In this post I will explain my attitude towards food. How we think about food is going to affect how we eat and what we eat. It is important to understand that food needs to take a certain amount of our attention--but when the attention is excessive, food may be creating disorder.
Food is nourishment. We need it to stay alive. I don't always get to eat what I want, so when I have to eat something that is less than my best choice, I remind myself that I am getting needed calories and should not be disdainful of that.
Food is a blessing. I regularly thank God that I live in a country where I can go to stores that have food in abundance. I cannot ever recall a time when I went hungry because there was no food to be had. I may have been hungry because I did not plan well and bring food with me, but the problem was temporary and solvable within a reasonable amount of time.
Food is a pleasure. It brings joy when you have food that is high quality and tasty. For several months after some ear surgery, my sense of taste was affected. Almost everything tasted like it had mint in it. I am not a big mint fan. To be deprived of the pleasure of food for a while helped me to appreciate it more when my taste buds returned to normal, but it also taught me that tastiness is an optional gift.
Food is a pathway to health. We can make both good and bad choices in what we decide to eat. I have learned that as I eat healthier, I crave unhealthy foods less. It is like reprogramming my body to desire what is best for it.
Food serves me, not the other way around. I become a slave to food when I must have something my way. I decided to develop a certain distance from food preferences a while ago--a kind of detached indifference. This does not mean that I don't gravitate toward food I like, but that I can look at food I like and decide I don't have to eat it. I am the one in control. The food can wait for me.
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