Written by Michelle Robinson
Welcome to June’s edition of Life-Chat.
I struggled with what I wanted to share this month, because on the topic of food, there is so much to say. However, I have opted to blend a light-hearted approach with some helpful tips.
If there are two categories of people – ‘foodies’ and ‘not foodies’, then I am not a foodie. I have a practical, no-frills approach to food, where taste is secondary to what’s easiest and most expedient to prepare. Clean, lean fresh food without enhancement or artistry is my preference, and I avoid rich or creamy dishes that are heavy in fats. The so-called joy of eating just doesn’t hold my attention.
Foodies – feel welcome to pity me.
My close friend, Jewel, is definitely a foodie. She even leaves her pampered dog and cat in the bedroom with the television tuned to the SBS cooking channel while she runs errands. That her cat, Shayla, is obsessed by food, should come as no surprise. Shayla can relieve your plate of a chicken-leg and spirit it away under the bed before you can blink. The speed of her theft seems to defy her generous body shape, but that cat ensconces herself under the bed with her stolen bounty in five seconds flat.
It is because my friend Jewel is a foodie that my relationship with croissants has been irreparably damaged.
For many years, I would choose a croissant over what I believed were heavier pastry options, declaring virtuously that a plain croissant suited me because it was tasty and light.
One day Jewel could ignore my ill-founded piety no longer.
“You are kidding, aren’t you?” she asked. “Have you ever seen how croissants are made?”
I had to admit I had not, at which point she triumphantly displayed on her phone a YouTube clip of croissant making.
The horror on my face as I watched thick slabs of butter being rolled into the croissant dough had Jewel hysterical with laughter. I had no idea that the light tasty texture I had boasted about was because the pastry was dripping with butter!
That was it for me. The damage was done. Croissants and I have gone from being firm friends to occasional travelling companions. I still hold Jewel accountable for this, and she still cries with laughter whenever she remembers the horrified look on my face when I watched that video.
On a more serious note, should you be wanting to reshape your relationship with food a little, you might consider the following helpful ideas:
Learn to stop eating before you are full. Tune in to when your stomach is satisfied and stop right there.
Ideally, prepare only enough food to satisfy your hunger, but if you accidentally have too much in front of you, be prepared to leave food on your plate. Get over any guilt about ‘waste’. Excess food just becomes waste that passes through you and adds extra centimeters to your waist. Choose the ‘waste’ without the harm caused by overeating. Promise yourself next time to be more careful with portion sizes.
Get used to just offering your mouth a taste of indulgent foods. A taste can be enough. Practice having just a little of something rich or sweet to indulge your tastebuds; then choose nutritious food to satisfy hunger.
Visualise food as fuel entering your body. Would you put polluted fuel in your car’s tank?
lternatively, if you wouldn’t give what you are about to eat to a pet you love, perhaps reconsider whether that food is the best choice for you.
Finally, if you would like to stay connected with me to receive positive tips for life each morning, feel welcome to join my free Facebook group “Your Intuitive Gifts At Work.”
Here is a direct link where you can join my group https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourintuitivegiftsatwork
Until next time, have a wonderful month.