NPR came out with an interesting article, “How did our brains evolve to equate food with love”. (link here) If you don’t feel like reading it, the article discusses primates and the way they share food to build alliances and all the hormones that we produce that link memory with food. It made me think about my relationship with food. Its been a tumultuous one. I’ve been an emotional eater, a binge eater, a bulimic and an anorexic. I have hated food with a fire down in my gut and there are times it seemed like it was the only friend I had. This is not a sob story; I only mean to point out that I know what its like to have a complicated relationship with food. Even now, occasionally we have our spats.
Obviously, I’m not the only one. Plastered all over Facebook and Pinterest, I see signs like these urging people to cut their emotional ties with food. “Don’t reward yourself with food!”, “Detach yourself from food!” and the crowd favorite, “Eat to live, Don’t live to eat!”
I get it. I do. Its hard to break that chain of obsession. Its like a horrible breakup where you still have to deal with your ex every day. Food obsession is unique. You can’t give it up forever. Its at every workplace, every social function and it is a necessity of life.
Even so, I hate this trend in fitness to attempt to get everyone to dissociate from food. You should live to eat! There is a JOY in eating. I’m not talking about shoving a burger in your face until you can’t feel anymore. That’s not joy. Neither is chomping through celery and repeating the mantra, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels…” to drown out the sound of your stomach growling. Neither of these is really living.
I’m talking about searching for the best, most flavorful ingredients and preparing them with attention and love. Taking the time to sit and savor a good meal with good company. Rediscovering a childlike joy with new ingredients. Trying a new recipe. Having a picnic in the living room. Eating by candlelight in bed. Letting your kids plan a meal. Growing an herb garden and experimenting. Turning off the TV and putting on some music. Whatever makes you excited to eat and nourishes your body at the same time. Eating to live and living to eat. You can do both.