I have been spending a lot of time with cookbooks and blogs and gadgets this summer designing a new online course called “Clueless in the Kitchen.” Now before you get worried that someone is going to be offended by that name, let me assure you this class is specifically designed for women who have a great sense of humor and LOVE the title. Women who are truly clueless in the kitchen and looking for a little (actually a LOT) of hand holding.
The content creation process, however, has been very enlightening. I am simply stymied by the number of labels we are using to describe food (and ourselves).
Seriously. I’m noticing this a lot lately. On the web. In magazines. Splashed across the cover of cookbooks: Gluten-free, Vegan, Raw, Paleo, Vegetarian, Lacto-Vegetarian, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian, Pesco Vegetarian. . .
We’ve got to stop labeling ourselves into a
BOX
There is no room inside a box to move, let alone eat.
There is no room inside a box to change your mind.
And, there is very little room inside that box to listen to the wisdom of your body.
Okay, lest you start hurling tomatoes at your computer screen and saying all kinds of nasty things about me, I want to clarify a few things here:
I totally respect your ethical decisions to eliminate certain foods from your diet. I probably have many of the same belief systems.
My diet is primarily plant-based but when my body calls for a beautiful piece of salmon
or even a steak, I listen.
I have learned to eat from a deeper place.
I have studied (and lived) every one of these nutritional systems (plus a few more) and I’ve come to believe that nourishment goes far deeper than the plate.
My favorite food plan is one that involves
No rules and . . .
No promises
There are simply no guarantees in life.
I invite you to try on the word “flexitarian” for a week and then check in with your body to see how it feels. You don’t even have to change your eating style. I just want you to notice, really notice, how it feels to give yourself permission to listen to your desires around food and play with the spaciousness that opens up in your world when
YOU are not your diet.
Here are some of the things I’ve noticed in my own journey and that of my beloved clients:
When we stop creating food rules and start focusing on simply eating beautiful, WHOLEsome foods:
~ We no longer fall off the wagon.
~ We find ourselves honoring our desires instead of “curbing” our cravings.
~ Our bodies relax and our digestion improves.
~ There are no more “good” and “bad” foods, just food.
~ Food tastes better. In fact, food becomes delicious.
~ We judge ourselves (and others) a whole lot less.
~ We find time to talk about (and think about) things that have nothing to do with food
or our diet
or the body type we are trying so hard to achieve.
~ People enjoy eating with us.
~ We start listening to our bodies more. And our heads? Not so much.
~ We no longer feel compelled to “cleanse.” There is a whole industry dedicated to making us believe we need to cleanse the food we eat from our bodies. Imagine how liberating it would be to wipe that practice off the self-care slate and just Love What We Eat.
What do you think? Would you play with that idea for a week? How would it feel to drop the labels and just call yourself a flexitarian for a while? Leave me a comment and tell me YOUR experience of food.
41 thoughts on “YOU Are Not Your Food Plan”
I am in love with your take on food. It is common sense at it’s very best. And “Clueless in the Kitchen”. That’s me! When can I sign up 🙂
Ha, ha, love that, Maj and I’ll keep you posted on that class!
Wonderful post, Sue Ann! I’m a vegetarian . . . but I became a vegetarian because that’s what my body wanted. Not many people understand me when I explain that! I needed to listen to what my body was telling me and I eat accordingly. It just happens to have the label of “vegetarian.” I fluctuate within that, depending on what my body needs or wants as well. And I eat lots of wholesome foods :). I also eat gluten free because I have Celiac disease and I choose to take care of myself in that respect by following a gluten free diet.
It sounds like to are listening deeply to what your body needs and wants, Leanne. And, yes, a gluten-free diet is essential for those who suffer from Celiac disease and many autoimmune disorders. Thankfully, we have great insights and information available to us with regard to examining problematic foods as they relate to biochemical imbalances in the body. Thank you for visiting my blog.
Sue Ann, this is a lovely post. I think one of the underlying issues is that people often want to turn food rules into a quasi-religion—and tons of “experts” and “gurus” encourage that thinking.
I see it every day—people who are convinced that juicing, “detoxing,” “cleansing,” eating Paleo, or eating gluten-free (fill in the blank) is the perfect plan for them and thus that the whole world ought to follow. There’s room for many kinds of eating behavior!
I so agree. And yes, “experts” encourage that kind of thinking because, in many cases, it confirms their own theories and the nutritional systems they’ve chosen for themselves. I believe it is useful to share our journeys around food. I believe it is damaging to assume our way is the best for everyone else. We all inhabit different bodies with different histories. The ecology of my body is different than the ecology of your body and even more important, at times, are the social and psychological aspects of “the plate”. I’m so glad you stopped by, Mary. Thank you for responding to this post and have a delicious day.
