Ramdas, a famous 17th century saint in India has composed the most beautiful verse about eating and our relationship with food. I have heard it numerous times since childhood. But it wasn’t until recently that I fully internalized the meaning. The last two lines particularly have become a core value of DuéPasti lifestyle.
“Food is a manifestation of the absolute divine. Eating is not about filling your stomach, but a divine act of fueling your life forces.”
So what does that mean? More importantly, how can we “walk the talk” in our busy lives? Let’s break it down….
Perception of Food
Our society tends to nurture some weird notions about food and eating. Partly due to cultural norms, partly due to industrialization of food, and very much driven by advertising/marketing. Yes, take it from someone who has marketed some highly unappetizing food as “crave-able”.
We tend to stereotype personas and eating habits. Consider these examples – macho food (read lots of calories and junk) for macho men, women eating dainty salads and sipping on smoothies (god forbid they ingest some calories!), parents worried about kids’ snacks (do they really need all those snacks?), cereals and juices make a light and healthy breakfast (ever consider what they do to your insulin and blood sugar?). Hope you are seeing a pattern here…
These notions have brain washed us to put food into good and evil categories. But the reality is not that black and white. There is actually a whole spectrum of better-for-you and not-so-good for your foods and situations. Fat is not always the enemy, your body does need carbs, certain “processing” of food is alright and even beneficial, and the list goes on.
Not to generalize and be sexist, but in my experience, men and women have two extreme types of relationship with food. Many women tend to view food as a necessary evil, often driven by weight concerns and body image issues. I have lost count of how many of my friends constantly talk about weight and diet vs. fitness and happiness. On the flip side, many men, especially younger ones think of eating tons of pizza, big steaks, downing several glasses of alcohol as a badge of honor.
The bottom line is that we all need to build an intelligent, balanced, and loving relationship with food. Consume it with respect, enjoy it with all the senses, and have complete faith that every bite will nurture and heal the body. It is indeed a manifestation of the divine!
Food Balancing
When I say food balancing, what comes to mind? Here are some things I have heard over the years –
- Getting balanced nutrition every day ie all the recommended servings of fruit, veggies, proteins, carbs etc every day
- Counting points to eat only the right amount and type of calories
- Cutting down or eliminating junk food from the diet and eating healthier
- Eating all the colors of the rainbow everyday
- Eating more protein and less carbs
While none of these answers are wrong, they often burden us with unrealistic expectations and stress. What if we changed the narrative and simply said –
“Food balancing is about eating the things that make you feel happy, healthy and vibrant every day!”
Notice the shift from a task oriented definition to an outcome oriented one. How does it transform our thinking and actions? Consider these key ideas –
- With today’s busy lifestyles, balancing nutrition every single day is next to impossible! What if we did that in a slightly larger unit of time, say like a week? Will that become less stressful and more enjoyable?
- What if our goal changed from losing/maintaining weight to building optimum health and fitness in the long run? What if we decided to weigh ourselves only once every 3 months, and go more by how energetic we feel on a daily basis?
- What if we stopped counting points & calories daily, reading labels obsessively, and went by a few fundamental scientifically proven principles of when, how and what to eat?
- What if we enjoyed the food first with our sense of sight and smell? What if we sat down and ate slowly, savoring every bite, rather than stuffing things down our throat in our cars and on-the-go?
- What if we ate based on our body signals rather than based on a breakfast-lunch-dinner-snacks schedule?
- What if…..?
We will learn the art and science of fueling our life forces, and explore some concepts in depth in this multi-part series.
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