Food for thought

Alicia..... note to self..... food is just food. You need it to live, and thats about it. Put the good stuff in and you will feel better. Put the bad stuff in and you'll feel bad. I tell this to myself ALL the time. The mantra is failing big time. Why, because most of the world views it completely differently!

Food is celebratory. Food is comforting and a healing balm. Food is a drug. Food is a tradition. Food is historical and features in stories. Food has become complicated. I don't think (infact I know) the Lord did not intend it to be this way. We made it complex. We open packets instead of plucking from the vine to eat.

If I want to change my eating habits it literally means that I must get a chopping board out FOR EVERY MEAL. As soon as a open a packet then I'm stuffed. Put simply, health means effort.

I've had a few instances where I've gone without a "treat" and watched everyone around me indulge. It sucked. Removed from the situation and thinking clearly, I feel to chastise myself for being so petty about food. Alicia.... where there cheques being handed out for $1 million dollars and you were the only one not to receive one? No? Then boo hoo! Get over yourself..... ITS JUST FOOD!

Better said then done. I must learn to master my body and not let it make decisions for me. How can I expect to have further eternal and exalted responsibilities if I cannot learn to master my thoughts and appetites. Cravings are optional, they are not a automatic disruption of my eating plan. Hunger is just a reminder that in times past I have made a habit of eating far too much. My stomach will shrink and the budget will thank me for it. I feel like I've made sense of all my complaints. I have an answer that is accurate and my body can accept that with minimal disappointment.

The struggle lies with the feeling of missing out. That I'm missing out on the treat or reward, or the celebration. Food can be inclusive. Why else do so many of drink alcohol? We want to feel a part of the group. We feel rude when we decline birthday cake, and bashful when we sit watching others eat whilst not eating ourselves. Can we not celebrate without consuming thousands of calories. Can we not Celebrate without food? It seems preposterous doesn't it? How do we go about changing that? Should it be more about the program and less about the menu?

Food for thought...not that food has anything to do with it.