Food for Thought

I subscribe to Gywneth Paltrow's weekly newsletter GOOP and I usually like the different topics of each letter. Sometimes she does lists of great places to visit in different cities around the world. Other times, the topic is more metaphysical and she consults various experts to tackle the question at hand.
For this weeks newsletter, she talks about a detox that she recently completed. I read up on the ins and outs of the program and I think it's a little intense for me (plus it's pretty expensive, $350). David and I did a detox once, eating only fruits and veggies for a week. We stopped a day short of completing the detox, not being able to take the headaches (I was a wuss). I definitely saw a difference in several aspects of my body during the detox. I think this detox Paltrow mentions is a little too involved for me, but I really like something the doctor who invented the program says in the detox guide. He talks about whether or not one should experience hunger during the detox. His response to the question is as follows:

Consider the possibility that you don’t really know what being HUNGRY is. In our cities, very few know hunger. What we call hunger is often just the desire to eat. The body sensation that we interpret as HUNGER is many times more accurately distinguished as boredom, anxiety, fear or another negative emotion if let alone and observed. This is a golden opportunity. When that sensation arises, do nothing. Be aware of it and keep your attention on it. Ask yourself; what is this sensation ? Soon enough you will notice it disappears without any food consumed. If done often times, you may succeed in RENAMING it altogether. Doing so will prevent you from eating for the wrong reasons. This is many times referred to as Emotional Eating. This is probably one of the main reasons Human Beings get to be overweight.

-Dr. Alejandro Junger

This may seem rather obvious to some, but it really struck me as something I need to think more about. Food is wonderful as a tool to nourish and energize us, but I think too often, we allow food to come to mean more to us than it should. Since we have moved to Atlanta, I have had a lot of time on my hands in my quest to find a job. I spend way more time at home than I ever have before. As a result, I find myself eating out of boredom. I think this is a negative pattern to fall into, because it leads me to eat more food than is necessary for my nourishment.
There are some who might say that daily indulgence is what life is all about, but I think that discipline with occasional indulgence leads to a much healthier sense of self.

Just a thought.