By David Gallagher
About a year and half ago, I embarked on a journey to change most of WHAT I ate. I shared the small transformations my eating habits went through. I turned to Real and Traditional Foods because our bodies were designed for them. Spiritually speaking, my belief in the Great Designer of Life led me to adopt a diet that is increasingly more Sustainable and a more Natural fit for how we were made.
Although on this blog, I may sound like a food snob, I never became a “Nourishing Traditions Purist” and occasionally eat stuff that Sally Fallon would disapprove of. Especially when eating out, or when my husband makes dinner. I am conscious of the food I buy and take home to make into something for my family, but for the rest, I take them as they come.
Lately, something has happened that has made me take notice of my eating habits in an entirely new way. And that something is this:
My Pants Won’t Zip.
So I eat pretty healthy at home for the most part. Seafood more than twice a week. Quality meats and real milk. Fruits and veggies. Wholesome grains. Good live bacteria (Probiotics). I sneak in ice cream and that occasional croissant that I just can’t say good-bye to, but other than that, I can’t figure out why I’ve been gaining weight. Steadily.
Until I noticed that I eat and snack throughout the day. Bluntly put, I eat a stinkin’ lot.
It seems like every hour, I excuse myself from whatever I am doing, and I grab something in the kitchen. I snack on nuts, cheeses, make myself a grilled sandwich, leftovers, eggs, yogurt, kombucha, salmon, sardines, milk and whatever else I can find at hand.
It seems like, whenever I am stressed or bored or frustrated, I turn to food.
And I wolf it down so fast and go back to whatever I was doing.
And so my day goes.
My Pants Won’t Zip Because Of Why I Eat
I really hate to admit to this, and in fact, I’m still in sort of a denial because it’s an issue so close and personal. But it seems to me that WHAT we eat is only a small portion of our eating problems here in America. And that a bigger part of it is really about WHY (and HOW, as I will write more on later) we eat.
Food has become a substitute of Something Else. In the same way that the Clutter and Stuff in our lives have. Our growing number of cooking and food related shows available, gourmet restaurants of all sorts, endless choices of food-like products at the store and so on. Almost like a smokescreen for something we all are trying hard not to see. For some of us, the True Pleasure we are intended to experience from eating, becomes Pleasure that replaces whatever is missing in our lives.
I believe that Food, when it is in its Rightful Place, can be a source of True Sustenance and Pleasure for our bodies, mind and soul. And that Food, when it is in its Rightful Place, can lead us to a Posture of Humility and Generosity for Loved Ones and Strangers.
But obviously, something in my Practice of Eating has gone so wrong.
This, is my journey towards making it Right. Join me?
For the next Fridays, I’m going to host a Eat, Drink and Be Merry Challenge here where I invite bloggers and readers to share about their Practice of Eating (Drinking and Being Merry). Those who write about Real and Traditional Foods are welcome, but I want to focus more on the Unseen Aspects of Eating. I suspect I am not alone in this struggle, and hope to open up conversations as way of Encouragement and Support for each other. I’ll be writing more of this in the days to come, but please spread the word if you know of others who may want to join. Make sure you are signed up to receive email updates too!
::This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday.::
Hi, Pants Won’t Zip … Love your blog and this post! I can infer from your blog/post that you are woman seeking to serve and glorify the Lord. With that said, I highly recommend this incredible little book by Christian author Elyse Fitzpatrick. It address the WHY we eat that you have had an “ah ha” moment about. Blessings to you, Kelly
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Eat-Hate-Breaking-Destructive/dp/0736914382
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 24th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Hi Kelly,
Thank you for the kind comment! Thank you as well for the recommendation, I will check it out!
Blessings,
Vina
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I really appreciate this post. I saw it linked on my Facebook feed by both Midwifery Today AND GNOWFGLINS, so I figured I had better check it out.
