The most important step. Step 1: Feel

A giant welcome and hug if you are new to the Conscious Nutrition philosophy, my youtube videos and programs. And to those of you who have been with us for awhile, we adore you and hope you are receiving support as you continue to develop your nutrition wisdom and self-understanding.

I hope you have had a chance to peruse and practice the 3-Steps guide book you downloaded from us. If you haven’t yet, no worries, we will be providing you with a few emails that offer scientific evidence and heart-based support.

Step 1 is my favorite to teach and is the main focus toward my mission to transform mainstream nutrition.

WE have to FEEL first before we eat. Most diets are omitting this important aspect by making us overthink, pee on a stick, force too much fat into our bodies everyday, count calories and points or only focus on macros. Just staying in our mind is setting us up for mental exhaustion which will be a total disaster. When we do not FEEL we are severing the bond between our mind and body. We are meant to build a strong highway of connection between our brain and gut. This gut-brain connection is the foundation for us to create a healthy digestive tract, balance our neurotransmitters and attain optimal cellular function.

Step 1: FEEL recommends we take 5 deep breaths before we plan to eat. These breaths help us calm down our nervous system, flood our brain and cells full of much needed oxygen and prepares our stomach and small intestine to receive the nutrients from the food we are about to eat. After you breath, we suggest you check in with your body by placing a hand or hands on your heart, tummy or both. This connects you to your Vagus Nerve, the vagabond nerve that connects your organs and delivers 80% of its messages from your body back up to your brain, which is the correct direction of the body to brain highway.

After the connected 5 breaths, then ask your body if you want hot or cold and sweet or savory. This is taking you out of your brain and into your many senses. Do you know the feeling when you want soup versus a salad or the other way around? These subtle sensations assist you to find your balance by giving the body what it needs in that moment versus causing more stress and congestion.

Many cultures are brilliant at FEELing into their bodies to support quality health and longevity. They do this by using food and herbs as medicine, altering foods with variety of flavors each day or week and shopping and cooking more frequently to have fresher meals available to meet their current needs. All of these simple and connected tasks supports their bowel movements and immune system which enhances their quality of life.

We also need to consider Step 1: FEEL in an emotional context. I don’t know about you, but I am an emotional eater. When I feel anxiety, sadness or grief, I want to run for food. Food is comforting, always present at celebrations and can help you numb some of the emotions you aren’t ready to feel quite yet. When you were a child, were you taught to suppress your emotions or told you are better seen than heard? If so, I am so sorry and can relate. There is a lifetime of emotions that haven’t been felt yet and there is research on how these emotions can be stored in your body an affect your health. When you go on a crash diet, you are still suppressing these emotions as you try to will power your way through the plan. You may have even had the experience where you did great the first time you tried the diet, only to go back to repeat it and it didn’t work like it initially did. The initial emotions of excitement and curiosity helped you align the first time and guess what, you were FEELing into the program as you practiced it. We need to approach our daily nutrition with more curiosity and excitement versus with restriction or doom and gloom.

As you practice FEEL, please be very compassionate and kind to yourself. Also, keep a journal handy to allow a space for you to give those feelings a place to go.

Here is our complementary Conscious Nutrition Journal for you to begin practicing your 3-Steps!

Stay tuned for more information on Step 2 and please reach out if you need anything!

With abundant nourishment,

Heather Fleming, C.C.N.

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