Monday night I hosted our first Whole30 Challenge team meeting. 24 hours later… and still feel on cloud nine reliving the energy of our group discussions. All day today I kept replaying the key statements made, the stories shared, and the take-away messages of yesterday. I am blown away with the openness of the group and how our first meeting totally changed my point of view on fitness, nutrition, and how we as a society interact with food.
I am blown away at the thought that as we sat around in a circle and talked about why we had all chosen to participate in the Whole30 that food – the food we choose, the food we pay money for, the food we love and crave, the food we assume is healthy for us, could actually be the thing that was hurting us from the inside out. Skin problems, stomach issues, depression, addiction, low energy levels, mood swings… you name it… we shared it all last night, could possibly be the result of poor food choices.
And as I reflected on that today, I kept the discussion going with some members in my Crossfit class this morning and with my participating PT clients. I became even more shocked to think how many things in life center around food and eating food that potentially could yield negative side-effects, or negative emotions after the fact. Is life really centered around food?
- First dates – typically involve dinner and social drinks
- Family events – hugely centered around food, conversing at the dinner table, having dessert and drinking (who doesn’t drink when it comes to family time… LOL)
- Weddings and milestone celebrations – at some point you have to ask are the guests more interested in the ceremony or what’s being served for dinner and if there is an open bar… seriously… I have been to my fair bit of weddings
- Holidays – Christmas, Easter, 4th of July – you name it, it includes a celebration of food
- Hanging out with friends – dinner and drinks are standard, even having a simple fika typically involves eating
And for what? Why? Why have we placed such a large emphasis on food and the consumption of food & drinks?
I am still collecting my full thoughts on these questions. What do you think about this? Feel free to jump into the conversation by leaving a comment.