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Food for the the soul. Are you mindfully eating?

By on December 23, 2013
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by Editor in Chief, Natalie Hughes.

In case you’re just getting to know me, I am not just a songwriter, not just another pretty face, but a passionate lover of food… or at least I always thought I was.

It’s not that I appear to be food obsessed; I’m close to the same weight I have been all of my adult life, which is normal for my frame. Anyway, I have been dedicated to understanding addiction for some years now and if there is anything that could be perceived as a monkey on my back, it is food. Maybe it is for you, too…or is it wine or beers or shopping or gambling or drugs? No matter. I believe that in the end it is all the same.

The path so far has shown me what the role of “consciousness” is in addiction recovery–the ability to stand back and see myself from outside myself and just observe actions, desires and thoughts without judgement. The spiritual teachings I’ve been absorbing lately speak of the ego as a separate entity from the spirit, and this process would actually be the spirit in me observing the ego in me. I am absolutely, one hundred percent sure that no addict can truly recover without mastering this skill. And it ain’t easy. We’re on auto-pilot until this process begins and the pilot is more than a little misguided. The pilot, may I say, is quite possibly DUI. (Driving Under Ice cream.)

So here’s an observation I made lately regarding eating: (are you ready?) When I have made a not-as-good choice about food, I tend to find something else to do while shovelling it in. It’s as though I don’t really want to admit to myself that I’m consuming the thing.

Whaaaat?

Well, that would mean that I don’t even truly experience the food which I apparently wanted because it was irresistibly tasty! And it gets worse! Because I did not allow myself to really savour the food, I will not feel like it was enough. So I may need seconds.

Bust out my iPhone, log onto the computer, read anything I can find, watch television, walk around the house, drive while eating… anything to live in denial.

So in my quest to “get better at being me” I have started to catch myself in the act of distracting myself from my food. I now redirect myself back to the food, see the choice I have made and:

1. Eat it wholeheartedly, or

2. Un-choose it.

If I open door #1, I eat it slowly, I taste every last bit, and I decide it was well worth eating.

If I open door #2, looking like someone who has just found themselves sleepwalking, I put the food somewhere other than my tummy.

I would challenge anyone who is struggling with food to stop dieting and just try paying attention to yourself. It takes time to get good at this. I still don’t catch myself every time. Don’t berate yourself ever for your food choices, just choose, eat and enjoy for pete’s sake. No matter what the fat and carb content, you’re only one decision away from being back on track.

 

beauty_backNatalie Hughes is a singer/songwriter, recording artist, musical director for Crystal Andrus Productions, and the Editor in Chief of simplywoman.com. For more on her music, visit nataliehughes.com

 

 

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