Chef CC | Organic Chef | 310-908-4753
Food As Life
September 22, 2005
As a personal organic chef, I have truly had the pleasure of not only observing, but supporting my clients on their path to healthy eating. What I have come to realize about a “healthy diet” is that it has more to do with choice, than about food. The real healthy way of eating has two components: surrender and honesty. Meaning, can you look at where you are when it comes to food without evoking some sort of emotion or choice response? Now, I’m not just talking about your physical body, your eating habits, or your appearance. What I speak of is a sincere, ongoing relationship with food.
Yes, your relationship with food. We all have one and sometimes we get along well with food and eat what’s best for our body type, and sometimes we are lazy and cheat ourselves, when we indulge in-what I call unconscious consumption. Now I don’t mean having a piece of pie or a cocktail now and again, I’m speaking of the down right abuse we do to ourselves by knowing as we are eating it, that its crap. As I like to say if its in a box or a can, DON’T DO IT. -but than I’m not being the unattached, nonjudgmental, personal chef I profess to be.
Please understand one thing. food is pleasure. To some it excessive and people over do it-but non the less it can be a source of pleasure for us all and so I challenge you to visit your connection and urges around food
consumption and how it relates to your stressors in your daily life.
It’s as if we are saving the world on some small scale when we start where we are with food. I cannot begin to express how full my heart becomes when I see people who really want to change how they consume when surrendering to a process of balance and intention when it comes to eating. We cannot live without food. we eat several meals a day to survive-should’nt we be concerned about this? So you define what food means and that definition becomes what we put into our body temples- which than drives our lives and yet we spend more time cutting corners and relaying on other outside sources for the sustenance that essentially keeps us alive.
With this in mind we can ask the question what do we do? I’m not sure but either way we have to take a step and stop repeating the story around food and why you are not where you want to be.
As a personal organic chef who is constantly surrounded by good food- I still don't always know. its an ongoing process for us all. I have been a vegetarian, a vegan, raw and today I eat meat. But would like to have more raw foods in my life. again, just like our lives its a cycle.
I am leanings that there are no concrete answers as to how or what we should eat. But I do believe when we get in touch with our heats and again become honest with ourselves and stop feeling guilty -the guilt keeps it alive-so let go by taking a little time to listen to your own voice about food. Not the rebellious, lets feed our pain and forget and feel like crap in the morning voice, but that calm, still voice we can only hear when we stop and listen.
My belief is that if there are steps one could take that would change your life almost instantly - they would be:1. Start where you are.
Meaning for example if you eat meat, buy organic free range and cook it at home or order it in restaurants that serve free range meats.
2. Eat organic and eat veggies!
A salad with each meal can make such a huge difference!
3. Drink more water!
Help your body do its job-we spend most of our energy digesting food - water helps and besides we are over 70% water!
4. Surrender to the process.
Let go of yesterday, this morning, last night -it’s gone!
With your next breathe make a choice to eat something simple and clean that is good for your body -the feeling you will get from knowing you have done good for you system is life altering and instantaneous!
There is always going to be new information-but check the source. If a salmon farmer is saying eating farm raised salmon is good...question that. Even with the good stuff we know like an apple a day...we just don't want to over dose on anything.
All and all I arrive back to that age old saying “ everything in moderation”. Its true and variety is the spice of life-since we are on the subject of proverb sayings...you are what you eat!
