healing your heart 73
What was your family ’ s attitude toward food? Was food used as
an expression of love or as punishment? Did your mother restrict
food or force you to eat it even if you didn ’ t like it? Did she obsess
about calories or your body weight? How might this attitude have
affected you? These are some of the questions you will begin to
examine so that you can redefi ne your relationship with food and
discover a joy in eating that is fruitful and supportive.
In this chapter you will explore your feelings, how you can become
aware of them, and which senses help you best shift them; then you
will consciously choose to perceive and feel things differently, in a
way that empowers you, rather than defeats you.
When you journalize your results, this will reveal which sen-
sory approaches and practices facilitate your positive emotional
shifts most effectively. As research has now repeatedly shown, posi-
tive states of mind trigger an upward spiral within us that leads to
growth and epitomizes fl ourishing. Who wouldn ’ t want an extra
serving of fl ourishing, thriving, and prospering? Yes, we are talking
about optimizing your life potential, not only by improving your
physical health but also by taking the tremendous power that
comes from recognizing and controlling your feelings in order to
inspire and expand your mind and your world.
Explore Your Emotional Relationship
with FoodDuring my fi rst six weeks of working at the Rice Diet Program,
I learned more about my relationship with food than I had previ-
ously understood in two decades of being a semivegetarian “ health
nut. ” Although most people would have labeled me a conscious con-
sumer, and I admit that I would have proudly done so myself, it was
not until my fi fth week of following the Rice Diet that I experienced
a huge epiphany about emotional eating. I was still doing some
nutrition consulting at the time, and I was going to a great deal of
trouble to carry my food with me to various locations in three coun-
ties as I traveled to meet with clients. Despite the extra effort, I was