I love talking to people about food in their life. We each have a story about how food works – or doesn’t work – and I am interested in hearing about it.

Unfortunately, many, many people feel anxious about their eating. There seems to be a huge gap between what people think they should eat, what they want to eat, and what they are able to manage around eating given their lifestyle.

It doesn’t need to be so difficult. The body is designed for real food.  Whole Foods. Lots of plant foods. And the body is designed to maximize digestion, metabolism and pleasure when we eat slowly. When we eat good foods slowly, the body responds.

Consider the radical act of trusting yourself and your body to know how much you need to eat. If we feed ourselves good quality food, our bodies are better able to self regulate and know when we are hungry and when we are full. Our body will tell us – if we just are quiet enough – if we pay attention. That means getting rid of the distractions like television, blackberries, phones and computers while we eat. We can’t listen if we aren’t paying attention.

So have whole foods around that you enjoy and eat it slowly. Forget about being virtuous about your meals – it only sets people up for over indulgence. Eating is not a moral issue – it is simply one of life’s greatest pleasures – a way to nourish mind, body and spirit. So go ahead, look around, choose from best quality foods that you will enjoy and allow yourself to enjoy life’s pleasures – mindfully.