Reclaiming Nourishment
What do you find nourishing?
And when you first consider that question, is food the thing that comes to mind immediately?
We tend to think of food as our sole source of nourishment. And yes, there’s a whole conversation we need to have about what food is nourishing, how the food industry in the US has become so profit-driven that the nutrient density of a lot of food is a fraction of what it was less than 100 years ago, how inaccessible nourishing foods are in so many areas, and how easy it is for influencers and large corporations to distort the concept of nutrition to push ultra-processed garbage as essentially food replacements.
But that’s not the conversation we’re having today.
Today, we ARE going to talk a little bit about food. And then expand the concept of nourishment beyond food.
In the six-week Body Reclamation course, we’re spending a week on nourishment. When it comes to food, we’re focusing on the experience of consuming our food, what our bodies feel like at the end of the meal or snack, what our bodies feel like 20 minutes later, and what our bodies feel like 3 hours later.
It’s an exercise I used to have my massage clients do when they were looking to up their nutrition.
Because there’s not a one-size-fits-all diet. If there were, both vegan AND keto diets would not be touted as THE HOLY GRAIL OF DIETS.
*Oh. Sorry. “Lifestyles.” 🙄
And getting to know what YOUR body feels like when you eat different things is the pinnacle of cracking the code for what foods truly nourish YOUR body.
If you’re interested in this exercise, all you need is a couple of minutes each time you eat something and a way to make note of your experience. This is not a forever thing. Do it for a week. Do it for a month. If you’re really curious about how something in particular feels in your body, focus on that. If not, just use it to gain some awareness into YOUR body.
The 20-minute and 3-hour marks are to gauge how well the food is digesting and to track your energy levels. If you’re wired 20 minutes after eating but crash 3 hours later, that’s helpful information for you to have. You may want to tweak the meal or snack. Or you may simply want to prepare for that physiological response to the food in the future.
When we take this concept of noting what feels good to experience in the moment, 20 minutes later, and 3 hours later out beyond food, we can then note other non-consumptive types of nourishment:
🌞 Sunshine
🌬️ Fresh air
🎨 Creative pursuits
👯 Time with friends
💞 A long hug
🐾 Playing with dogs
🍪 Baking cookies with a child
🎼 Music
❤️🔥 Great sex
🌳 Spending time near trees
🌊 Being in or near water
💤 Naps
☕ Warm beverages
This is not an exhaustive list of nourishing activities but rather an invitation to use it as a catalyst to consider what nourishes you and to add more of it to your life.
You deserve to be well-nourished. With food and otherwise.
You also deserve support in your pursuit of nourishment.
For that, I recommend my upcoming Body Reclamation course. It’s a six-week deep dive into reclaiming your body. For you.
There’s a VIP upgrade option that includes an in-person retreat here in Kansas City where your body will be treated to the kinds of nourishing experiences most folks only dream about.
And there are 2 spots left. Want one?
Email me, and I’ll send you the registration link. The course starts on Wednesday, May 8.
For the VIP upgrade: The retreat is held the weekend of June 21, in line with the full moon that falls on the summer solstice. (Yes, there will be a ritual.)
