Rethinking Food and Health
Most of us are aware, maybe a little too aware, that we live in a world of being constantly bombarded by diet culture, “what I eat in a day” short-form content, body checks, and so much more. It has become harder than ever to determine what really means “healthy.”
We’ve lost the deeper health benefits food can give to us beyond eating the “right” foods. The purpose of this is to hopefully bring awareness to a perspective on food that can inspire us to live a life of deeper connection.
Online, we are obsessed with food, and this obsession manifests in so many various ways. For many of us, society’s obsession with food bleeds into us, and we become the ones continually perpetuating what I think is a very “unhealthy” outlook on the food we eat. These ideas morph into our psyche.
I want to try to ground our ideas around food as a force of connection and a powerful medicine for not only our bodies but our minds. Connection to people, connection to nature, and support for our communities. More than ever, I think we need to stop viewing our eating habits as a burden and use food and our understanding of it to deepen our fulfillment in life. We can use food as a vessel for our happiness, and here’s how I have come to learn to do so.
Food is Nature
I think that for many of us, and especially those who live in more urban environments, we forget that food is sometimes the most common way we are actually able to connect with the natural world. In some ways, I believe we have come to see food as an object of the material world, rather than nature itself. Maybe it’s because food is so highly processed now or because we’ve put a price tag on it; but I think our first job in healing society’s relationship with food is to realize it is a product of nature, and we have an opportunity to really connect with it and feel closer to home in the process.
Everything we consume came from or was a being full of life. We consume life to continue living. When I began to view eating as the process of life giving to life, it became more of an intentional process in my eyes. Food gives us an opportunity to meditate on the cycle of life and appreciate how your meal got to you. We are able to remember that we are a product of something bigger than ourselves, we are everything that allowed us to continue living up to this point.
Mindful Purchasing
That’s why another aspect of connecting to food is connecting to where you source it from. Even if you’re like me and eat meat, though of course it’s more ethical and sustainable to have a plant based diet, there is still a big difference to be made sourcing your food locally and under ethical conditions.
Think buying local meats such as wild caught fish, or making sure that the poultry products you buy are pasture raised, since “cage free” doesn’t always mean what we think it should. It means shopping at farmers markets when you can to support your local economy and combat unsustainable farming techniques leading to desertification. In general, my rule of thumb is the more local it is, the better. When you buy local, you actually have a chance to meet the farmers and vendors behind the food you purchase, not to mention they use more sustainable agriculture practices, and greenhouse gas emissions are lessened. It’s a way to connect with the food of where you live as well as the people. It’s a way to know more about the food you’re buying.
The Joy of the Ritual
I remember one of the best feelings growing up would be to come home from school or swim practice and see that the kitchen was full of life. I remember walking up to our front window and seeing the lights illuminating the interior while a canvas of a slowly darkening sky backed the warmth of a home that had things cooking in it. And it wasn’t just that there was yummy smelling food to look forward to. It was the process or ritual of cooking that inspired me. I saw the process of cooking give my family joy, it was an opportunity to connect and create.
I took this inspiration with me to college, and many times the most rewarding part of my day is putting on some music and taking my sweet time to make a delicious meal. Cooking with intention becomes a ritual. One that grounds us. One that allows us to be creative even when we are unable to for most of our day.
Medicine for the Heart
Food is more than medicine in the form of nutritional value. It’s medicine for our hearts. It brings love and provides a daily opportunity to reconnect with something bigger than ourselves.
Food is how we celebrate. Food is how we bring people together. Food connects us to life. Not just providing life for ourselves, but connects us to all other living things: Our friends, family, and the products we consume.
Recognizing this connection and using it to inspire your choices while cooking and eating are what, in my opinion are the basis of a nourishing relationship with food.
Because it’s not solely about the food itself, but every other good thing it can bring to your life.
That health, the kind that is all encompassing of the mind and body, is deepest form of wellness any person can ask for.
