Mindset Eating

I feel very privileged to live in a part of the world where I get to consider the various labels and ethoses we build up around the way we eat, rather than having to eat only what’s available and hoping it’s enough to get me through the day.

Many of us have an odd relationship with food in the Western world. It’s fuel, entertainment, a bonding experience, comfort, compulsion and forms a substantial part of the structure of our day – regardless how ‘healthy’ the lens viewing each individual’s relationship is. All of us require nutrients in some form or another to continue existing, but food has become something of personal, social and global importance and carries more influence with it than simply powering our bodies through the day.

	Variables
Personal	Health – allergies/medical conditions/etc. Personal flavour prefences Ethos (including re. degree of processing in manufacture, food logging, etc.) Confidence in the kitchen Time
Social	Family circle personal preferences Religion or culture Peer pressure (particularly re. cooking or food brands)
Global	Environmental impacts Animal welfare Global warming contribution Availability and distribution

I find myself wanting to change my relationship with food predominently from a personal health perspective – I have caught myself stress-eating sweets again, and would like to improve my physical health (weight, gut-health, energy) – but I want to make a conscious decision as to what direction I take that relationship in and how it aligns with my evolving beliefs.

I have always preferred to try to make theoretically sustainable lifestyle changes to my eating – I’m not one for crash dieting to try and lose a few lbs first in a way which is not healthy to do for more than a few weeks, and I am not a fan of ‘cleanses’ either – that’s what half my inner organs are for. Clearly the fact I’m here having this conversation with myself again shows I’m not so good at the ‘sustainable’ part of my lifestyle eating habits.

For losing weight previously, I had a lot of success several years ago going ‘paleo’, which is a form of high fat and protein with low carbohydrate intake eating plan. One of my work colleagues has followed something similar for several years now and sustained weight loss and ‘cured’ his diabetes by doing so. What causes me to shy away from going down this route again however is an increased awareness of the environmental consequences of eating a high meat diet, and going low carb again would likely result in my increasing a meat content (particularly red meat) which I currently wish to reduce. The total volume of food I ate was definitely lower than now as higher fat food is very filling, but the CO2 generation of my daily intake will be higher than currently including carbs.

Food families are not the only indication of environmental impact. We’re all told to reduce our red meat intake and eat locally produced food to reduce our carbon footprint, but the actual picture is more complicated. Locally produced vegetables which require heated greenhouses to produce out of season may be higher in energy usage than importing from somewhere with a longer growing season, especially for longer life vegetables and fruit (such as bananas) which can be picked under-ripe and transported by cargo ship rather than plane.

I’ve taken to having a braeburn apple mid-morning while at work lately, and I noticed with the season not quite being upon us in the UK yet, the ones currently on sale at my local supermarket are from New Zealand! Others were from South Africa. I suspect the picture will change shortly, but for now I can only buy Southern Hemisphere apples if that’s what I want to eat. By contrast the blackberries, gooseberries and apples rapidly ripening in my garden have almost no carbon footprint at all. Seasonal eating may have to feature more in my fruit choices going forwards, and I’d love to try growing my own peppers and chillis next year.

Mindful eating has become more complicated than simply being aware of our own appetites and needs. Our food choices can influence our families, our local communities, national trade and global farming. A little heavy to be thinking about every time we pick up a fork, spoon or chopsticks, but good to reflect on sometimes: small changes from each of us can make changes on a significant level – and we can all manage small changes.