Eating to the point of energy (explained)

A question for you: At any given meal, what tells you your eating is complete? Is your plate clean? Is a pre-determined amount of food you feel you’re allowed to have gone? Is it when the clock says that mealtime is over? Is it once you wake out of a trance and realize it’s time to stop? Is it a feeling in your body that signals satisfaction? This list could go on… I’ve talked to a lot of clients about this! How about eating to the point of energy? The Japanese have a practice called “hara hachi bu” (a practice, so I read, by the long-lived Okinawan people of the Ryukyu islands in Japan) which means eating until you are 80% full. Are you familiar with this feeling? The feeling of walking away from a meal and feeling satisfied and not overly full? Eating to the point of energy, a similar concept, is a practice rooted in the idea that when you eat, there’s still a touch of hunger leftover at the end, ideally hunger for the next item of life that day… Interesting yes? Having energy for life by way of paying attention to eating… Eating “Too much” I think all of us have had the physical experience of having eaten “too much.” Once we reach that point with eating, energy can actually wane. We can get sleepy. There’s often less energy, not more. Still there are some benefits, although not entirely conscious, of eating to the point of “ugh, I’m so FULL.” Some things we will not go into today. But as I often like to remind, eating habits are not without their wisdom and intent, no matter how frustrating. Advanced Practice Eating to the point of energy for many is an “advanced practice” as it requires a certain amount of attentiveness not only to food but to the level of healing and consciousness you’ve cultivated around your eating. This practice is not the next best step for everyone. Once I sit down and talk eating with someone, I can usually get a sense of what is. All that being said, if you’re open and curious and want to practice, choose one meal today to see if you can begin to get a sense of when you’re no longer hungry and energy is still available for something else… Enjoy the practice! With love and respect, Laura