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- Herausgeber: Clink Street Publishing
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
Feel, listen and give yourself permission. Learning how to be guided by your intuition when it comes to eating allows you to fully enjoy food once again. No more diets and no more guilt. Learn how your taught behaviors have a profound effect on how you eat and feel about your body, and learn how to reprogram these behaviors to healthy and empowering ones. With over 40 plant-based recipes inside, this book also includes useful daily meditation exercises, mindful prayers and stunning affirmations. "The reason why I decided to go down the path of Intuitive Eating was because I wanted to change my whole relationship with food. Food, for me anyway, is one of the most enjoyable and natural pleasures on this planet and didn't want to spend the rest of my life having a bad relationship with such a natural and essential part of life. I wanted to be able to eat foods that I love and enjoy every moment of it, without feeling bad about it afterwards."
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022
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Intuitive Eating
by Lucia Bartoli
Contents
The Forbidden Fruit
Once upon a time, in the beginning of time, there lived a young boy and a young girl. They lived in a beautiful land, a magical forest-like place. Where it was always perfectly warm so they needn’t wear clothes, the grass was always green and soft to walk on, so they never wore shoes, and the sky was always blue with plenty of sunshine, which helped the plants and trees to flourish all year round with glorious fruits and vegetables, so they never had to worry about food. They called it, The Garden of Eden, and their names, were Adam and Eve. They lived there together just the two of them, they had no stress, no worries, and no fears. There was just one condition, a very simple condition, an easy rule to follow and it was the only rule there was in this mystical land. ‘Do not eat the apples from this tree,’ they had been told, referring to an apple tree close by. This was the only tree in the whole of the forest which was off-limits. It had a signpost and everything. But somehow, this one rule wasn’t sitting quite right with Eve, although the apples from this tree looked no different from all the other apple trees out there, there was just something that bit more appealing about this one. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly it was, but in her head, all she kept repeating to herself was ‘I mustn’t eat those apples, I mustn’t eat those apples.’ She stopped sleeping at night because all she could think about were those damn apples. Until one night, she got up from her bed of palm leaves and flower petals, and went and sat on a log near by the forbidden tree. Starring up at it, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was that was so tempting about it. She already had everything she could ever dream of and other than the fact that she had to populate the world with her brother, her life was pretty much perfect. But at last, the temptation of the forbidden fruit got the better of her. She picked the biggest, reddest, shiniest apple she could see, and took the biggest bite she could possibly take from it, and from that moment on, so the story goes, the perfect world as she knew it, was never to be the same again.
Introduction
This book was written in the hope of inspiring others to take on a new, more valuable, mentality when it comes to eating and self-love. As a 28-year-old woman growing up in the 21st century, I think I can vouch for pretty much all women when I say it’s not easy. I mean technically, life is easier than ever. It’s easier to travel, keep in touch with people, women have more rights now than ever before, but somehow, there’s still a certain type of pressure. A pressure that I presume has pretty much always been there (or at least for very long time), and for some reason the weight of this pressure seems to fall much heavier on the shoulders of women. It’s the pressure for us to look a certain way, to maintain a certain weight in order to ‘fit in’, to have the ability to ‘snap back’ into shape after baring and birthing a child and to present ourselves in a way which is visually pleasing to others. Now in 2022, the world can sometimes give the impression that it’s more accepting of different body types, with more plus size models than ever before (which don’t get me wrong it great), what was once a size 0 dominated world has now embraced being thick to be the new cool (but even then, it’s only really acceptable if you’re thick in what’s deemed as the ‘right’ places). My point is, there’s always been an immense number of expectations and judgments on the female body and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to change anytime soon. And again, I’d like to take to the liberty of speaking on behalf of the female population when I say, I’m sick of it. Although I had always had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with my body in the past and was always willing to do what it took to fit in with the expectations that were so unwillingly thrust upon me as a young girl growing up, my interest in health, food and nutrition also grew. So I began to read books on the subjects, learnt to cook and educated myself. These books on health and nutrition of course being written mostly by professionals like doctors and scientists. I just couldn’t help but feel so disconnected from the authors. They were just so, unrelatable? How could these middle aged (mostly male) doctors and scientists possibly understand how it feels to be a young woman living in these modern times. We can have all the knowledge in the world on food, nutrition and the body, but perhaps what is more important is how we use that knowledge. We can use it to support what seems like an endless cycle of fad diets, weight loss products and withhold the tradition of the diet culture. Or, we can promote a new way of living which is focussed primarily on our health. A mentality which we can pass down to our children and so forth, ultimately making a lasting difference not only to the way which we are physically perceived, but also to how we feel. And that’s what drove me to write this book, to share with you all what exactly helped me break free from these pressures of society, a change in psychology which enabled me to live my life in a way which benefited both my physical and mental health. It’s something that I wish I would have read a book about when I was younger, it would have saved me a lot of stress, unhealthy diets and unnecessary cosmetic procedures.
