Hope you have a great weekend!

Lisakthrives said...

Thanks for posting this Lindsay...I can be quite wordy on this topic...and in my face-to-face life, I often get met with blank stares :) So it's fab to be able to share my thoughts in a world where people might have some interest sparked!
So glad we made this happen :)

Cherelli said...

Excellent post Lindsay, thanks for channelling Lisa's comments over. When I look back on some periods of my life I note that my mind/motivation/occasional depression has always corresponded with negative food association - which only set myself up further for a Fall. I still have to listen hard though for the hunger signals (interesting that as I am adopting more of a Paleo approach those signals are being heard better). I find allowing myself to get a little hungry each day makes me appreciate food better than if I eat "on time" or at the slightest tweak of hunger/food craving (and I don't mean that badly, just gaining a better understanding of when my body really needs to eat. Plus mentally a colourful plate does wonders for the eye - and therefore emotions, it can be like appreciating a painting before consuming :)

Christin@purplebirdblog said...

I love Lisa, and these are wise words indeed! I am saving this post in my reader so I can come back and read it more thoroughly when I have more time! Happy Saturday! xo

mamarunsbarefoot said...

This was beautiful! I"ve never been overweight, BUT I have tended to have a guilty feeling when eating ice cream etc. I do need to drink more water, I will work on that. I will take what you've written to heart.. Thank you!

Heather @ Where's the Beach said...

Lisa is great isn't she???!! I'm loving her blog and this was a fantastic post. Thank you both!

Kissmybroccoli said...

Fab post! I really want to explore more about mindful eating. When I'm at work, it is usually "eat when you can as fast as you can" so I have a hard time shifting that thought at dinnertime or on the weekends and my bowl/plate is clean in 5-10 minutes (which totally bums me out...especially when I took the time to make something really good). It's like I don't even get to taste it. I want to get better at thinking of food as just a part of my schedule and start enjoying it more. I think there is nothing better than savoring a bowl of self serve fro-yo topped with my favorite things!

Ash71887 said...

I LOVE this! There are times when i defiantly snack out of boredom and I have to remind myself to stop and ask myself if I am truly hungry. Each bite should be savored and enjoyed! Food is so good for my soul...especially when I cook a big meal to feed lots of people. Seeing family and friends come together and really love the food I prepare makes me incredibly happy!

Bre said...

love this post! have to go check out Lisa's blog and read more! :)

marathonmaiden said...

wow i absolutely love this post. it's really refreshing to hear a voice that not just saying "eat when hungry and stop when full" and that food does more than just satisfy hunger.

audrey said...

that was really good! and timely...yesterday my "hubs" and i were hungry and stopped off at our favourtie hole in the wall chinese eatery. ordered 4 dishes and once the food arrived...i swear we inhaled it in about 20mins!!! our server gave us a funny look...he thought it was alot of food, but when he came back to see how we were enjoying his cooking...and saw empty plates..not sure if he was impressed or mortified that we ate everything is such a short period of time.
WE have GOT to learn to enjoy our food and SLOW down!!!

Stephanie said...

I LOVE Lisa and her vast amount of knowledge! This is a GREAT post!

lauren@spiced plate said...

thanks for the awesome advice! So much learning to be done, all the time, with the realtionship between ourselves and our food.

Kristina @ spabettie said...

I LOVE this! I like the distinction between having a passion for food and having an obsession. I feel I am passionate about food - in the creation of something wonderful, to the sharing with those I love... someone once said to me "writing a food blog must turn that into an obsession - you are always thinking about it". I know I may focus more on food because I write about it, but I'm not sharing a food dairy, counting calories or tracking pounds on a scale. My "passion" translates to more creativity in the kitchen, I think? :) at least I hope.

I loosely follow that water rule, drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces. I learned that from my naturopath years ago, and while I usually drink enough water, I sometimes need a reminder.

This is great perspective - I am going to read Lisa's blog now... thank you, Lindsay and Lisa, for sharing this! <3

Sarah said...

Great post. I do a lot of focusing on not focusing on good and bad when I teach yoga.

Jess said...

This is SO insightful. My mind is going a million miles an hour just taking it all in. THANK YOU for giving me something to think about here...food is truly nourishment for the mind and body, I firmly believe that. I totally fall into the "I am passionate about food" statement, through and through.

Christie said...

That's a really good idea. I will have to try both of those things, the breathing and the more water and see how I feel

Tracy Simmons said...

I agree with Kristina, food should be a passion, not an obsession. Take the time to savour your food and enjoy it. Feel great while you are nourishing your body :)

Kath said...

