Thoughts on Food and Dieting
by Mystic Life

At what point does one question a popular diet?  How out of balance does a diet need to be before it is recognized as out of balance?  For example, Atkins recommends cutting out very nearly all carbohydrates so that perfectly edible food such as bread and crackers becomes your enemy...and your fetish.

Do not buy into the myth that your metabolism must change as you grow older and therefore you must gain more weight than you desire.  If this were true there would be no thin people in their 40s, 50s, 60s, etc.  What actually tends to change over time is the accumulation of unresolved pain, grief, and trauma.  As we "approach death" (which we are taught must typically occur in the 70s or 80s) then we give mental instructions to our body to deteriorate.  There is much unconscious terror regarding non-existence because we are naturally interested in preserving ourselves.

However, the fear of death is unnecessary.  The truth is that all death is suicide.  At its core, everything is a choice.  There is an awakening occurring on the planet for those who are paying attention in which we are realizing how much choice we actually have in the creation of our reality.  As we accept our power we must let go of the desire to be accepted or understood by those who are stuck in mainstream thought.  This willingness to transcend the fears of others and become a pioneer is crucial to personal evolution.

In life, a central challenge is to let go of the idea that your body is decaying with time.  It is not.  It is actually recreating itself constantly.

It is possible to manipulate your body with liposuction, stomach stapling, increasing your metabolism artificially, or restricting the types or quantities of food that you eat.  However, none of these approaches address the core issues of being overweight.  None of these approaches address the root of your discomfort: emotional pain.

Anorexia is a result of resistance to nourishment that arises from self-loathing.  Being overweight arises from eating to suppress feelings that are uncomfortable.  We are taught to AVOID PAIN AT ALL COSTS.  However, pain serves a purpose.  People who have no nerve endings in their hands are more likely to burn themselves by accidentally touching a hot stove.  Similarly, people who do not feel their pain are more likely to make decisions that create unnecessary emotional pain.  That is why it is important to feel your pain, to allow it to emerge so it can be a teacher, and so it can be released.

There is no reason to restrict the types of food you eat.  You will naturally crave diversity when approaching food without fear.  When you were a child you may have thought that one day as an adult you would choose to eat nothing but pizza and candy.  But as an adult you realized that it is most enjoyable (with food as with love and sex) to enjoy diversity.

There are two guilt-inducing philosophies regarding eating that lead to a great deal of neurosis:

1. The "Organic Food is Good" Philosophy

In the U.S., this philosophy stems from a conspiratorial belief that the Food and Drug Administration is inept.  The idea is that although the FDA approves all of the foods that are available for you to consume, if you eat enough foods that have been sprayed with pesticides you will eventually become sick or even die.  The truth is that although the government has its problems, the FDA does not approve food that will kill you as a matter of policy.  If you create a fetish/fixation on food such as non-organic cake or cookies, then resistance could soon lead to binging which will lead to excess weight.  However, if you see the food in your store as edible and not a "death trap" you are more likely to have a healthy relationship with food that results in a comfortable weight.

2. The "Meat and Animal Byproducts are Bad" Philosophy

There are two subcategories of this belief system.  The first is that it is morally wrong to eat animals.  The second is that eating animals is unhealthy for your body.  To believe that humans shouldn't eat animals due to ethical reasons assumes that our ancestors ate meat due to a lack of a moral compass which our evolved selves should now possess.  It assumes we can excuse our ancestors' ignorance but must hold ourselves to higher standards.  This moralistic philosophy is based largely upon projecting human personalities, values and rights onto animals, as well as the idea that there are victims...that experiences are not co-created but that victims are martyred by victimizers.  Nevertheless, animals have a very different experience of existence than humans, and there are indeed no victims in any species.  Regarding the idea that it is unhealthy to eat meat or dairy products, barring specific allergic reactions, there is much evidence to the contrary.  You can of course prove whatever agenda you have with research studies since people respond differently to different foods (largely as a result of their beliefs).  Our beliefs truly do impact how we process our food.  To believe that meat or dairy leads to poor health can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It is more useful to understand that meat and dairy products will not hurt you unless you believe they will.  The beliefs we hold are the beginning of all manifestation in the physical realm.

Your stomach, and nothing else, indicates your hunger for food.  If your stomach is uncomfortable, and you have access to food, then it is wise to eat (unless you are consciously experimenting with not eating).  If there is pain elsewhere in your body such as your spine/neck, chest, limbs, head, etc., but not in your stomach, do not use food to distract you from your discomfort.  Food can and will distract you from the pain you feel in places outside of your stomach, especially if you overeat and thus create great pressure in your stomach region.  However, this is not a healthy way to deal with your pain.  Instead, feel your pain as it enters your awareness.  Take a break from your mental activity and simply observe your discomfort, being fully present with it.  Watch it dissipate as you feel it.  Feel the pain transmute itself into increased consciousness as you liberate yourself from using your energy to suppress your pain.

As you continue to release your pain by being present with it, you will have less desire to avoid non-stomach related pain by distracting yourself with eating.  When you are eating because it takes away the pain in your stomach and it tastes good (and is guilt free), you will find balance in your body weight.  You will no longer be eating to avoid your pain.  You will courageously feel your pain without judging it.  You will thank your pain for what it has taught you, and feel it discharge like magma coming up from deep in the earth into the ocean floor where it is cooled by the water.  You will notice your pain dissipating like clouds overtaken by clear skies.  And you will naturally feel the desire to eat what and how much of what your body tells you it wants.