Eat What You Love and Love What You Eat
By Meadow Linn
Usually it’s the amazing meals that remain lodged in my memory. However, every once in a while, a particularly uninspired dinner will become indelibly etched in my mind.
Many years ago, my boyfriend (at the time) and I were invited to dinner at the home of his friends. The conversation was good, and we had a fun evening together, but no matter how much I tried, I just couldn’t enjoy the food on my plate. What struck me about this meal was its emptiness. It was devoid of joy and bland in flavor and vitality.
The couple that had kindly asked us into their home was accustomed to an all-American diet, but a doctor had recently told the husband he needed to make a change. So, the cupboards were stripped of snack foods, and the fridge was filled with “health foods,” such as turkey bacon, egg whites, and low-fat cream cheese.
At the time, I simply thought our meal was overcooked and lacking flavor, but now I realize that there was more to the story. This couple wanted to be healthy, but they didn’t know how to change their habits. So, they chose poor substitutes for the foods they were accustomed to eating, and they assumed that being conscious of their health meant they would forever be relegated to dull meals. There was no joy in the food because they felt no joy in this new way of eating. Plus, the foods they were choosing were, in fact, not particularly tasty, nor good for them.
Believe it or not, food that is good for you can actually be delicious. Some of the very best meals I’ve ever had have been “good for me” and some of the worst meals have been “bad for me.” Healthy foods will actually make you feel good when you eat them. You can literally feel the energy coursing through your body. I’ve also relished many a decadent piece of cake, knowing that I wasn’t consuming many nutrients but was getting heaps of what nutritionist Marc David calls “Vitamin P” (Vitamin Pleasure), and that too can be important.
Simply eating “good for you” food won’t necessarily make you healthy. It’s also important that you enjoy what you eat and you savor the experience. When you force yourself to either eat food you loathe or cook in a way you think is healthy but doesn’t inspire you, likely you won’t get as much enjoyment from the meal. It’s also likely that you won’t absorb as many nutrients either (research supports this).
When deciding what to eat and how to eat, the tenet I live by is: Love what you eat, and eat what you love. Choose food that makes you feel good in mind, body, and spirit. Find foods that taste good and give you energy, strength, vitality, and joy. Savor every bite. Take pleasure in your meals, whether or not they adhere to one of the current trends. There is not one way to eat. We are each different, and we have different requirements. Eat in alignment with who YOU are.
A Home for Your Soul
November 3-5, 2017 – Orlando, Florida, USA
Spend a weekend immersed in uplifting energy, and thought provoking workshops designed to assist you in creating gaining clarity on your life, and creating a Home for Your Soul!
Our theme encompasses the foundation beliefs of both Interior Alignment® and Soul Coaching® — creating sacred space for the soul both within ourselves and our homes, and within the homes and souls of our clients.
Weekend Pricing
This ticket does not include meals on Saturday
Weekend Registration with meals
This ticket includes meal tickets for Lunch and Dinner on Saturday
Meadow Linn is a chef and health/vitality coach who’s been passionate about good food since she was old enough to crawl into the cupboards. She has a masters degree from Columbia University, where she studied the history and sociology of eating in France. Meadow is the co-author of The Mystic Cookbook, which was listed by PBS Food as one of the Top 5 Cookbooks for the Holidays and inspired a keynote address live to 3,000 people and streamed worldwide. Meadow teaches hands-on cooking both in the USA and internationally. She is the founder of The Mystic Chef® Culinary Training, which combines spirituality, mindfulness, and consciousness with the act of nourishing ourselves. Meadow’s recipes and articles on living deliciously appear in numerous publications stateside and abroad.
Join Meadow for her Keynote talk: Creating a Healthy and Joyous Body for Your Soul