Home Space balance is lurking in our cupboards

They say we are what we eat. Changing eating habits is tough because they are loaded with past experiences. Our body is a large part of living an intentional lifestyle. I believe we need to conquer that part of the brain telling us what to do in order to be truly free to “feel good”. Following the One-Step-At-A-Time Caterpillar concept, I decided to introduce 1 to 3 new items every 2 weeks and talk about them. I would love it if you did the same and we can compare notes. This is not about dieting.

My goal – FIND MY INTENTIONAL FOOD STYLE

If I was going to make a change, discover who I am by how I eat, it had to be slowly to not go in brain overload where I would be defeated before I started. (Nice idea, but do you really have time for this?) It starts with who are we?

TAKE MY INTENTIONAL STYLE FOOD INVENTORY

All things start with a plan, so I decided let’s take an inventory about our connection to food: How will you answer these questions?

STEP1 - Answer these questions:

1-When is the first time you remember food being important?

2-Have you always eaten the way you do now?

3-When did you make big food shifts?

4-What about food makes you feel good?

Here is how I answered my questions:

1-When is the first time you remember food being important?

For me my family was in the hotel business for 35 years. Food was always a part of service, special treatment, ritual, manners, bringing up, proper behavior for ladies.

Mom and dad did a lot of entertaining – hence food centered around that. Preparation was a family affair.

RESULT:  I now see why presentation and aesthetics is a part of my choices.

2-Have you always eaten the way you do now?

I went from hating vegetables as a kid to adoring and craving them – the fresher the better. To get me to eat green peas I had to be timed. Thank God for my dog Mazie who ate a lot of them when no one was looking. I think I made the change in the Flower Power era living in California. With meditating on the body, and nutrition being connected ti spiritual ideas, I made my yogurt, grew sprouts…well you know. I love experimenting. Living in Germany, the Saturday market was how I shopped – fresh everything. You ate by what was in season.

RESULT: It added to my food aesthetic, and taste for fresh connected to good times.

3-When did you make big food shifts?

For a short part of my Kat 9 lives, I owned a restaurant with an x husband in Ohio. I love to cook, experiment, and enjoy the visual aesthetic. But it was meat and potatoes, and a home cooking menu I purchased. You don’t change the locals I was told. I got away from the California mentality and developed bad habits – cheese fries, biscuits gravy…

RESULT: My fatty foods fit my depressed relationship and I settled – both unhappy experiences

4-What about food makes you feel good?

I shifted again when I lived in Maui. Back to fresh and feeding my beauty of food and environment. I was now trying fish and local ethnic varieties. Check out our Thai Lettuce Wraps with Mint. I was back to the outdoor market – great growers for me to try ideas with. Lot’s of color, variety, ritual connected to my presenting menus.

RESULT: I now know that environment and the shopping experience drives my eating habits

By completing my Intentional Style Food Inventory, I now have a foundation to shop, prepare and serve food from.  I found out a lot about myself in this process.

By completing my Intentional Style Food Inventory, I now have a foundation to shop, prepare and serve food from.  I found out a lot about myself in this process.