The idea of Pleasure with food often elicits one of two responses: "Yay, finally something that's easy. I love food! I already take too much pleasure in it," or, "Are you kidding? Do you have any idea of how much I'd weigh if I allowed myself to take real pleasure with food? I'd never stop eating!"
Can you hear the imbalance in both of those perspectives? Let's talk about how to find a healthy balance with pleasure. We are designed to seek pleasure and avoid pain, so we might as well learn to use it to our advantage instead of living in fear of it or giving it too much power.
The science
First, we've already covered the value of relaxing with food. It follows suit that when we take true pleasure in the food we eat we'll naturally slow down with it which can give our metabolism a boost.
Second, a study done with Swedish and Thai women has clear implications about the importance of pleasure in metabolizing the nutrients in our food. This study specifically monitored iron absorption. The first step was to feed each group of women a traditional Thai meal - rice, veggies, coconut, fish sauce, and hot chili paste. The comfort level with this meal resulted in the Thai women absorbing twice as much iron from it as the Swedish women did. Next they were fed a traditional Swedish meal - hamburger, mashed potatoes, and string beans. As you may guess, the Swedish women absorbed significantly more iron from this meal than did the Thai women.
Next, they split each group into two. They fed the Thai women Thai food and the Swedish women Swedish food. This time half of each group got the meal served to them in it's usual form and the other half had the exact same meal tossed into a blender and served to them with the consistency of baby food. The result was an even greater gap in the rate of iron absorption; the ones who had the blended meal metabolized 70% less. Seventy percent!
Clearly, the nutritional value of food isn't simply found in the nutrients it contains. Enjoyment has a large role.
Third, part of the reason we either "take too much pleasure with food" (translation: eat too much) or live in fear of what allowing ourselves to deeply enjoy our food will do has to do more with the make up of the food than our "will power" in dealing with it.
What do I mean by that? For one thing, for decades we've been fed the line about the desirability of a low-fat diet. Not so. Good quality fat has much to do with the ability of our food to satisfy us. (See this post.) Also, the quality of what we eat has a huge impact on how satiating it is. Lower quality foods lack the power to give our bodies what they need, so our bodies, being the amazing things they are, will ask for more and more food since we haven't been satisfied. We may get a temporary "fix" from the endorphin release triggered by eating, but that wears off quickly.
The implications
Both enjoying food too much and fear of enjoying it too much result in us not trusting ourselves around food.
Here's the really good news - WE CAN TRUST OURSELVES AND OUR BODIES! As we learn to hear and honor what our bodies are really asking for - not simply indulging every craving developed by years of less than ideal habits - we'll develop a healthy relationship with food, with our body, and with our desires.
This leads us to the psychological aspect. How can we learn to trust ourselves? The practices for this week (taken straight from The Slow Down Diet) will help us take a giant step in that direction.
Practices -
1 - Take a "healthy" food pleasure inventory. Make a list of all the foods you can think of that you love and you believe are healthy. Incorporate as many of those into your diet this week as you reasonably can. As you eat them focus on the pleasure you get from them and the feeling of trust you get from choosing these foods.
2 - Take a "bad' food pleasure inventory. Now make a list of all the "bad" or forbidden foods and meals you feel a connection with, the ones you can't imagine giving up. When your list is done observe it and your reaction to it. How often do you eat these foods? Is there a pattern to when or with whom you eat them? What feelings does it bring up? Desire? Guilt?
Now, rather than banishing them completely, this week you're going to intentionally incorporate them into your life. Choose one or two foods or meals from your list and eat them slowly, taking your time and releasing all guilt. Celebrate them.
After enjoying them, notice how you feel. Does the food impact your energy level, your mood, the way you feel physically (immediately or the next day)? Your response may be pleasant, unpleasant, or a combination of both. Just observe.
It may serve you very well to start looking for a way you can include "forbidden" foods into your life in a healthy way. As best you can, replace the foods which you choose to eat from this list with the highest quality versions of them. Decide on a portion size that allows you the pleasure of the food yet leaves you feeling good, knowing you've still respected yourself inside and out.
3 - Take a personal pleasure inventory. This list is of everything else that brings you pleasure: people, places, activities, hobbies, topics of conversation, scents, sights, sounds, moments, memories, books, music, flowers, silly things, serious things. You get the idea. You'll probably want to make this list in a place where you can easily keep adding to it as more things come to mind.
Now, study your list. What does it tell you about yourself? Which of these things are a frequent part of your life? Which are more absent? Do you take time to appreciate these things when you do allow them in your life or do they come and go without much notice? How can you give them an honored place in your daily life?
4 - Plan daily pleasure. Now that you're more aware of what truly gives you pleasure, find a way to include at least one item from one of your lists in your life every day. You deserve to enjoy your life daily. Even when times are challenging.
Learning to allow ourselves pleasure regularly, having the presence of mind to notice and plan for things that bring us joy is one of the most powerful tools in living a nourished life. Now, go enjoy!