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Where Does Food Take You?

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:30:19 +0100

Eating is so much more than a function of fueling the body or attending to hunger pains.

For most people, sitting down with loved ones around a table becomes a meeting of the souls through which they exchange their thoughts.

Others can sit in nature and enjoy a sandwich while the view of the ocean surrounds them.

Whatever the situation entails, where does the food you eat take you?

While I sit here and write about my thoughts of where I have been taken in the past, I am joined by a glass of hot, green tea that awaits my sip. Meanwhile the windows are open allowing the brisk, cool weather to caress my skin. I watch the steam from the cup waver in the gentle breeze and think to myself, "truly what a beautiful experience this is".

It is these experiences that allow me to become one with the moment valuing how important these periods of time are in my life.

Introducing food or drink into the body ignites a flood of emotions, thoughts and senses that allow us the opportunity to go somewhere that we never deemed possible.

Uniquely tied to the law of attraction, these moments allow the senses to create those feelings within us that ground our emotions and thoughts somewhere uniquely different than where we are right now.

By doing so, we are able to immediately embark into new territories, dreams, adventures, or endeavors in a way that is so unique that all the money in the world couldn't attain.

Who would have known that food could be so powerful?

The "C" Word..it's not what you think

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:24:50 +0100

The mind may travel around many corners deciphering what the "C" word may mean...it's not what you may think however...I'm talking about CHEATING.

What is it about "cheating" that is considered wrong? I'm not talking about the human form of deceit that is considered adultery. I am however referring to the enormous feeling of guilt that is created from eating something "bad' for you or overeating or eating without being hungry.

Why have we become married to the idea that when we decide to indulge in something that makes us feel good, that action is automatically condemned to the imprisonment of betrayal?

The constant badgering that is forced upon the body habitually through stress, negativity, chemicals and hormones in the foods or the environment, should be considered manslaughter (okay that may be a bit harsh, but I'm trying to get my point across).

The body's ability to process food, stress, and toxins is quite forgiving, even when it comes to over-eating.

It is the subtle manners in which the body alerts us to it's imbalances that is important. Paying attention to these little clues such as headaches, insomnia, increased heart rate, or stomach upset, are some of the messages that indicate too much stress upon the body. This is where our attention and responsibility come into play counteracting the horrific thought of "cheat".

You're not trying to pull the wool over your own body's eyes or swindle a deal. There are no scandals taking place here. You're simply allowing yourself to partake in the joys of eating.

Simple, perfect and delicious.

Becoming ONE with Your Food

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 05:09:51 +0100

Eating today has become another task on the list, a means to an end, something that is done to take away hunger.
Whether we eat while talking on the phone, watching television, reading or multi-tasking, it is one of the most special moments given to us that we often take for granted.

While I am guilty of this myself, eating and watching television, I had a brief moment earlier this week that inspired me to become one with what I was eating. A moment that allowed me to awaken to the gifts that food bestows upon us.

I was watching a show that was full of fighting and angst and noticed that as I was captivated by the show and eating simultaneously...sure enough my realization of what I was putting in my mouth became faint. I could feel my heart race and my breath increasing steadily...all this while I was eating. I stopped myself for a moment and thought, "this can't be good for my body". I turned off the tv and began eating in silence. I looked at the meal I had prepared, nothing spectacular -a simple salad actually- and began really tasting what I was putting in my mouth. My meal had transformed. From a simple salad, it became a symphony of flavors. From the sweet bursts of juices of the tomatoes, to the brininess of the olives and the nuttiness of the walnuts, I was in heaven.

The transformation from taste to feeling is only created by the mind (when it is free from thought and action). This is simply another opportunity to feel even more connected to those few things in life that bring us joy. This moment is completely priceless as it can only be created by you and is solely for you. How many things in life that we work so hard to attain, afford us this?

All this from focusing my attention to what my mouth was experiencing. From the various tastes that showered my palate, I allowed myself to feel exactly where the sensations traveled within my body. First to my mind as I thought, "oh the combinations are magnificent" to my heart where I felt such love for the little pieces of vegetables that were causing the cells in my body to rejoice.

My awareness allowed me to truly become one with the food that I was introducing into my body. For a brief moment I could sense the effects that the flavors and nutrients together sparked within me.

As one of the five senses, taste allows us the ability to merge all of our senses into one, merely through the introduction of food. An essential part of daily life that is taken for granted by most, and yet has so very much to offer in it's subtle messages of depth.

Are you ready to receive the messages that your body has to give you? I invite you to listen, as I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised with what you are given.

Breakfast Back in the Day?

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 18:17:11 +0100

Think back to the last time you sat around a table with your loved ones, eating...was it too long to remember? Or are you one of the lucky few that doesn't need to look back because you are blessed to experience that frequently?

For many of us, sitting down and enjoying food with our loved ones has become a memory. For myself, I grew up watching classics such as "I love Lucy", where Ricky sat down at the breakfast nook with Lucy by his side (after she diligently prepared the food of course) or invited their dear friends Ethel and Fred over for dinner. The table was adorned appropriately with their nicest china, glasses, and silverware.

Is this our reality?

With the hustle and bustle of today's world, have we forgotten the intimacy that is born from loved ones gathering around a home cooked meal while looking one another in the eye, and remarking on the deliciousness of the various entrees?

Some food for thought (pun intended) if you are single, prepare yourself a meal at least once a week while you dine at your very own table. Without a television, maybe one candle, and your finest dinnerware. Allow yourself to bask in the moment of honoring yourself and the time you have dedicated towards celebrating YOU.

After all, if you won't honor yourself...how can you expect others to do so?

You are definitely worth it!

My Very Most Favorite Food

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:48:54 +0100

We all have our favorites, but what about our very most favorites? Mine is pizza! Not just the home-delivered or deep dish variety, but the thin-crust-charred-in-a-wood-burning-oven kind. You know the one that takes less than 5 minutes to bake in an oven that is probably 200 yrs old and seen the chefs grow horizontally throughout the years?

This masterpiece subtly begged for attention as it sat quietly on the menu with an allure that beckoned my call. The simple ingredients of ricotta, proscuitto and egg were perfectly matched, but the ingredient that brought it all together and almost through me off my seat was the...truffle oil! Imagine the buttery taste of the cheese mixed with the delicate fat of the egg yolk, mixed with the briny saltiness of the cured meat then topped with the earthy essence of the truffle! I savored every single bite slowly and with great pleasure as I knew it wouldn't last forever. For 30 minutes I was the happiest person on the planet.

But why only 30 minutes? Because I allowed myself to stay present for that amount of time before my mind took me into the chaos that existed around me. As food can only be my temporary connection to my happiness, how can I spread that time within my life to create more and more pleasure? I invite you to think of your joys and how you can achieve your desired state longer and longer day by day? What makes you so happy that you want to laugh endlessly, love passionately and be peaceful indefinitely?