[and why it can include croissants]
La vita è una combinazione di magia e pasta. / Life is a combination of magic and pasta.
Frederico Fellini
I eat mainly for health, but as Zach Bush MD mentioned in one of his educational website videos, pleasure is a huge part of nourishing ourselves — especially when we can share the experience with others [even if virtually for now].
Although it thoroughly thrills me to live in the land of fresh baguette and chèvre, I also believe in moderation. We can eat for / with pleasure and also eat for the health of the planet, doing our best to choose responsible brands / products / producers who source and create with the earth and its inhabitants in mind.
Instead of food shaming ourselves, others, or croissants, I propose we take a deeper look at why we eat and how it affects our minds, our bodies, and our planet, because nourishment comes in the form of food and our relationship with it.
Does this mean we should gorge on pastries every day? I would advise not, because stomach aches are sucky, and overdoing it on sugar can lead to a plethora of physical and mental ailments if – like most things – it is eaten in excess.
Does it, however, mean that occasionally enjoying delightful French pastries makes us a bad or undisciplined person? Non. As Dr. Joe Dispenza advised in a recent podcast interview: our attitude around food can be just as damaging as disruptive ingredients.
Although I don’t advise regularly consuming highly processed foods with harmful additives, purchasing chemically sprayed produce, or supporting companies whose employees are unfairly treated, we can also do whatever we can to reprogram our individual and our collective cultural conditioning around body image and food shaming.
All of the aforementioned circumstances can create toxic environments and dis-ease in the body, mind, and on the planet, keeping us in a hamster wheel of destructive habits of which many of us unfortunately feel too overwhelmed to try to overcome.
Yes – eating nutrient-dense, whole foods and aligning with the seasons à la Ayurveda are certainly components for an optimally functional immune system, but so is a harmonious, loving mindset and good company.
Instead of blaming things like gluten or dairy – dare I say even virome – as enemies, why don’t we take a closer look at the root of the problems many of us face, and why our body’s innate immune system can often respond in catastrophic ways due to the disastrous ways in which people have been treating nature?
To me, this means observing a few things:
- How are you conditioned to feel? | How do you think you are “supposed” to look, feel, be, dress, and eat based on what media shows us [i.e. salads = weight loss = thin = healthy]?
- How do you treat yourself around food? | What do you say to yourself when you’re planning your meals or eating? Are you judging and restrictive, or do you listen to your body’s unique needs?
- How does what you eat affect the planet? | What are the ingredients, how and where were they sourced, how is it packaged, where is it shipped from, was it made with fair labor and wages, was it sprayed with chemicals, what are the certifications beyond “organic”?
- What eateries, brands and businesses are you putting your dollars toward? | Where are they putting their dollars? Is their interest in your health and the health of the planet, or solely the health of their wallets?
These are important questions that cannot be ignored if we want to cultivate a better relationship with our Selves, with food, with our planet, and with others – whether we are vegans or omnivores, whether one day we eat mostly vegetables and another we have pasta for breakfast.
These are the imperative underlying inquiries we must face if we want to move forward more consciously, courageously, and healthily; to avoid future global declines in health and immunity; to avoid totally destroying the provider of all resources: Mama Earth.
Consider it ongoing food for thought…
Contact me for support on meal-prep kitchen hacks, cultivating a kind relationship with food, and more.
Holler for recommendations on quality organic boulangeries in Paris – like my local favorite Farine & O, or Boulangerie Chambelland for the best gluten-free sourdough.
How can you eat for mind-body-planet nourishment without sacrificing pleasure?
Read the newsletter for a simple delicious date ball recipe, upcoming and ongoing virtual yoga and meditation with me, mindful learning tools I’ve been into lately, and good vibes.
Onward.
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