How we eat is as important as what we eat.  What we may be eating, however, is our feelings! When we eat we could be feeling many different emotions and trying to stuff the uncomfortable feelings down. What are you feeling when you eat?

Joy

Excitment

Happy

Fear

Guilt

Bad

Stuffed

Sadness

Anger

Frustration

Hopeless

Hate

Its important to become aware of what we are feeling and what we are trying to avoid feeling when we eat or don't eat. Therapy can help us identify more clearly what our feelings, thoughts and beliefs are about food. This in turn, helps us to understand ourselves, motivating us make new more helpful and nurishing choices, if we wish to.

'Its important to eat what you love and love what you eat' says Meadow Linn in an article called Feel That Meal, 'this doesn't mean only exclusively eating choclate cake and missing out on any vegetables but it does mean its a good idea to enjoy whatever you eat, no matter how decedent or healthy'. Meadow goes on 'Believe it or not your body knows how you feel about your food and will metabolize it differently based on your mood and feelings about what you are eating'.  That is food for thought!

If we focus more on the 'experience' of eating, says Marc David, Nutritionist and Psychologist, 'if you are happy and delighted to be eating your favorite icecream, your hypothalamus will actually send happy messages to your organs. This will help metabolize the ice cream and burn calories more efficiently'. He continues 'a healthy attitude toward the ice cream will actually stimulate the release of the thyroid hormone which in turn jump-starts the digestive hormones'. 

'Leading nutrition psychologists have found the converse to be true: negative thoughts and emotions can adversely affect digestion. If you are stressed when you're eating, not just about the food you are eating but also about anything in your life, you will not adequately absorb the nutrients from the food you consume'.

'When you eat joyfully, you bring more joy into your life. When you savour your meals you savour your life. When you are accepting of the food you eat, you are more accepting of yourself. If you are filled with love, joy, contentment and calm during your meals, the food you consume is also filled with that energy.  The more you eat what you love and love what you eat, the more you harness the amazing power of the mood-food connection which can lead to tremendous breakthroughs not just in your diet but also in your life.'  Both quotes from Meadow Linn, Feel That Meal.

Now where is my spoon and Hagen Daaz! Home