Eating for pleasure
Lessons in eating what you love.
Eating for pleasure is a sacred act and more often than not, especially as a women, someone is hurrying us out of the temple.
We may accidentally get lost and turn up at a slimming world meeting or recommended ‘what I eat in a day videos’ online. What other’s eat is of course fascinating but in a, ‘goodness I never thought about having sardines for breakfast?’ kind of way.
From the age of twelve to twenty four I used margarine instead of butter and was desperate to shrink myself at all costs. Mostly my happiness, mood, pleasure and to the tune of five pound notes given to my slimming world consultant.
I would loose weight and by autumn have regained it plus ten pounds. Something not uncommon in the dieting scene. Fluctuating in weight would have been fine had I experienced a side plate of joy but there was none to be found. Diets don’t work. We all have the evidence but the temptation to try again is stronger than a Nanny’s G&T. In my experience the only way to find the place your body is happy, is to be happy. And as far I know, unsatiated woman are not happy.
It wasn’t until my marriage ended that I discovered true pleasure and a deeper connection to food. Cooking for one initially seemed difficult but I’d learned a few basics, even if my ex-husband only liked to eat chicken breast (not why we got divorced but potentially plausible). The most daunting thing was being unable to respond to a gastronomic question with “I don’t mind, what do you want?”.
The time had come to discover instead what I wanted. And what was that? Truly? The question wove itself through my new found reality. I couldn’t tell you why I started with food but perhaps I was really hungry.
Eating for pleasure took a while to grasp. Unlearning years of conflicting information regarding what, when and how to eat had to be painstakingly peeled away to reveal the juicy creative flesh beneath.
I once believed that if I ate with pleasure in mind, I’d live purely on a diet of peach tarts, Dairy Milk fruit and nut, and wine. When I did start allowing myself to see food as the decadent treasure and source of joy it could be, I was surprised to find I didn’t end up doubled over and groaning or deep in a food coma. Instead I felt happier and more vibrant than I had in a long time. A new respect for food was born and with it, for my body. After all, we should be intentionally choosing what we put inside of us - I can think of many women, including myself, who wished they knew that sooner.
When we begin to view food as a gift we treasure it, feel the urge to uncover hidden delights and pour love into cooking it. That, combined with a deep knowing that we are worthy of nourishing food is a recipe for joy. Now, when I want some chocolate I make sure I have a steamy cup of tea and silence. What bliss to be positively greedy with your own senses.
Asking ourselves whether a food was cooked with love is a great way to ensure we are in fact eating food. That we are eating for pleasure and not because someone put an extremely addictive chemical in a hobnob. Allowing hunger to make itself known and answering the door is self care superior to any bath we may rest our bones in.
Discarding the low calorie food spray and dropping a knob of west country salted butter into a frying pan and watching it dance and foam was sensational. Spreading cream cheese on the ‘end slice’ of my loaf while I waited for my ‘main event’ toast to pop was liberating. Baking myself a Victoria sponge and dusting icing sugar atop her golden crown made me feel special. Worth the time. Deserving of the pleasure.
Great eating isn’t complex, but it must start with a few big questions. What do you want, truly? What tastes good? And what would you love to share with others?
Eating what we love nourishes us in a profound way. It connects us to people and cultures we might feel far from, often changes lives and allows us realise it was safe to eat the forbidden fruit all along. To view food as decadent yes, but never guilt inducing. It can help us recover physically and emotionally through life’s turbulence. It could even help you uncover what you actually want, after what you thought you wanted, escaped out of the bathroom window during dinner.
Eating what you love wont bring you back to life or heal your heart, but actually, it might, so please. As you were.
K x
Have something to add? I’d love to hear below :)
PS. Things are changing around here. We will be travelling in February next year and over the past twelve months I have been embracing a slower pace, living with less (as you’ll see in some of my previous posts) and gearing up for our next adventure.
I would love it if you came along but please, don’t feel pressured - remember you can always hit that unsubscribe button xxx