Miriam O. Ezenwa, PhD, RN, FAAN

Greetings, my people! On Week 2 of our series, Strategies for Strengthening your Core and your Will to Turn your life Around, I will share with you the second strategy I used to turn my life around. That strategy is “Natural purification of the body” using food. I divided this topic into three parts to keep them short. They are: 1) Relationship with food; 2) Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food; and 3) Food eating-rituals. I will start the post about “Relationship with food” by asking you several questions to stir your souls. Here you go:

What is your relationship with food? Are you committed to eating food the way nature intended — fresh and unprocessed, whenever possible? Are you committed to eating adulterated food? Before you eat, do you ask yourself, “What part of my body will this food enhance or heal?” I call this process, #StopThinkBeforeYouEat. What is your food-eating ritual? Are you aware you can enhance your creativity and thus your will through your relationship with food and your food-eating rituals?

Part 1: Food Relationship

In my opinion, there are three types of relationships individuals can have with food, which are intimate, contentious, or lukewarm relationships. People who have an intimate relationship with food are “in love” with food. They view food as their lifeline. Thus, they eat just enough to nourish life and have disciplined themselves to feel easily satisfied with food. People in love with food allow food to caress and perfectly nourish them emotionally and physically, thereby, improving their wellbeing. People in contentious relationship with food “love food” and “hate food” at the same time. They stuff themselves with food and afterwards feel guilty for overeating. They promise to do better next time but never do. It becomes a vicious cycle. They become over-nourished. People in lukewarm relationship with food are “Too cold” towards food. Their relationship with food does not have much substance. They appear accommodating towards food. However, they think they can do without food, thereby, becoming malnourished.

In which of the three relationships do you see yourself?

I have been in all three types of relationships with food at different points in my life. Now, I work hard everyday to have an intimate relationship with food. I tell you, it is not easy. I learned that eating healthy is expensive. Therefore, I eat healthy within my financial means. I started with making little changes such as eating smaller-sized food portions, eating wheat bread, swapping quinoa for rice, eating more beans, and forcing myself to eat salads. I don’t like salads. I prefer cooked vegetables. As weeks, months, and years went by, I made more changes that have been useful to me.

Have you identified the type of relationship you have with food? Do you need to make any changes?

In Parts 2 and 3 of the “Natural Purification of the Body,” I describe lessons I learned in my efforts to have a healthier relationship with food here on the Strongest Me website. In Part 2, I discuss the concept of “Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” In Part 3, I discuss Food-Eating Rituals.  

Please check them out.

I wish you strength, always!

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