My Best Tools for Holistic Health

I am a notorious food experimenter.
I love to try new foods, experience culture through what's on my plate, eat my way through a new city.
If I am told ahead of time, I don't mind a culinary challenge, whether it's a dietary restriction or a request.

I also like to experiment with differing styles of eating. I like guidelines that come with ascribing to a particular way of eating, because rules lead me to be more conscious of what I'm eating, which rolls into being conscious in other areas of my life. I often treat my body better, even enjoy my food more.

Awesome, right?

The problem for me is that I get married to those "guidelines." I make them my Superman, because truth be told, I crave structure and belonging, sometimes even when the pursuit becomes harmful to me.  Growing up is hard enough work; sometimes I crave a rule or twelve to help me feel a little more in control.

I will let you in on something- I rarely feel the freedom or fullness of life I'm after when I'm on some kind of eating plan that I don't need to be on.

I don't know what life holds for you, but I can tell you, mine has been a little...messy. So much good, hard, redemptive work, and also learning and being humbled. A lot that I'm proud to have been a part of it, and yes, I need and want the energy to do all of it, but I'm learning that my energy isn't even all related to food.

I've had more energy in the last week than I have in months because I finally took my husband up on his offer to go away alone for a night. That, plus sunshine. It wasn't the food I ate- I've had "cleaner" weeks. My spirit was nourished.

This year, I am grappling with the idea that I am not just a physical being. If I'm experiencing issues with something like gut health, sometimes it's not necessarily what I'm eating. Sometimes it's that I'm holding stress there, and my body is tense as a response.

I'm looking at the magic in a meal in which an item or more isn't entirely physical-health-promoting. For example, if you don't have an allergy to wheat, you might know that a loaf of freshly baked white bakery bread is heaven when broken among a crowded table. Is that loaf chock-full of super foods and nutrients? I'd say no. But do you feel good afterward, if you've been present with your meal and your company?
Do you see what I mean?

I am a physical, emotional, and spiritual being, and those aspects of myself can't actually be separated.

Heart problems and diabetes run in my family, but strictly adhering to any particular way of eating hasn't been healthy for me due to my unhealthy tendency to use food and rules as comfort, security, and validation. I still want to live in such a way that honors the health of my body, in addition to my spirit..so what do I do?

For me, it's more work to address my whole health without strict rules in place. I want rules, but I haven't found that those actually address my whole self. One phrase that continually comes to mind throughout my process has been, "everything is permitted, but not everything is beneficial." I can eat what I want and be free, but what does that look like?

A few tools that have been helpful to me (and I'll admit I've laid them aside once or twice while I look for something easier and more structured) have been two books- The Wellness Revelation and Intuitive Eating- and prayer. My healthiest move by far has been to pray about my food, bringing gratitude and mindfulness to my eating that way.

The result has been a true feeling of freedom, sometimes short lived when I start down other paths that seem easier and more rule-based, but I'm getting more and more glimpses into the wholly healthy life I'm after.