Soul Food

 

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it for no specific reason.  Maybe it is macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or blueberry pancakes.  Eating food like this (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.

 

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being.  What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother's cooking or our country of ancestry.  Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level.  Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthen-ing and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food's biochemical make-up.

 

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food.  This month when we celebrate lovers and relationships, it's important to notice that we each have a relationship with food and that this relationship is often far from loving.  Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight.  We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being.  Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before we've even tasted it, eating on the run and so forth.

 

What we put into our bodies each day makes all the difference in the world to how we feel, look, age, and live our lives.  Food can be such a great pleasure.  It certainly should be enjoyed and deeply appreciated.  We need to respect food, be grateful for all the  nourishment it gives our bodies, and choose wisely. The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt, and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.