What a great guest post! Thank you so much for featuring it! I can tell from my own exerience that mindfulness practice has done the most for my relationship with food. :)

hungryrunnergirl said...

How did you know that I NEEDED THIS POST SO BAD!!! I need to work on mindful eating. I love that she said that perspective is everything when it comes to food (and everything in life I think)!! LOVE the picture of you thoroughly enjoying your snack:) You have convinced me to drink more water!! I am your number one stalker:) LOVE ya girly....have an amazing day with James!

Laura Jayne Parson said...

Mindful eating is so important - because food is more than just calories that allow us to do what we want to do! It is our reason for meeting people, being with people, and a totally legitimate reason for happiness (as long as it isn't our only reason!).
I loved this post!

Madeline said...

I'm continually amazed at how much happier my body is when I REALLY listen to what it is telling me!

Chuck said...

I really like her thoughts about the relationship with "good" and "bad" foods! Now if only I can make myself believe that...

Pure2raw Twins said...

Wonderful post!! Yes food is nourishing and can do so much for us, we need to respect it ;)

Michelle said...

great post Lisa! I think it is o0 important to get people to see the link they have between food and emotional conection-
Even the link between why people DONT eat and emotions!

Jenn @ Peas & Crayons said...

Oh gosh! Enjoy that snack girl! <3 chocolate bark? haha save me a piece!!!! =)

Loved Lisa's post! as always! I heart when two of my fav bloggers are in one place! <3

Missy Miller said...

I Love this -- thanks for sharing. Ever read "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth? You should. You will love it.

Heather @ Dietitian on the Run said...

This was fascinating - something I've given thought to more times than I can count, as a Dietitian and counselor. Everyone's reactions, relationships and behaviors are SO very different, and it's beyond interesting to look at things with these perspectives and with this knowledge!

Thanks Lisa and Lindsay, for sharing!!

Jessica said...

Nutrition is important and snacks are good too!!

I am blog hopping today and thought I would stop by your blog.

Please stop by and follow either or both of my blogs as well:

Jessicas Lil Corner is where I blog about life and family at http://jessicaslilcorner.blogspot.com

So Stylilized is where I am currently offering FREE custom blog designs at http://sostylilized.blogspot.com

I hope to see you at either or both of my blogs and welcome you to follow both!!

Have a great Wednesday!! :0)

Madeline said...

I'm continually amazed at how much happier my body is when I REALLY listen to what it is telling me!

hungryrunnergirl said...

How did you know that I NEEDED THIS POST SO BAD!!! I need to work on mindful eating. I love that she said that perspective is everything when it comes to food (and everything in life I think)!! LOVE the picture of you thoroughly enjoying your snack:) You have convinced me to drink more water!! I am your number one stalker:) LOVE ya girly....have an amazing day with James!

Sarah said...

Great post. I do a lot of focusing on not focusing on good and bad when I teach yoga.

lauren@spiced plate said...

thanks for the awesome advice! So much learning to be done, all the time, with the realtionship between ourselves and our food.

Ash71887 said...

I LOVE this! There are times when i defiantly snack out of boredom and I have to remind myself to stop and ask myself if I am truly hungry. Each bite should be savored and enjoyed! Food is so good for my soul...especially when I cook a big meal to feed lots of people. Seeing family and friends come together and really love the food I prepare makes me incredibly happy!

Cherelli said...

Excellent post Lindsay, thanks for channelling Lisa's comments over. When I look back on some periods of my life I note that my mind/motivation/occasional depression has always corresponded with negative food association - which only set myself up further for a Fall. I still have to listen hard though for the hunger signals (interesting that as I am adopting more of a Paleo approach those signals are being heard better). I find allowing myself to get a little hungry each day makes me appreciate food better than if I eat "on time" or at the slightest tweak of hunger/food craving (and I don't mean that badly, just gaining a better understanding of when my body really needs to eat. Plus mentally a colourful plate does wonders for the eye - and therefore emotions, it can be like appreciating a painting before consuming :)

Carrie said...

great great post!!! thanks for sharing this!!

Tracy Simmons said...

I agree with Kristina, food should be a passion, not an obsession. Take the time to savour your food and enjoy it. Feel great while you are nourishing your body :)

mamarunsbarefoot said...

This was beautiful! I"ve never been overweight, BUT I have tended to have a guilty feeling when eating ice cream etc. I do need to drink more water, I will work on that. I will take what you've written to heart.. Thank you!