In this book you will learn how to rewire old eating habits, change old ways of thinking and to break free from old diet methods which no longer, and have never, served you.
Breaking Free
As we go through life we pick up different traits, beliefs and habits. We’re taught these things from the outside world, influenced mostly by a combination of our upbringing and our environment. For example, eating our local cuisine, eating meat because we were brought up eating meat, insecurities about our appearance due to any comments that have been made by others. These are all taught behaviours and all these experiences shape us, we become them. We then further shape our mindsets with the tv shows we watch, the music we listen to, the images we feed ourselves on social media, and the people we choose to hang out with. We’re detached from our beings and our true selves because we were never taught how to connect with them in the first place. We were taught from tradition, by people who have their own beliefs and habits, who were raised by others with their own beliefs and habits, and the chain goes on. So we too do things out of habit – i.e., mindless eating or eating things because we think we’re supposed to – ‘I have to eat salad because I need to lose some weight’ and ‘I cannot eat butter as it will make me fat.’ We punish ourselves when we do something that goes against these beliefs by speaking badly to ourselves – ‘I’m so fat, I’ll never lose weight,’ and then we force ourselves to make choices in the future that we know we don’t really want to commit to – ‘From this day forward no more sugar.’ We even judge other people for being different to us – ‘She’s so skinny she must have an eating disorder’ or ‘How can she let herself eat like that it’s embarrassing.’
These days, you could say pretty much everyone’s ‘environment’ is social media, it’s a communal place for people from all over the world. Photos are shared, judgments are made, and the pressure increases. The pressure to become the ‘perfect image’ we all strive for. In effect, the standards that we’ve been raised with have now been amplified x1000. It’s no longer just you, your family, your community, now the whole world is watching. At this point we’ve totally lost touch with ourselves (if we ever were in touch with them in the first place that is!). You do your best to look absolutely flawless to everyone else, but all that will never make a difference because as long as you hold onto these same old beliefs and habits, you will always be chasing the unrealistic image of perfection.
Most of us want to lose weight to be skinny, and that’s it. Just to be skinny. Oh, and also to look good in pictures. And to post them. But that’s about as far as it goes. We don’t really care how we get there, just as long as the end result is skinny. But by practicing Intuitive Eating, we shift our intention. We let go of our old ways and we are willing to change. We replace skinny with healthy, we replace seeking approval with self-acceptance, and we replace tradition with open mindedness. Our old mindless and yet overthinking ways become filled with awareness, as we begin enjoying life more in the present.
Why should our health prioritise our weight? The answer is this – A person’s weight does not determine their health but their health does determine their weight. ‘Skinny’ does not necessarily mean ‘healthy’. However, someone who is in ‘good health’ will automatically be in ‘good shape’. One of the fastest and most impactful ways to good health is through our diet. In fact, it’s said that most illness can be rooted down to diet. As Dr. Michael Greger states in his bestselling book, How Not To Die. ‘The primary reason diseases tend to run in families may be that diets tend to run in families.’
Roughly every nine years, every cell in our body has been replaced. How crazy to think that you are physically a completely different person than you were nine years ago. The only thing that remains the same is your genetic code (your DNA). When we’re born, our bodies are made up solely of our parents and our microbiome, and from that day forward, any new cells we produce or accumulate are made up primarily from two things, 1. (and predominantly) what we put into our bodies (e.g. food and drink), and 2. our environment. So, we literally are what we eat. Which also means that any illnesses/diseases that we contract (that aren’t completely genetic), are also likely to be created or provoked from this. Even some genetic diseases can be helped or avoided completely just by ‘Let(ting) food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’ – Hippocrates (400 BC) Finding a healthy, sustainable way of eating is one of, if not the most important thing when it comes to living a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
But before we make any changes to ourselves we must first become conscious of who we currently are, and only then can we decide who we want to be. We may think we know ourselves but the truth is, most of us are walking around in a total bubble. A bubble of self-conscious, self-critical, judgmental, and unconscious behaviour. This bubble acts as a type of shield from the outer world, we even believe it’s keeping us safe. And when we look through our bubble onto the outside world it’s like looking through a lens, but the lens is like one of those funny mirrors you get at the fun fair, what you’re seeing is a distorted reality. It’s a reality which has been warped by your beliefs and opinions. Of course, this was bound to happen, we’ve been raised with this set of values from birth, how could we be any other way?
If you’re currently reading this and thinking maybe it doesn’t apply to you, ask yourself the following questions:
Do I spend time worrying about what I eat?
Do I ever feel guilty about what I’ve eaten?
Do I fear/greatly rely on the opinion of others?
Do I lack self-control?
Am I fully aware of my thoughts and behaviour?
