CREDOS: Feeding myself — I

Halé Sofia Schatz

It’s dinnertime. You’re standing in your kitchen, opening and closing every cabinet. You open the refrigerator for the third time, hoping for a miracle. But no such luck. It’s exactly the same assortment of Tupperware containers, old condiments, cartons, and packages that were there a moment ago. Nothing looks satisfying.

So you just stand there in the middle of the kitchen, hungry and having no idea what to feed yourself. At one time or another, most of us have been completely bewildered in our own kitchens, or in a restaurant, or in the market. It’s amazing just how much of a dilemma this is. What do we need to feed ourselves now?

Deep down, we all know how we should feed ourselves. Sometimes I’ll ask my clients to list all the foods they think they should have as well as the ones they’re currently consuming. Most of the time these lists look very different. What do people think they should feed themselves?

Just what you’d expect: more fresh vegetables, fruit, lean proteins, and whole grains, and less sugar and refined foods. If we already have this awareness, then why is there such a gap between how we know we should take care of ourselves and how we actually live?

In my experience, I have found the discipline of nourishing our bodies to be an amazingly effective vehicle for spiritual development and transformation. How can food and feeding ourselves be a spiritual practice?