Diet – Eating for body and soul
Usually we ignore “diet” around the holidays, especially now when a majority of foods revolve around sugary, high carbohydrate treats.
The good news is those high carb, “fattening,” and treat foods, when eaten in moderation, can be as important to a healthy diet as eating the “good stuff.”
As much as we’d like to think there’s some magic equation, what’s healthy for one person is not necessarily healthy for the next. For instance almonds are a power food in my family and we eat them multiple times a day. Those who are allergic to nuts, however, would certainly not benefit from this “healthy” diet.
Many healthy people cannot start their day without a cup of coffee. A WebMD article by Neil Osterweil said that caffeine may prevent Type 2 diabetes. I, however, can’t overcome the jittery drawbacks enough to benefit. Even cookies homemade from scratch can provide emotional nutrition in the right circumstances.
Robert Garner, health counselor with New Horizon Wellness in Ringwood said, “The things that feed our soul are the things that propel us out of bed in the morning.”
I feel it’s important to remember that the food we eat is intended to fortify, sustain, and enrich our bodies. Chances are a chocolate-chip cookie diet won’t do that. When it comes from Grandma’s cookie jar, however, it may just sustain our soul.
For example, if you choose to eat a rather large slice of your mother’s Christmas apple pie, you are engaging in a holiday tradition of honoring your mother’s recipe and hard work while bonding with family. Additionally, allowing yourself that slice of pie may make the difference between otherwise staying on your diet, and giving in to everything else you see, too.
This example of emotional eating is a far cry from eating a bag of chips or cookies without thinking about it.
Garner shared a story about a woman who had good sugar levels and ate healthy throughout the day, but every night she indulged in a piece of cake. The woman looked healthy to Garner, and he learned her nightly slice of cake was something she and her mother shared together since she was a little girl. Garner suggested that she continue maintaining the nightly ritual – her body was obviously processing this emotional splurge quite well – probably because she ate the cake slowly with intention and meaningful attachment… and because she ate well the rest of the time.
All too often we hear stories of people who lived to a ripe old age despite a diet of eating bacon and eggs every morning, or smoking their pipe each night.
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