Feel Your Food.

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with the latest innovation in nutritionists: the holistic health counselor.

Jena Wellness, the brain child of certified holistic health counselor and speaker Jena la Flamme, focuses on the message that sustainability is not something achieved by comfort food or dieting (nowhere on the premises will you see a calorie or carb count), but rather the notion that fulfillment resides within us already and is not based on attainment of external needs and wants.

As someone who is a big fan of structure of my intake (I read nutrition labels for sport), Jena and I were not necessarily meant to meet. We are, perhaps, the yin to each other’s yang. That said, maybe that makes us (quinoa) soul mates.

Jena and I discussed the relationship between the mind and body and food. My relationship is very much passion-based. I eat what I love, which, thankfully, happens to be good for me. I fear what I love that is bad for me. And often eat it anyway. Jena, though, suggests that we develop relationships with our food. We should feel it, appreciate it, know its background, and its purpose…all before letting it touch our lips.

I suppose this would have been a good time to tell her about my preoccupation with bananas, but I kept quiet.

We spoke about how implementing performance (energy enhancing) eating, as well as therapeutic eating (using food as medicine) can heal your body’s imbalances and create a surplus of everything from sexual energy to creativity.

I began to wonder if I was already doing that….when I need some therapeutic eating, I have dark chocolate. And I do believe it leads to sexual energy. As does alcohol. Perhaps my martini nights and dark chocolate cravings have been a higher message speaking to me all along…