We are what we eat, oh yah. Heard that before, I’m sure! And, if that’s true, why do we eat badly: skipping meals, binge eating, consuming sugar, starchy carbs, greasy fats and processed meat, too much alcohol, etc? So many of us struggle with food choices. And more fundamentally, with our body weight and image? Here’s what I think:

Our day to day food intake Is a dance between our physical need for nourishment, and our emotional need for love. That’s it, in a nutshell.

If we’re in a place where we feel safe and loved, we can let go of the ‘hunched shoulders’ of stress and self-protection. The cloud in our mind and heart can start to lift. We can see a clearer way to nurturing ourselves with nutritious food, our optimism builds, and our stress levels reduce.

I have food sensitivities. I really don’t like them, I don’t want to be that person who says “I can’t eat dairy”, etc, but unfortunately, I am that person. Dairy, and now gluten and some other offenders have to be clearly out of my body OR ELSE! Or else means I will have immediate GI upset requiring an urgent trip to the toilet. Sorry if this offends anyone, but we’re all grown ups!

I had a wonderful week away at a cottage late this summer with my family. I planned the menus, packed all the food, and looked forward to 7 days of prepping and cooking our meals. (We were about 45 min from any grocery store, so it all had to be planned enough to not run out of essentials!) IT WAS GREAT! I immersed myself in food prep, cooking and presentation, which I rarely do in my daily life!

Low and behold, I had NO digestive issues that week, and none the next week as I continued the care of food intake. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was. Clearly, my issues come from the quick food I sometimes purchase on a busy day . . . I think it’s ‘clean’ but if it sets off my gut, it’s not.

My message here is to take note of your food. Everything. The full day. Do this for at least 3 or 4 days, and notice how your gut reacts. Yes, note your bowel movements, your mood, your energy. It’s a direct correlation to what you’re eating.

Then, with an attitude of fueling your body with the goodness it needs (rather than the idea of depriving it of what you crave), note all the good food and all the offenders. Let this be a roadmap for your own health and well-being! When the gut is happy, it allows us to focus on our physical/energetic health (fitness), our mental health (grounded-ness) and emotional health (acceptance).

Namaste ~

Sandy