The sensuality of food satisfies our need for nourishment, comfort and pleasure. Most of our collective and individual history is the story of eating: where to gather the food, how to keep it, who is trying to take it, what land is best to cultivate it, how riches relate to it.
For each of us the favorite flavour of a particular food reminds us of the security and love of being with someone who gave us warmth, who cared about us. Food then is also emotional support.
In our times with all the other miracles of our lives: technology, free-time, entertainments, we count also among the most miraculous the food store.
All of human history is the story of food and no one of our ancestors lived without imagining a time when the whole of one's life was not dedicated to food.
We have reaped their imagination. We have but to walk into a local store and chose from among the largest varieties of food ever available.
How to chose?
Certainly we use our brains, our thoughts to help us pick out nutritious food. We calculate how many carrots compared to cakes, mangoes in relation to muffins we purchase.
Here's another way to chose and eat the wide wealth of food available. Choose for your stomach.
When we think of a particular food we tend to sense that food in our mouths. We may even find our mouths moistening in preparation for the food. We remember the pleasure of the texture and taste of that food.
Wait!
Choose for your stomach.
Try this: think of chocolate cake. Yes in the mouth ummm yummy. Now think of chocolate cake, too much eaten too quickly in your stomach. Feel how that cake feels, heavy, solid, even painful.
That is how focusing on your stomach helps you choose which food to eat. Imagine the food in your belly.
If you try this each day, each meal, with each snack, you may find yourself choosing quite surprising items. You will certainly feel more light and happy in your stomach!