HOW YOU EAT IS HOW YOU LIVE

{HOW YOU EAT IS HOW YOU LIVE} // These days, it often feels like we’re inundated with information about what we should, and shouldn’t, eat. In my role as a coach, however, I’m more interested in your *interactions* with food: how you eat, when, and with whom. Often, these interactions are symbolic of the ways we move through our lives, and can provide valuable information for our work. I’ll give you and example; I was talking about this concept with a friend who is a wonderful healer and teacher. She commented that while she has been known to spend much time and great care preparing beautiful meals for her loved ones, when it comes to feeding herself, she finds that she skimps on meals or eats hastily on the go. This is often true for those in care-taker or nurturer roles; much of our energy gets poured into others, at the expense of ourselves.

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Here’s a little experiment you can conduct this weekend; start to simply notice your interactions with food. How do you choose what you’ll eat and shop for groceries? Are you weekly meals planned, or do you decide as you go? Are you a “grazer”, or do you stick to meals? When you prepare your food- music on or off? Are you savoring the process, or do you detest cooking? Do you eat on the go? Standing? In your car? At your desk? Do you scroll through your phone while you eat? Are you a regular member of the “clean plate club”, or do you opt for the doggy-bag? Do you prefer to eat alone or with others? With company, are you the first one done or do you declare yourself a “slow eater”? Do you remember how it tastes? Do you “indulge” or “treat” yourself, or do you call this “cheating”? How do you interact with food when you’re stressed? Sad? Celebrating?

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For the second part of this experiment, consider getting curious about how these observations parallel or reflect patterns, habits or behaviors in other areas of your life. Does anything you notice surprise you?

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**NOTE: Sometimes our interactions with food can become disordered. If you are struggling with disordered eating, or have questions about whether you are, I encourage you to seek support from a licensed dietician and/or therapist.