Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I love this advertisement. It was for Best Foods Light Mayo, but it brings to mind a very important concept about food. It reads:

Not all love notes are written. Some are made.

Many times food gets all tangled up with love. This can be a very powerful concept that you can harness to your own benefit.

Food IS Love

Many times food becomes so embroiled in the idea of love, that it feels completely impossible to distinguish the two. This idea can be harmful and it can undermine my eating so quickly that I have to keep vigilant. Whenever I visit my mom and she pushes me to eat more, I have to consciously remind myself that she is only trying to tell me that she loves me. Sometimes I DO eat more and then compensate with exercise or good planning. Other times, I ask her to pack me up leftovers so that I can eat it later. Whether I eat it later in the privacy of my own home doesn’t matter, but I give her the chance to do something special for me.

Food MADE WITH Love

I’ve talked before about the concept of making food with love. You can read the entire thing here:

• Starling Fitness » Put Some Love In Your Food

Back then, I said:

Food made with anger and bitterness doesn’t quite taste as good as food made with love and joy. That’s why home cooking tastes so good. It was made for us with love. That’s why some restaurants just make mediocre food. It was made with indifference.

The next time you’re choking down a healthy meal that just doesn’t taste right, think to yourself, “Did I make this with love and joy? Did I just throw the ingredients together haphazardly?” Next time you make a meal, really think about who is going to eat it and the benefits that you hope they will receive from the meal. It will truly make a difference in how the meal will taste (at least to you, if not the others).

Food has become so mixed up with love and family that at times it is difficult to separate the two. When you are able to accept the love without the food, you make one step toward healthy living. When you are able to eat food made with love with the reverence it deserves, you make another step toward healthy living. Keep on making these baby steps and you will get to your goal weight with the power of love.