If you’ve answered yes to any of the first four questions, then you too are in a bubble. If you answered yes to fearing the opinion of others then through the lens everyone is a judge to you. If you answered yes to worrying about what you eat, then through the lens every meal time is filled with anxious significance and potential regret. If you answered yes to lacking self-control then through the lens the outside world seems stronger than you are and you are controlled by situations instead of being in control.
The last question however, is a little bit different. If you’ve answered yes, please be sure that your answer is really a yes. To test this, ask yourself what was the last thing you were thinking of. Do you remember? Whenever you receive a new thought are you aware of it, or do you get caught up in it until the next thought comes along? Are you always aware of how you feel? Are you aware of your posture? Are you aware of your senses, the current smell around you, the sounds, what you can see? Are you aware of the present moment? Are you aware of your eating habits? You might say, ‘I’m totally aware of everything I eat, I always read all the ingredients, count every calorie, know exactly the amount of fat and sugar and everything is completely controlled’ BUT are you aware that you’re now overthinking?
There’re a million things to be aware of, and we can’t be aware of all of them at once. For example, my awareness is currently directed at writing this book so I’m less aware of the smell of my house and the sounds around me. To be completely aware of everything at all times is some serious buddha shit. But you don’t have to be a buddha to reach inner happiness and contentment with food. You just have to be aware enough to burst your bubble.
This bubble however, doesn’t burst so easily, it’s taken a long time to grow this protective yet misconstrued filter of unreasonable opinions. And you’re most likely comfortable in it. You’re hard on yourself because it keeps you from acting in a way that’s not deemed as acceptable in the future. You avoid certain foods and social events completely because it’s easier than facing the fear of lacking control. You encourage yourself with a reward when you conform, you punish yourself when you don’t, and you even judge others for not sharing these beliefs. We can’t simply burst a whole complex organisation of co-dependent thoughts and beliefs overnight. So instead of bursting the bubble, we become aware of the bubble. And then eventually, it will begin to melt away. You know, like those desserts in the fancy restaurants, with the big round chocolate bubble, and the waiter comes and pours the hot chocolate sauce onto it, and it melts away to reveal a glorious, delicious, chocolate cake inside. You are the delicious chocolate cake, you just need to melt your bubble.
As you listen to your body more and learn to become one with it again, you’ll feel your intentions will naturally divert.
Make a mental note of where you’re at before reading this book, how you feel about yourself, your relationship with food and your general mindset. Better yet, write it down. Then, in a couple of months, after following the advice given to you in here, compare how you feel. Like most things, the longer you practice Intuitive Eating the more you will feel the benefits. This is because, as it becomes a way of life for you, you will change and grow in an amazing way, and the longer it goes on for, the more fulfilling it gets. There really is no end to it. You just keep progressing, feeling better and better. Growing in health, happiness and contentment. Be sure to give yourself time to adjust, it may feel alien to you at first and you’ll need to get used to such a big change in mindset. It’s normal to feel a bit bumpy and confused in the beginning, but kind of like sailing a boat, once you get past the waves at the shore and sail further into the depths of the ocean, you’ll find it begins to feel much smoother. Sure you’ll still come across some waves from time to time, but they’ll be calmer and far fewer in between, and with more experience, you’ll know exactly how to handle them. From there, positive changes with your body and over-all attitude will follow.
I still have days where I feel myself drifting into old habits and old ways of thinking, and I’m also still learning. But once we realise that just like the waves in ocean will always be there, so will be the temptation of old habits. With this realisation, we then understand that actually, our whole lives are for learning. We ‘practice’ Intuitive Eating, we ‘practice’ mediation. It’s called a practice because it’s always ongoing.
TAKEAWAY
We view the world around us and even our own bodies in a way which we have been taught, and not necessarily how it is.
By following all of what is written in this book I have been able to completely transform my mindset and behavior patterns into ones which allow me to be free to enjoy food, make me healthy and fill me every day with ongoing happiness and a love for life.
This book is about Intuitive Eating. It’s not a diet, it’s not a fad or a program. It’s just you, getting back in touch with you. It’s more expansive than any diet, cleanse, treatment or procedure as it effects not only your physical body but your mentality too, in a positive, fulfilling and life-changing way.
ExerciseNoticing your bubble
From this moment onwards, I want you to practise this exercise as much as possible. Although it is an ‘exercise’ the beautiful thing about it is that when practised regularly, it will eventually become completely natural to you.
As you go about your day, try to notice your thoughts whenever possible. When you find yourself noticing a thought, simply take the position of a ‘viewer’ and observe it and let it pass without any forming opinions or attachment to it.Maintain this position of watching your thoughts as much and whenever you can.TIP
A good way to help you learn to do this, (a technique I learned from a well-known book called The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer), is, for one full day, pretend you have a friend in there with you, any thoughts that you hear or see are coming from this friend, and you are just watching and listening to them.
This exercise creates distance between us and our thoughts and by watching them without involving ourselves in them, we are able realise just exactly what our bubbles are made of.
