What might you discover when you combine ancient food wisdom with nutritional science from both the west and east? Answer: A distillation of timeless optimal eating wisdom. When I merged state-of-the-art science with nutrition guidelines that served humankind for millennia, six perennial “secrets” surfaced. They are:
• Unite with others through food
• Be aware of feelings before, during and after eating
• Bring moment-to-moment awareness to each aspect of the meal
• Appreciate food—and its origins—from the heart
• Create union with the Divine by flavoring food with love
• Choose fresh, whole food in its natural state as often as possible
Whole Person Nutrition for Weight Loss
I’ve coined the term Whole Person Nutrition to describe the six perennial principles, because I realized they highlight food and eating as a four-part gift in that they nourish not only physically, but also emotionally, spiritually, and socially. These Four Facets of Food comprise what I call Whole Person Nutrition.
The Four Facets are meaningful to you because our research on them uncovered a new finding about the multidimensional enigma that is often called the “battle of the bulge.” Here’s what we found: Normal and underweight people tend to eat the Whole Person Nutrition way and to apply the six principles in their lives everyday; conversely, the less a person practices the principles, the more overweight she or he is likely to be. This means: they’re more likely to eat alone (Social Nutrition); to eat in a negative frame of mind (Psychological Nutrition); to be less mindful, appreciative, and connected (Spiritual Nutrition), and; to eat mostly processed and fast foods (Biological Nutrition).
If you’re weary of being overweight, these simple strategies may help you to transform your relationship to food and, in the process, find true nourishment.
Copyright 2009 by Deborah Kesten, MPH, and Larry Scherwitz, PhD
Deborah Kesten, MPH, and Larry Scherwitz, PhD, are certified wellness and cardiac coaches, who specialize in preventing, halting, and reversing overeating, overweight, and obesity and heart disease. They are also international lifestyle and nutrition researchers and award-winning authors. Visit them at www.Enlightened-Diet.com to take their FREE What's Your Eating Style? quiz, and to learn more about their online Whole Person Nutrition Program and Coaching Options.