America is known as the greedy nation-we live in a country with an over-abundance of food and an obsession on thinness and dieting. This mixed message of “you deserve it-eat, eat, eat” with “this cereal is 2 calories and will make you full for 8 hours!” can drive even the sanest consumer to a numbed state of confusion followed by an influx of bitter resentment and then a burnout back to being plain numb! Most people deal with this conflicting message with a “we all will die of something” attitude from November 27th-January 3rd to a “oh crap, I gained 7 pounds, time for a diet of paper cereal, low fat milk and fat-free cardboard for 2 months”. It’s just not a fun cycle. I think there’s a better way to have what we enjoy, and honor our body, rather than punishing it for enjoyment gone gluttony.
This is why I like this article’s view that we can have what we enjoy, in moderation, and allow ourselves to relax and just be for a day, especially because we are in a culture where we are conditioned to find an identity in doing. I also feel that paying attention to what feels good in your body and not gorging on food, just because it’s there, is important.
The thing is this-food is a beautiful thing. It characterizes cultures and nations; it unites the family together for discussion at dinnertime. It is ONE form of nourishment, especially when a loved one prepares it. However, it is one piece.
You know, some of the “healthiest” people I know, are also the sickest. Their food choices have become a religion to them, and I must tell on myself for this as well. Being a holistic health care specialist, you hear of the “bad” things, how milk is now fluorinated and contains plastic, how meat is pumped with antibiotics and hormones. It’s hard not go sadist with processed foods and denounce all things not fitting up to a set standard.
However, if you look at George Burns, or your junk food friend with the cholesterol reading of a 16 year old, you can’t ignore that mind and emotions affect what you eat. Like it or not, we are here, in this present moment, in this society with these values. We can judge it, resent it and resist it. Or, we can work to empower our choices for healthier living and change ourselves.
So, it’s important to be aware and conscious of healthy choices because you want to love your body and give it the best it deserves, but it’s important to make your choices from a place of YOUR awareness and what’s best for you. I have been titled the identity of “health food nut, granola, and tree hugger”, and that’s ok, but I have to check if my intention behind my choices comes from empowerment, not fear.
And yes, sometimes, the best choice is grandma’s homemade pie (gasp-with white/bleached flour) and aunt Suzy’s wheat/sugar/processed ridden jello mold. Why? Well for several reasons:
1. Because once in awhile it is nice to just relax and accept that being healthy isn’t all about food.
2. Because studies at Yale confirm that when you bless your food, you change its energetic pattern. And, everything is truly energy anyway, at least according to Max Plank and Albert Einstein. I don’t have the guts to argue with them. In summary of Max Plank’s acceptance speech in Stockholm Sweden for the Nobel prize, when he claimed there is no matter, as such: Energy=the electric charge of the protons/neutrons spinning in orbit around cells that are operated by something bigger than us.
3. Because, if you pick up any book recommend by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, you will get scientific evidence that what you think and feel when eating affects how you digest and assimilate nutrients. At the most simplistic level, if you are eating Suzy’s jello mold and secreting cortisol from stress over the sugar, you’ve put your digestive processes on slow-mode. So in this scenario, maybe don’t eat Suzy’s mold. But, if you are enjoying it, relaxed and surrounded with her company, chances are, your body will be just fine, it will take what it likes and excrete the rest.
I can already see some of my fantastic clients’ minds spinning like little wheels, who know just enough about whole, organic foods and processed foods to want to eat well, but also want to enjoy Grandma’s and Suzy’s treats. What to do???!!!!
Well, the answer is…… follow your intuition and listen to your body. (You knew I was going to say that, right?) Enjoy the celebration, focus on the gathering, and let the spirit of gratitude be your main filler. (And, if need be, take an extra enzyme and whole food vitamin.)
I will quote my wonderful AK teacher, Dr. Charles, DC, DIPAK, “If your patient can’t have a hot dog and a beer once in awhile, you aren’t doing your job!” Our bodies know better than us, and the Naturopathic viewpoint is this vitalistic force brings us back to balance.
…But remember, you can’t have a healthy body if you feed it hot dogs, French fries, soda pop and sugar everyday and think you’re ok by blessing it and relaxing. Even the strongest body needs physical substance to sustain it, and the mind and spirit need conscious decision to stay strong and healthy.
Sooo….Happy Holidays and ENJOY! Here’s to all of you who have given me the gift of working with you and allowing me into your healthy lives! With Gratitude and Best Regards, Dr. Sarah
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