Our journey with food as with life goes through many shifts, changes and naturally evolves and flows through different phases. As my mentor Marc David explains, “The rhythms of the soul and the chemistry of the body are one and the same.” Oftentimes, where we are at with food, is where we are at in life.
Identifying the 12 Phases of Nourishment is very helpful as it allows us to accept, acknowledge, be aware and embrace where we are at. We often think we should be eating the same all the time and we stress if our nutrition today looks different from what it did a few weeks, months or years ago. But once you understand that it is incredibly natural to ebb and flow through the different Phases of Nourishment, we can relax into where we are and just enjoy the nutritional ride.
This is a time where we naturally want to “clean house,” to rid the body of toxicity. We may feel the desire to renew, rejuvenate and reawaken. Naturally this desire to cleanse often comes in Spring (but can be felt at other times of the year). We eat simply, or raw, or fast, or juice and we desire to let go of coffee, alcohol, sugar or foods that no longer serve us. In a Cleansing Phase we may also be cleaning house in our lives – letting go of relationships, an unsatisfying job, or old habits and beliefs and de-cluttering our homes.
This is a time where we naturally feel our strength, stamina, energy and appetite increasing. We may be drawn to denser foods such as nuts, meats and oils. We may be increasing exercise, muscle, or even as we grow through pregnancy. This Phase often corresponds to a time in life where we are expanding, growing, taking a stance, owning who we are and wanting to play in the game of life fully.
This is a time when we may feel we are on nutritional “cruise-control.” We’re in a groove, food is working for us, we don’t have to think too much about it and it sustains us, so we have energy to do our daily tasks. We naturally flow with food and let go of nutritional efforts and put our attention on other areas of our lives. This Phase teaches us to accept where are at and trust the body is exactly where it needs to be, to relax into routine and order and to just go with the flow.
We are emotional beings, so it in natural to have moments when we are emotional eaters. This is a time where no matter how much our inner nutritionist wants to do the right thing our feelings will dictate the foods we choose. The key with this Phase is to be okay with it, accept it and surrender to it. Sometimes we just need to feed our feelings what they want and if we can do it without control, shame, judgement, guilt and stress then we will naturally move through this Phase without getting stuck in it.
This is a time where we truly seek pleasure and joy with our food. We may be using food to celebrate holidays, birthdays, trying new restaurants, letting loose on a vacation. This Phase often corresponds to a time in life where we are opening up, feeling positive, breaking away from old patterns and learning to relax into pleasure. Oftentimes, we just need to simply celebrate eating. It is about letting go of rules and restrictions and just being in the “holiday” spirit.
This is a time where we are called to seek a new way of eating or explore different nutritional theories, approaches or diets. We may read more books, see a nutritionist and/or learn from others. This Phase often corresponds to a time in life where we are seeking personal growth, improvement and education. In the Phase we are often open to new ideas and experimentation.
This is a time where we are driven to follow a specific diet, take supplements and hold certain nutritional beliefs, all in a tightly controlled and purposeful way. This Phase is often tied to a deeper search for health or to a strong desire for weight loss. In this Phase we strive for perfection and are fully committed. This Phase also can be seen in other areas of our lives where we may be fanatic and controlling.
This is a time where we may find nothing is working with our diet, we are turned off of certain foods, we are bored with eating and nothing tastes good or is appealing. This may correspond to a time in life where we are in a rut, depressed, or have hit a road block in work, a relationship or life. This is often a Phase where we need to simply endure and embrace where we are. Oftentimes our diet and life needs to go through mini-deaths in order to bring in the new, try something different and find what is next on our journey.
This is a time where we awaken to the power of foods. We use food and supplements as medicine to bring about healing when we are sick have symptoms or illness. Oftentimes this is a time in our lives where we are being asked to put health and self-care first.
This is a time where all the rules of nourishment and health are turned upside down. We may experience bizarre cravings, eating at strange hours, not being in rhythm with food, having no rhyme or reason to what and how we are eating. It can feel like a very ungrounding time with food and in life. Oftentimes we just need to let this Phase ride itself out and be aware of when it is time to find our rhythm, balance and flow again.
This is a time where we often need to let go of our rules, beliefs, control and learn to go with the flow, with food and in life. Sometimes we have to eat how life wants us to eat, not how we wish we could eat. Economics, work, schedule, being in someone’s home, travelling, being in hospital, etc., all force us to put health and nourishment aside temporarily. This is a time where we need to learn to nourish ourselves in other ways, surrender our judgment and be okay with sacrifice.
Eating seasonally guides you to shift your food and lifestyle choices with each season. You are aligned with the wisdom of mother - nature and intuitively eat what is purposeful and natural to eat in each season. In Spring you may desire lighter, bitter, astringent, cleansing, refreshing and awakening foods. In summer you desire lots of fruit, raw veggies, lighter proteins and your appetite may naturally decrease. In fall you may begin to crave more grains, root vegetables and soups and foods to help build warmth in preparation for winter . In winter you may desire one pot meals, soups, chili, warm, grounding and comforting food to keep you insulated through the cold months.
It is important to welcome and embrace every Phase of Nourishment. It is a beautiful way to approach our relationship with food – knowing that each Phase has value, a purpose, a reason, a teaching, a place to surrender and eat into. My hope in sharing this teaching with you, is that it will allow you to be more present and conscious of where you are at on your journey, relax into whatever Phase you are in and simply pull up a chair and enjoy the ride.
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