Consume
What does it mean to diet? Is it what we remove or what we add? Why do we differentiate between eating and dieting? Is it simply intention that turns consumption into design? If it is, why aren’t we all dieting all of the time, especially if we believe ourselves to be thoughtful and purposeful people?
There are good reasons to control what we consume, to aim for what we need, and remove the excess, the least important being the most common: weight loss. The modern-day significance of dieting is superficial at best. The focus on appearance, emulation, and temporary effort all converge into high failure rates. Why you do anything is as important as how.
Dieting is one of the most ancient human rituals. It has been around as long as civilization. Humans have spent a lot of time throughout history contemplating what to eat and what not to eat, to use food purposely, or to stay away from it completely. They spent long periods not eating, a contrast that highlighted the benefit and blessing of a feast. Dieting was and is a spiritual practice, a way to connect to an ideal beyond your mortal self, a way to designate them/us. There are very few religions that exist today that don’t include adherence to a diet of some sort. Our connection to life is to consume life. It begs the question; what are you if what you consume is not alive?
Our culture has made the act of eating about pleasure. Food is so prevalent that we no longer sense what our bodies need. We only listen to the mind and what it desires, which is the by-product of what it consumes—billboards, commercials, and herds of people retelling their pleasurable experiences. Desirable foods resemble nourishment—but often, they are not.
Our intention with consumption is to make it purposeful. Not just in the sense of fuel but also avoiding potential harm. To understand what something does for me and to me. To eat with purpose is to diet, target what you need, and settle for nothing less. This intuition is fostered over time as you remove the food-like items that are marketed to you, sold to you, and have undoubtedly made you less sensitive to the requirements of your body. Your goal is to seek out what allows you to replenish, restore, and revitalize. Make yourself sensitive, avoid the pacification of modern eating habits, nourish your body with more than just mouth pleasure.
We are not here to tell you what to eat. We do not know you. The only goal is to try and understand what you think and feel that you need. This could be based on performance, general well-being, or adaptations to foods that you believe are good for you but that you are currently intolerant to. If what you put in does not have a purpose, then consider the behavior or habit, take inventory of your practice and make a change.
We hope the next two weeks lead to good questions and answers, revelations that you will share with us.
Good luck, eat well.
-nonprophet
