Eating for true health

“The word ‘diet’ is loaded with associations of overweight people working to slim down, hoping that depriving themselves of some kind of food indulgence will make them trimmer, happier and more loveable. Diet books, too, are constantly making their way onto the bestseller lists. Yet obesity continues to plague the Western world. Why is this? What are people so hungry for that they continually and obsessively overeat?
I believe that the vast majority of overweight people are feeding themselves to numb the pain of their alienated lives. Our consumer culture has led not so awake people to think that the more and better material things they possess, the more fulfilled they will feel. Yet this is not the case. Many people eat to fill the spiritual void in their lives.
There was a period when I was considerably overweight. I was numb and unhappy and half asleep. Eating was my solace, but I did not particularly enjoy food. I barely even tasted it. I enjoyed the pleasure of anticipation of each bite of cookies’n’cream, but to be honest, the moment each bite touched my tongue it mingled with regret. I didn’t truly enjoy it. I didn’t savour it. I swallowed it - gulped it really - so I could get back to the pleasure of anticipating the next bite. I have since forgiven myself for this confused habit - it did serve to get me to where I am today, and for that I am grateful.
I share this personal example to help wake you up to your own unconscious eating habits... Now is the time to wake up to your eating practices. How? Here are some simple suggestions that will help you to bring consciousness to your meals...”

Written by Life Coach Gary Quinn, this article gives 11 tips for eating healthily. The article is an extract from the book LIVING IN THE SPIRITUAL ZONE by Gary Quinn and published by Hodder Mobius.