Personal development author Shakti Gawain says "Most of us are in touch with our intuition whether we know it or not, but we're usually in the habit of doubting or contradicting it so automatically that we don't even know it has spoken."
How do you use your intuition when it comes to eating? Do you stop to think about what you'd like and make your choice accordingly? Does a particular food call to you? As a nutrition and wellness coach, I closely align intuitive food choices to cravings. Intuition, or cravings, send us messages. It's important to listen.
Think about it: you're sitting at home, not feeling very well, and all you want is chicken soup! While this is often a recommended food when someone is under the weather, no one needs to tell you that. Your body knows. If you have a severe stomach bug, once the vomiting stops, you might be looking for a sugary popsicle or something salty. While not the healthiest of choices, this too is your intuition calling you to food that will rebalance your blood sugar or replace the lost sodium for balanced electrolytes. This is the brilliance of listening to your intuition.
Or perhaps you are physically fine but you are feeling lonely. Your intuition may lead you to overeat. It is a way of "filling up" the emptiness inside. Here is a place where you need to dig deeper into the meaning of this intuitive message. Is it really overeating that your intuition is telling you to do? Or is it signaling you that you're feeling empty because you are lonely? When you know this, you can discern between physical hunger and emotional hunger.
Use Your Intuition
Your intuition is the perfect compliment to your logical left brain. It will give you information faster than thinking will if you listen to it. Once listened to, ask yourself if what you are feeling aligns with who you are. Often times when you shift over to your thinking brain you will understand where the feeling came from and if it is something to follow.
We don't call intuition our "gut feeling" for nothing. It is lodged in our core and has much to say about our food and our emotions. Respect its messages. It''s been living in you for all your life.
Which brings me to another concept:
Your gut is your second brain
It's no accident when we have feelings come upon us, even without concrete information, that we "feel" something. It's because the digestive system plays a central role in our response, internally and externally, to our surroundings.
The digestive system is a complex collection of many functions, and from start to finish is more than 30 feet long. Within that system we have up to 70% of our immune receptors and as much as 80-90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. These functions send thousands of signals to the brain, helping us process and draw conclusions. Is it any wonder in today's culture of poor quality food and inattentive eating habits that the digestion system becomes quite challenged? And when you feel a "foggy brain" feeling, you may look for the cause and solution to the problem right on your plate.
Is it time?
If you are ready to tap into your intuitive health needs and more fully understand the elegant way our digestive system talks to our intuition and thought process, contact me to schedule a complimentary health consultation.