Developing a mindful eating practice... bite by bite, that not only feeds our body, but nurtures our soul, is the very first step to gain a healthy relationship with food. Yet the most overlooked part, and the one we struggle the most with. Simply because it goes against that black-white thinking most of us are so used to from dieting - and the way we live our life in general.
I wrote the first article in a series on how to feed the body+ nourish the soul on Watch Fit here.
We are so used to extremes and constant stimulation today, that to just be in this skin, in this moment, has become one of the greatest challenges for many. When we socialize, we check our iphones. When we eat, we watch TV. When we connect to people that we care about, we make to-do-lists in our heads. Constantly overriding our natural cues, that are there to help support us in this world. By learning to listen to them once again - connecting body, mind and soul, most of our self-destructive habits will vanish.
It is only when we continue to go against our natural urges, fight our biology and destroy our health by either being overly fanatically obsessive or complete lax, and going from dieting to binging, that sickness occurs.
Health is not a matter of eating perfect, counting calories or being a size 6. A healthy body is there to support you and encourage you to be creative. To live your life without worrying about the size of your thighs. Finding the right eating type for you is a matter of steps -- one thing is what your genetic disposition might prefer, another thing is your lifestyle, your current stress level, and what you have been living off of.
It takes times for your body's biochemistry to change and it does not like drastic overnight changes, as your insulin is used to being activated by a certain diet type - so going too quickly off sugars, for example, can cause an immense level of cravings and out-of-control binge behaviors, simply because your body is not used to burning fat for fuel.
You can read my thoughts on developing a mindful eating practice on Watch Fit here.