By Tyler Farrish

Food. What is it? What does it mean to you? As this answer will vary from person to person, most of us will think of our latest craving for a particular meal, cuisine or treat. This is completely normal!

However, there’s often little secondary thought given to the experiencing of food—not the what, but the way we consume. We’re often just throwing food down the hatch, and moving as quickly as possible onto the next bite. Oh, the speedy lives we live. Before you move on to your next meal, have you ever stopped to think about how you feel after you eat?

Take this morning’s breakfast for example: How did you feel 30 minutes after you ate? Did your energy levels increase, decrease, remain the same, or did they rise briefly only to be followed by a quick crash? Did this meal satisfy you for 3-4 hrs? Did you notice any physical or emotional changes (i.e.: bloating, lower abdominal discomfort, gas, anxiety, hyperactivity, lethargy, etc.)? How well was the food processed by your body?

The main message I would like to drive home in this brief article is the importance of developing a relationship with your food. There is one nutritional goal we are striving for: To identify foods harmonious to your body. It’s as simple as that! Bio-Individuality states that each fruit, vegetable, meat, & fat will affect your system uniquely. Keeping that in mind, here’s your take-away for this month:

  • Simplify Meals – Try to eat simply, choosing one fruit or vegetable with a meal, one source of protein, & one source of healthy fats.
  • Make a Food Diary – via whatever is easiest (Google doc, notes on iPhone, journal or email, etc).  Keep track of everything, food & liquid.  Note how your body responds to different foods.
  • Detox & De-Stress your digestive system –  Try to drink half of your bodyweight in ounces of water each day.  Aim to chew each bite 20-30 times to take stress off your digestive track.  Avoid processed foods as much as possible & shop for organics

Now you can start to determine what foods/meal combinations work best for your body. Food is nourishment; it impacts every cell of our being…

 Happy Eats,
Ty