I don’t know if you have read the book “Food for Life: The Spirituality and Ethics of Eating” by L. Shannon Jung, but I am working my way through it right now and I think you might enjoy it as well as it deals with a lot of the ideas you are talking about here. I look forward to reading more of your thoughts on this!
Kimbrah´s last [type] ..What does our religion say to them
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
@Kimbrah, Thanks for sharing this resource! I will look into it and I look forward to hearing your thoughts and your story as well. I’m always glad for other kindred spirits in a similar journey!
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Oh, Vina, I can relate to this. Well, honestly, I don’t have a problem with my pants fitting, but lately I’ve noticed I just can’t seem to stop eating/snacking. I’m noticing I’m constantly “hungry” although not really hungry, I just want to eat. But, for me it’s not just that I want to eat all the time, it’s that food is one of the only enjoyments in my life lately – I get more excited about food then anything else…well, there are a few things that beat food, but not much. Hum, it’s really kind of sad… lately I’ve definitely started to feel nudges of conviction about my attitude toward food and the WHY behind my eating. Your post really hit home and added to that still small voice inside that I have been trying to ignore as it’s whispered that I need to take another look at my eating habits.
Bethany´s last [type] ..Sick Busting Super Soup- Onion and Garlic Soup
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 7:44 pm
@Bethany, Beth, thank you spool mich for sharing. I hear you totally on turning to food for all sorts of reasons. Thankful we can journey together on this!
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I am a Certified Holistic Health Counselor trained at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition. One of the things I was taught there is that if your “Primary Foods” are not balanced, primary foods being relationships, spirituality, career, and physical activity. Then even if you eat the cleanest possible diet for you, it may not be enough. I have thought about this a lot. I have examined my life in these 4 areas to see where I am lacking. It is very enlightening.
One of the things that has really helped in “how” I eat is to just slow it down. Smell, chew, taste, savor every bite. Not only do you eat less, but you enjoy every bite.
I look forward to your future posts.
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
@Tiffany, Thank you for sharing us your knowledge! I can totally see how primary foods aren’t even foods per se…and wow, what a great way to start thinking about my eating habits! The slowing down part is definitely something I want to start practicing. Thank you so much sharing!
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Wow! This is exactly what have have been dealing with lately. About a year ago I started changing my families eating habits to a traditional whole foods diet. I had so much to learn and I was constantly in the kitchen. Now preparing real foods is getting easier, but I find myself eating all the time. I eat when I am bored, tired, upset, happy, experimenting and for just about every occassion. I used to be underweight, but that is not the case anymore. Now that my weight is back in the normal range I would really like to keep it there, but with all this snacking that might not happen. I am not being satisfied in some area in my life, but what is it??
Thanks for sharing a great post
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 7:49 pm
@Jamie, Welcome here Jamie! Thank you for sharing your story! Sounds familiar to me. Hope you can join us here on Fridays to share more…
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I as well can relate to this post. My slow journey started 3 years ago when a co-worker and I got serious about losing weight. Soon we discovered traditional ways and much healthier ways of eating. We both lost weight initially, but 3 years later we do eat mostly healthy food, and like you on occasion eat ‘treats’ and let’s say we are back to where we started. I have become frustrated with this but I realize then I had more time to exercise and watch my portions, and I know my issues is that my life at work and home are becoming stretched thin, and once again trying to find that balance.
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
@Sea, Thank you so much for Sharing your journey here. I would love for you to join us on Fridays as we listen deeply to what our eating habits are telling us…we’d love to be part of that journey to recover that “balance” or harmony as I’d like to call it.
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Another brilliant post. I’ve never thought about it quite this way, but I think it’s going to stick with me now that you’ve said it like this. “WHAT we eat is only a small portion of our eating problems here in America. And that a bigger part of it is really about WHY we eat.” Thanks!!
Kathleen Quiring | Project M´s last [type] ..What is the Worst Marriage Advice You’ve Ever Gotten
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Vina Barham Reply:
September 26th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
@Kathleen Quiring | Project M, Kathleen, thanks for the stopping by again. I love having you here.
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