***Create A New Passionate Relationship With Food and Life

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet." Fran Lebowitz

The Iranian movie, "The Fish Fall in Love" is a film that speaks of eating and falling in love. It is based on the premise that people fall into two categories; some that eat their food with no passion and the others who eat passionately. Only those who eat with delicious passion are successful in love.

Are you madly in love with luscious food, taking the time to fill your senses with the delicious aroma of food? When was the last time you sat down and ate with passion, without feeling guilty thinking about calories, fat, or what is healthy and unhealthy? Imagine yourself savoring the experience of joyful eating, being truly alive during each bite. Enjoy the life affirming aromas, visual appeal, and the taste and texture of the fully satisfying food that you are bringing into your body. To give your self the luxury of fully experiencing food is one of the great joys in life.

This week, challenge yourself to one meal that you will eat passionately and with a sense of aliveness. For one chosen meal, set aside all concerns about gaining or losing weight. Let there be no counting calories, and no following diet food rules. For this meal, dare yourself to create a rewarding relationship between food, life, and love. You will not use this meal to calm your anxieties, stuff your emotions, or distract you from your worries. This meal will be an offering of your love to the food in the form of full sensory aliveness and appreciation, and a receiving of life from the food into your body.

Close your eyes for a moment and breathe in deeply. Relax. What would you choose to eat if this was your last meal on Earth? Be playful and explore the possibilities. Is your ideal meal something your mom made for you as a child? Is it a meal from your favourite restaurant? Does your meal include an appetizer, salad, main course, a favorite drink, coffee, and dessert? Or would you simply prefer a hot dog or fried chicken? What meal or combination of foods would let your taste buds soar, your body melt with pleasure, and your mind feel the exhilaration of joy? When you have identified a specific meal, open your eyes and write down your menu.

The Experience
Now that you have your meal picked out, follow through and allow yourself to create a loving, enjoyable experience for yourself. Don't just think about it, go ahead and make your fantasy real. At this point, you might notice if you hear any inner voices objecting to this:

This is stupid.
This sounds good, but I don't have the time.
What's the point?
If I enjoy the food, I won't be able to stop eating.
I get bored paying attention to the meal.
I don't want to be aware of eating, it's embarrassing.
I don't want to give up the numbing out experience of eating.

Decide to move beyond your inner objections and give yourself this experience. Discover what it might be like to bring back the joyfulness of eating. Imagine preparing this meal for a friend or lover that you had not seen in quite some time. Only instead of sharing your food with a friend of lover, you will be sharing it with yourself.

Have fun planning the details and anticipating how the meal will flow. What fine points would make your meal perfect? Would you include flowers, nice china, some background music, or a glass of exquisite wine? Can you prepare the meal yourself, or would you first need to call your mom and get the recipe?

Once you have the details of your meal, pick a date that you are willing to cook for yourself. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. It contained the words "cook" and "for yourself." Remember, it is only one meal. And, there's no need to do this by yourself - unless of course you want to. Enlist the enthusiasm of your very best friend or the support of your partner. Explain the purpose of your meal is to develop a new relationship with food and life as you consciously enjoy the entire process of eating.

Shopping
"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." ~ Julia Child ~

Get a shopping list together of the items you will need. For this one meal, choose beautiful, fresh ingredients. Pick foods that are alive and full of vitality. Splurge for this meal. It's okay if you only have one bite of something and three bites of something else. No one will tell your mother that you have been wasteful. Go ahead, live on the edge. Indulge. While you are out shopping, remember the fresh flowers, candles, and maybe even a setting of special original china.

Preparing

"Enchant, stay beautiful and graceful, but do this, eat well. Bring the same consideration to the preparation of your food as you devote to your appearance. Let your dinner be a poem, like your dress." "Letters to Emily" Charles Pierre Monselet, French journalist and author. (1825-1888)

Cooking may not be an activity you have done lately. It takes a little time to prepare a meal. So plan ahead, invite your friend or partner, and approach this act with love and anticipation. Begin the process of cooking with awareness. Notice the colors of the vegetables you chose. Hear the sounds of them being chopped, and the sizzle as they sauté. Deeply inhale the aromas as they begin to fill your kitchen. Maximize your anticipation by looking at, touching, and smelling the food as you chop, cut, arrange ingredients.

The Environment
Create a memory for this meal. Choose a place to eat that is peaceful, attractive, and pleases you. Let your heart choose a special cloth or scarf for the table. Arrange beautiful, living flowers in the center of the table or sprinkle rose petals around the dinner setting. Dim the lights and light the candles. Create atmosphere by listening to calming, relaxing music such as ocean waves, babbling brooks, or nature sounds in the background. It might help to break the routine of how you eat by using chopsticks or no utensils at all. Use your best china and arrange the food on your plate as though for a guest.

Eat with Passion
This meal you will eat with passion. It will be a sensual and delightfully sacred experience. The food is a gentle lover that has come to take care of you, to soothe and nurture you. Eating will be an entire body and sensory experience, not just putting food in your mouth and swallowing. Notice the steam arising with the scent of the wonderful food you are about to eat. Inhale deeply. Smell the aromas and feel them as they move throughout your entire body. Delight in the experience. Now close your eyes and slowly take a bite. Allow the bite to stay in your mouth for a moment to fully appreciate the taste before you even begin chewing. Find yourself worthy of receiving pleasure that isn't guilt ridden or secret. Allow your own appreciation of the food to comfort your soul and regenerate your body.

Body Awareness
Before you eat, notice how it feels to be hungry. Notice your body sensations as you become filled by the food you eat. Become conscious of your whole body. Are your muscles tense anywhere? Notice how you are sitting, and what you are thinking. Are your thoughts focused on the beautiful food that you are eating, or have they wandered to dark or heavy places? There is no need to control your thoughts. Instead, simply notice when your thoughts wander to unpleasant places and then bring them back to your enjoyable eating experience. Breathe deeply. Be aware of your body's signal when it has had enough to eat. Not sure when you have had enough? Test things out for yourself. Take a good long look at the remaining food - does it look the same as when you started? Does it taste the same as when you started?

Meal Ending
When you are done eating, let yourself know that you are done. Take a deep breath and allow yourself to have this food inside of you. Say "yes" your fullness and your participation in a joyful experience. Blow out the candles to symbolically end your meal.