You Are What You Eat: My Tips for Making Conscious Food Choices
“You are what you eat,” is a popular truth you’ve probably heard before. I remember first hearing this phrase as a little girl and thinking that I’d sure love to be chocolate chip cookies. After all, everyone loves cookies, right? Over the years, however, I’ve become increasingly aware of how our food choices impact not only our health, but also our spiritual well-being, intuition, and the entire planet.
I got such great feedback on my last blog on Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much, I wanted to expand on the topic of food and share insight into the importance of conscious eating.
Each day, we all make seemingly simple decisions about what foods to eat. What to have for breakfast? Do I make a quick stop to get a bacon and egg sandwich on the way to work… even though I don’t know how the food got to me? Or, do I take a moment to look at the greater picture and think not only about what’s good for me but also the foods that are best for the world?
Conscious eating is about remaining awake and aware of how food gets to your plate and then choosing what you eat according to your values. Many of us naturally think of food as just impacting our own bodies, but our choices at the kitchen table actually reverberate across the planet. As I talk about in both Messages From Spirit and Remembering the Future, Divine energy flows through you as well as every other living being in the world. All the living creatures on the planet are connected. Yes, that means you’re connected with the chickens, cows, plants, and so on. So when we nurture our relationship with nature through conscious eating, we open ourselves up to that energy and are more in tune with our intuitive awareness.
If you listen to my radio show on HayHouseRadio.com, you may have heard me talk about my own journey to becoming a conscious eater. For years, I turned a blind eye when it came to my own food choices. When I really started to educate myself about what I was eating, I made some major changes in my diet. I now only eat and use products that are cruelty free. As I read more on the abuse of animals, I realized that I could no longer eat meat and became a vegetarian. I also began a ritual of expressing gratitude before each meal and now make a point to be present and conscious when I eat. (No more meals in front of the T.V.!) Since I’ve become conscious of my food choices, I’ve noticed tons of positive changes. In addition to losing weight, I’ve felt healthier and far more energetic. My intuition has also been clearer, and I’ve felt more connected to the world around me.
Recently I was a speaker at a conference called Idea City in Toronto. There were over 67 female speaker over the course of 3 days talking about various subjects. One of them was Tracey Worcester who had made this very telling film on factory farming call PIG BUSINESS. It’s not an anti-meat campaign, but rather a film to help educate us on better choices when it comes to eating meat. This really spoke to the ethical and humane treatment of animals bread for our food consumption, and to bring awareness to the choice of a cruelty-free diet. So if you’re a meat eater, please have a look at PIG BUSINESS.
Exercise:
Here are some of my own tips for eating more consciously.
• Educate yourself about where your food is coming from and commit to making choices that honor your values and the world around you. Do research on the foods you regularly buy and focus on eating a cruelty-free diet. As I mentioned, I became a vegetarian because it was more in line with my values. But, I’m not saying we all need to become vegetarians. You might decide to only eat meat from animals that have been raised in a humane environment.
• Live consciously. Remember that each choice you make has impact beyond you. Before you eat something, ask yourself if it honors your values. Use your intuition!
• Be present when you eat. We live in a world of eating on the run, fast food, and dinner in front of the TV. Make a commitment to slow down when you eat. Take time to prepare your food and truly savor it.
• Practice gratitude for your food. Be grateful for the animal or plant that is providing you sustenance. Here’s a grace I like to say before eating: Thank you , I honor your gift, I honor your life force as I take it to feed my own. We are one. I am grateful and humbled by your sacrifice. Make up your own variation. It will be more personal then.
• Take a consciousness day.
I encourage you to start incorporating these into your life. Remember, when you eat consciously, you honor both yourself and the world around you.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts and tips on conscious eating. How have you become more aware of what you eat? And, what impact have those choices had on your life?
In service and love,
Colette
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Just noticed the grace you say before eating is missing from the script…
Glad to see Pig Business being shared by you – yay!
Blessings
In becoming more conscious I too have started to really watch what I eat and am definitely on the vegetarian path. The book “Better Being” is wonderful. It is written by Ann Barnes and everyone should own it. Her website is http://www.beabetterbeing.com. She is a Canadian author who writes her story about her transformations in her life. Love it!!!
I’m definitely more aware of what I eat. I’m doing my best to become vegetarian but I love my pizza. I tried some of the frozen ones made from rice and soy cheese — yuck! They taste gross to me as do some vegetarian burgers. Oh well! I haven’t had red meat since 1989 and don’t buy the turkey burgers anymore. I believe I’m done with chicken. I ate so much of it lately that I need a break from it. I do my best to buy farm range chicken and produce that is locally grown. Who doesn’t want to support the local economy? To each their own…
I have noticed that over the years my body and soul want different foods! I feel much more clear when I eat more veggies and fruits. I also eat a lot more fish. I have recently read the book Skinny Bitch (you suggested:)) and I was grateful for all the information. It really made me aware of what I was putting in my body! It also helped my confirm what I already felt I knew. I have also found that when I bless my food it tastes better…I thank the food for giving it’s life for my nutrition and this always makes me feel good:) Thank you for your article!
Blessing to you all:)
Alina
Good Morning Colette,
You provide such a loving service with what you do. I am so very grateful for your presence in my life, thru your website. This current blog (?) interested me. You wrote, Here’s a grace I like to say before eating: but you did not include the grace which I was anxious to read. Would you post this? I am sure there are others who would be interested as well.
Barbara R Brown
i am in alignment with you. and, that is what i was taught, ten years ago at http://www.integrativenutrition.com i was a completely unconscious eater before attending that school. and, just by eating more consciously, my relationships to others changed and the respect that i had for myself sky rocketed. eating really is a way of life, reflecting the bigger picture of your life, from a health perspective. and, i also became more intuitive (as well as healthy) once i cleaned up my diet and asked the butchers, how my animals were killed. i bless every meal and try to eat as humanly, locally and consciously, as possible. thank you for sharing this article. i am going to post it to my school website and my personal website : )
Hi Colette!
I have always based my meals on meat, as I was grown up a farmers daughter, and we basically had bread, meat and gravy and the vegetables that my mom grew from her garden on the farm! But since April, I have made it a habit to watch what I eat, due to some health problems I recently found out about. I have had fun experimenting on fresh fruits and vegetables and my health has improved so much!And I have actually lost 20+ pounds in two months!! I no longer prepare my food in grease, and try to eat only eat chicken and fish, and plenty of vegetables and fruits! Thank you Colette for the inspiration!! Your fan, Lynda!
Colette,
Just had to tell you I had the funniest sign from the Universe today about my food. I was having my morning cup of tea, to which I always add a touch of milk. All that was left in the coffee room was an artifical coffee-whitener – there was no milk left.
I was just opening the coffee-whitener into my tea, and thinking “I wonder what’s in this stuff?” when I dropped the whole container of the coffee-whitener fell into my tea. I laughed as I got the message. The message was – “You might as well put the plastic container in your cup, since that is how much nutritional value is in this coffee-whitener.”
Needless to say, I’ve haven’t used any more coffee-whitener….
Kara
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