I choose to eat happily. Food is a necessity of life, right? We live in a world of extremes with food starvation on one side – and gluttony on the other. There are those who live with abundance at their fingertips as well as the means to healthy and delicious meals… yet choose to feast on empty nutrition.
Living in the moments
I love this photo. It tells a story of an impromptu dinner with my husband Dennis and our niece Codi. We picked up a few things at the store to supplement what we already had stocked in our pantry. Codi and I sat while Dennis took over and prepared the entire meal. A lone bottle of Lillet is front and center. It’s a sweet aperitif and I am not prone to sweet drinks. It was, however, my dad’s favorite – and Codi’s grandpa – and so I always keep it stocked and it becomes part of the conversation. A nod to an old memory while a new one is being formed.
This photo sums up food happiness to me: family, conversation, and small things. Not rushed. Not complicated. Special. Eating happily is in the moments of a meal.
Sharing your heart
Recently my friend Beth described this blog as “a hub for food happiness.” It made me pause and think. A hub has two meanings. One describes the pivotal point of a wheel. The other describes the heart or focal point of an activity. I love that. You see, eating well is the driving momentum behind what I share. When we eat well, it can make us happy. Eating happily is the heart of the meal.
Can you eat yourself happy?
A quick Google search will provide you with study after study that eating well, eating healthy, and eating mindfully does indeed have a positive effect on our minds and body. But I don’t think you or I need a research study to prove that to ourselves… there is a reason why the term “comfort food” is so easily identified as foods that comfort us when we need comforting… and the reasons behind what defines comfort food to each of us individually is as varied as they come.
If I had to guess what Dennis’s favorite comfort food is, it would be a grilled . (Then again, he may answer chocolate donuts!) The answer doesn’t matter because it’s about our own happiness definition. Eat too much of the “bad stuff” and over time our bodies will let us know when we’re overdoing it. Learning how to eat healthy foods while we are comforting ourselves? Well now, I think that is perfection! Eating happily is eating healthy.
I believe that eating happily means
- you are focused on the
- the heart of a meal is understood
- you strive to eat healthy
- love both the simplicity and complexity of food and drink
- eating mindfully is emphasized
- you give thanks for every bite
- food is respected
- we are what we eat – mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually
- drives you to know how food is prepared, preserved, and planted
- you are always on the lookout to learn, grow, share, and serve
- awe and wonder about 360-degree touchpoints of food
- that you love to explore
- there is a strong belief in the power of giving your best to others
- you don’t want to waste life
What’s the first step?
We can be shining lights for eating happily to our friends and families each time we share a purposeful meal at the table, pack a healthy snack when we know a dear one may go hours without access to food, and chose to serve the most simplest of nibbles on that one beautiful dish that belonged to a great aunt or salvaged from a thrift store.
Dear friends, will you join me in choosing to eat happily?
Eat well, my friends.
Lyndi
This post was original shared on 08.21.2017 and was updated with an easier-to-read flow