Grat post Sue…in a perfect world, that is how it would be.
Perhaps we’ll create that perfect world, yes?
I love this. I eat a plant based diet because my body wants to eat a plant based diet. Everyone would always tell me that it’s not healthy that I need to be Paleo because starches are bad (even though I thrive on starch) or they would say that it must be hard and take a lot of discipline to eat this way but the truth is…it’s enjoyable.
It doesn’t take discipline because I didn’t force my body to give up meat an go vegan. I just naturally didn’t want it anymore it was easy for me. I even struggle with that term “vegan” but I eat raw honey and others tell me I shouldn’t because it’s not “vegan.”
It’s like they are trying to put me in a box. I eat this way because my body wants to right now. Maybe down the line it will want fish, or chicken or eggs and again and that is ok too. I just eat food.
Great Post!
I thrive on fruit, Gina Marie, and people would be astounded to see how much fruit I eat. I think we simply have to trust that our bodies have a deeper wisdom than our heads. When I’m craving something sweet, I reach for a banana, sometimes two! And, of course, a really beautiful chocolate. It doesn’t take much. You point out a beautiful example of “the box” when you talk about raw honey. It really becomes a philosophical discussion. I like to keep the focus on nourishment. When I DO partake of animal products, I do so with gratitude and discretion. Conscious bites, yes?
Wonderfully written post with a meaningful, direct message. I guess I still struggle with completely “giving in” to the concept, though, because I feel that if I ate only what I WANTED it wouldn’t all be good for me. I’ve spent years educating myself about nutrition and, more and more, eating whole and organic as much as possible. I don’t struggle a lot with cravings or feeling deprived because I accept that some things just ARE, and I allow myself the small indulgence here and there. I do sometimes resent the healthier approach because, for a household of six with no space for a real garden, it’s a) expensive and b) more labor intensive in an already oversized load of caretaking and responsibility. Trying to please AND feed nourishingly so many people is what CAUSES me to have to think about it so much. And I WISH this miracle would happen that by eating healthfully and not obsessively thinking about undefined “forbidden” foods, my body would change or the way I see it would suddenly shift. But that’s just my story. Everyone’s circumstances are different.
I see a lot of women struggle with this concept, Rebecca. You are not alone. Eating organic can be more expensive but it doesn’t have to be labor intensive. Simple meals are often the most satisfying. I’m loving my container garden. It’s not very big but it produces quite a bit or produce, actually. We also have community gardens here where you rent a little piece of land and grow your own food. You have to drive to your plot in some cases, but it is well worth the trip for people who don’t have space for their own gardens. Community sponsored agriculture is another option. Don’t give up. Just do the best you can to nourish yourself and your family. And yes, more often than not it’s the way we “view” our bodies that causes us the most angst. This, too, is a journey. Keep leaning into it. Much love to you. . .
My digestion feels happier, more relaxed and confident just reading this! 🙂
Music to my ears, Bonnie!
Yes! It’s something I’ve struggled with too. Glad to know I’m not the only one! 🙂
There is comfort in knowing we are not alone, Claudia!
This is indeed very wise. Lately, with so much bounty from friends’ gardens and the farm markets, I’d been eating enough fiber to choke a horse. Not that that’s a bad thing, but my body started telling me it was feeling kind of “scoured.” I let it talk to me and heard that now and then it wanted something soft and comforting, like a scrambled egg, or some warm brown rice. Or even a cookie! With a little variety, my digestion is happy with my vege-vore ways.
And I am enjoying the bounty you shared with me, Bonnie! I will bring your friend some chocolate the next time we meet. I want to see photos of the garden that produced the MOST AMAZING sugar snap peas I’ve ever eaten. I’m glad you listen to your body and honor your desires. . .
Our outlook on food is so similar that it’s always a pleasure to stop by and read your blog. I adore how you teach women to “honor their desires” rather than “curb their cravings.” An exquisite way to live and eat. Thank you, Sue Ann.
And you so embody that principle, Tracey! Thank YOU for providing me (and my clients) with beautiful wholesome recipes that are “naturally” delicious.
Spot on, Sue Ann, an approach to eating that I totally agree with. A little more education, far fewer rules. Such a refreshing read, thank you. Hurrah for flexitarians.
I love that, Kathryn: “a little more education, far fewer rules.” I couldn’t have said it any better than that.
