My friend asked me in the beginning of the summer to write out my philosophy of food for her. I went into this task thinking it would be relatively easy since I tend to think about food and its surrounding consequences often. But, as most writing prompts seem to go, writing this was much more difficult than I thought it would be. There was just an unending amount of ground to cover and I soon realized that I am split on many issues (eg. GMO’s) and need time to learn more before I make any sweeping remarks about my beliefs.
So, for the time being, below is what I believe is the ideal way to approach food for those who have ready access to it. By no means am I saying that I follow these things myself, but I do consider this the standard I strive to reach (and will undoubtedly never attain).
- Eat with a simple mindset. Eat what you want, when you want, but in moderation
- Eat until you are just full enough. You should never feel too uncomfortable after eating something. Even if you are hungry an hour later, that’s okay. You can eat again.
- Not only is overeating disrespectful to the people who labored to produce the food, those who barely have enough to eat to live, and your own body, but it is also the selfish act of a glutton- an act every single human is guilty of.
- For many people, stress eating is a common way of overeating. The idea that gorging ourselves helps us relax before a test, get over a breakup, etc. is simply mental. To an extent, it is merely a social construct that we have adopted in modern society. There are healthier ways to relax and to distract your mind.
- Every human has the right to know the truth of what part of the world their food came from, the processes it underwent before landing on the shelves of the grocery store, and the payment/ conditions of the workers who helped to carry out these processes. This information should be readily available to the public.
- Think about the processes and people it took to create the food you are eating. View each piece of food as a piece of artwork with an artist, a medium, a date, and an intention.
- Sit down to eat and eat slowly so you can think about the above things as well as how your food tastes and how it makes you feel at that moment.
- You cannot be “healthy” by just eating “healthy”- you have to exercise your body too. Whatever this form of exercise is is a completely personal decision. It should make you feel good physically and should be able to clear and relax your mind.
- Always, always be open to trying new dishes no matter how strange they may sound. (Especially pizza toppings. My new favorites are egg and shrimp, though not together.)
- Experiment with mixing flavors and textures. You should never be bored with what you are eating. Once the act of eating becomes only a necessity in order to stay alive, something is wrong.