Beautiful..yes to all of it. We do similar work Sue Ann, and when I hear all of the labels (although I strive for gluten and dairy free because they really aggravate my allergies) they sound like variations on disordered eating to me.. more disconnection, more fear, trying to be mitigated with controls that aren’t coming from an intuitive place. Nobody really gets relief inside any of the boxes. Love all of your recipes and color and gorgeousness around living in our bodies and our senses.
From my heart..
Lisa
http://www.IntuitiveBody.com
Simple Sacred Solutions For Living Beautifully In Your Body
Yes, Lisa, gluten and dairy free serve us when we have a need to examine problematic foods or maladies that can be quieted with a change in diet. I have noticed many benefits in removing gluten and dairy from my diet. It’s the labels and “food identities” that take us further and further away from the wisdom of our bodies. I’m hoping we find our way back. Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to visiting your site.
I share your point of view. I’ve been much happier and healthier since I shifted my focus to high quality foods, loving prepared, and eaten with joy.
Lovingly prepared and eaten with joy. Yes, I’ll have some of that!
Sue Ann, the thing that impressed me about this post was that you encourage every “body” to decide for themselves. I believe the trend toward identifying with a certain eating methodology comes from our innate human desire to belong. What you’ve shown is that my body belongs to ME. When I honor and respect it, the rewards are rich. Thank you for your enlightening approach to nutrition!
Wise statement, indeed, Kimby. “Our innate human desire to belong.” I say we start a delicious food movement! Now that’s a club I’d be happy to invest in.
“Clueless In The Kitchen” where do I sign up? I love your take on food, its very similar to mine. I eat what makes me happy! Steak – Yum! Love your site Sue xoxo
Yvette
Thank you for stopping by, Yvette. I think the operative word here is “happy.” I’ll keep you posted on my “Clueless in the Kitchen” initiative!
I love the term “flexitarian” what a great way to think of your eating style. More people should adopt it starting with me.
I’m happy to inspire that change. What will you add to your diet as a result of that new “vocabulary word,” TE?
Love the title ‘Clueless in the Kitchen!’
Me too, Emma! LOL
Yay! Here I am! Clueless in the Kitchen! and make NO bones about it! haha! I am not completely clueless… but clueless in the areas that I want to be playful and intelligent. Which is why I am here with YOU… as my amazzzzzzzzzzing sacred DELICIOUS Nourishment Goddess. Too many OLD STORIES which still hold me back.
and I LOVE the word “flexitarian”! So much BETTER than all the other “tarian” fads I have explored over my lifetime!
This is my gift from you… one of the many that tell me truly how much you care… and how truly wise you are! You are such a Wise Woman in my life! xoxo
“I invite you to try on the word “flexitarian” for a week and then check in with your body to see how it feels. You don’t even have to change your eating style. I just want you to notice, really notice, how it feels to give yourself permission to listen to your desires around food and play with the spaciousness that opens up in your world”
Love that you are still “growing into” the kitchen in new and exciting ways. I wish I lived closer because I would want to do a little of both, your art and mine. . . from kitchen to canyon.
This is such a delicious article. I wholeheartedly resonate with your view and have been practicing this for many years. I used to have a lot of rules for my food, mostly for ethical reasons, and I was very healthy for a while but then I got very sick. It was a whole foods that nourished me back to vitality. These days, while I naturally prefer food that is real, whole, fresh or raw, I find life flows with much more ease when I eat as my body guides me. Gluten is the only exception – it is such a downer on my body/mind that I do avoid that as a “rule.” lol!
Thank you for responding to this post, Monica. It’s amazing how our bodies just naturally gravitate toward whole foods when we take out nonfood items and learn how to enjoy (and discern) the taste of the actual food! I remember thinking the flavor in a raw carrot was actually quite amazing without the dip. My palate has changed considerably over the years but I’m so grateful for all that I have learned along the way. I’m still learning.
I am going to do it – flexitarian for a week. I have tired of discontent with this beautiful amazing BODY I have been given to inhabit. Thank you, Sue Ann for your deliciously beautiful intervention.
I’m so glad! It is, indeed, time we take back our plates, yes?
I LOVE this Sue Ann. I haven’t eaten meat for years, I eat fish (no sea food) and every now and again, when I’m in Germany or the UK I have a sausage. Not because I’ve ‘fallen off the vegequarium’ wagon, but just because they looked and smelled so good and I wanted to have the same experience that my boys where having at the time. I tell ya, sausages never tasted so good when they only come every few years!!! But I get SUCH judgment and ugly comments from friends and family, saying ‘what kind of vegetarian are you?” “A vegetarian that eats sausages!!” Thank you for giving me permission to enjoy the food I CHOOSE to eat when I CHOOSE to eat it!!! <3