Food is essential and central for our survival, but it can also be
an immense source of pleasure. Although we often punish ourselves with food, either
through stress-induced under- or overeating, it is also used as a vital form of
celebration. Food can be a comfort but also an appreciation and affirmation of
and connection with cultural and ethnic identity. We use food as a ritual, such
as ceremonious and festive meals for and with the family during
holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas as well as birthdays, weddings, wedding
anniversaries, and even funerals.
In Christianity, the Last Supper symbolized both an impending
death as well as a celebration and renewal of life, where bread became the body
of Christ, and wine his blood, which the disciples were then to imbibe and
incorporate willingly and mindfully. Then there are various native and indigenous
traditions including Harvest festivals and Kwanzaa festivities with its Karamu
feast. In Islam, long periods of fasting during Ramadan tend to culminate in
feasts of gratitude and relief.
We are, in fact, much more than what we eat, and this came
to light after an enlightening interview with holistic nutrition researcher and
author Deborah Kesten whose approach towards and views on dieting are impressive,
effective, and scientifically sound and valid. In a world where most people are
spending their money, efforts, and energy on methods that do not work, do
not pay a dividend and end up causing more harm than good, in a world in which
a billion people are obese while another billion are undernourished, in which
about half of Americans are on or are following a rigid diet, it is time to put
certain practices under review. Deborah believes that dieting should not be
merely about restrictive and punitive measures but rather part of an integrated
and a balanced lifestyle, while it is at the same time not only a matter of what
we eat but also how we do so.
As such, food and its intake become an essential and
integrative part of our lives. It gives nourishment to both our body and soul,
and we should not underestimate nor overlook the emotional and spiritual
connotations and connections with food. Food should not serve as a replacement
of one’s emotional problems or lack of connection with oneself; it is not a
treatment nor scapegoat, the same way, we should not abuse alcohol, with the significant difference that we could fully abstain from
the latter while we could not possibly do the same with food.
It has been Deborah’s focus to find and promote an overall balance and equilibrium of body, mind, and spirit, and this has enormous beneficial health effects on us, and it has been studied, documented and proven over various years propped up and supported by many scientific and peer-reviewed articles. In fact, she has focused on the connection between food and physical, social, emotional, and spiritual health starting with her first book entitled Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul to her most recent book Whole Person Integrative Eating: A Breakthrough Dietary Lifestyle to Treat the Root Causes of Overeating, Overweight, and Obesity.
Deborah is aware of the importance of using a personalized plan, one that is specially and specifically tailored to each person. There is no one plan that fits everyone, the same way, medication cannot and does not treat or affect people in one and exactly the same manner. We are unique and different outside and inside out, and many lose sight of the important aspect of individual differences. For instance, I myself am a strong proponent of Intermittent Fasting, and she wisely did not object to it, but equally wisely, she noted that although it may have worked for me, it might not work for everyone and might not be everybody’s cup of tea.
Unfortunately, the medical profession often overlooks and
underplays that aspect as they tend to separate the body from the mind and find
ways of treating the former with pills and remedies. Yet obesity, one of the most
dangerous and rapidly rising health issues that influence and cause a wide
range of life-threatening complications ranging from heart disease to diabetes and
to certain types of cancer, cannot simply be treated with a prescription or
with stringent forms of dieting.
The best manner to tackle a health problem like obesity is
to first examine the underlying issues. What is it that leads people to overindulge
or to be drawn to unhealthy food and lifestyles? To find this out, Deborah has
developed a self-assessment quiz, which not only sheds light on the reasons why
we may overeat but where she also identifies seven different overeating styles, such as
emotional eating, food fretting (dieting, calorie-counting, and/or being obsessed with
healthy food options), fast foodism, sensory disregard (mindless eating without
savoring flavors), task snacking (eating in front of the TV and/or the computer),
unappetizing atmosphere (eating in unpleasant surroundings or environments) and finally, solo
dining (dining more often alone than with others).
By acknowledging and knowing what the problems are, one can
direct one’s mind towards necessary and effective solutions. Obesity does not
occur overnight and involves most likely a vicious cycle; to break that
unhealthy chain one needs to address and expose emotional issues and identify
and deal with destructive and detrimental eating habits. This is one of the main
aims and aspects of Deborah’s wonderful and insightful Whole Person Integrative
Eating program, which has shown to not only prevent but also reverse
obesity, heart disease, and even diabetes.
Although medical doctors, not unlike my own family physician,
often insist that diabetes cannot be cured or reversed, science tells us
otherwise, namely that it is within the realm of possibility once the necessary
actions and interventions have been taken and fully explored. In fact, Type 2
diabetic patients are often indirectly and inadvertently encouraged by nutritionists
and doctors to be obsessed about food intake and end up engaging in what Deborah
calls “eating by number”- a common but disordered way of eating that leads to
wight gain and other health complications.
However, scientific research by Dr. Erica Oberg who practices integrative and natural medicine has demonstrated that how one eats - social nutrition and the manner one consumes food- significantly affects the body’s metabolism due to a more pleasurable relationship with food and eating, and this, in turn, leads to weight loss, not necessarily as an intended purpose and goal but more as a welcome side effect.
In fact, six of the seven overeating
styles have been linked in a way and another with diabetes, so it is more a matter
of eating style and less an issue of the food itself, although healthy food habits,
such as incrementing one’s intake of fresh vegetables, fruits, and vitamins,
minerals and fiber and decreasing
processed foods and what Deborah calls “chemical cuisine” are strongly linked and
connected with maintaining and preventing optimal health, and effectively
reversing chronic conditions and ailments, such as diabetes.
As such, Deborah and behavioral scientist Larry Scherwitz have distilled their research of ancient traditions, customs, lifestyle, and eating
patterns into three spiritual nutritional observations. They include insights
gleaned from major traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism in which one eats with
mindfulness, shows gratitude and appreciation as well as loving regard for the
food. We probably have all experienced a meal that has been prepared, cooked,
and imbued with love tends to taste so much better than when this is not the
case, and there is a spiritual truth to it.
This program is more than a diet; it is a lifestyle that
goes back to wisdom and knowledge of ancient times, anywhere from Indian
practices and beliefs to the ancient Greek philosophers and medics like
Hippocrates for whom diet was not just about restricting food but represented a way
of life. This makes one's quest for health not only enduring but also fascinating and all-inclusive.
It is not and cannot be just a fad, but Deborah’s program is a dietary
lifestyle where ancient food wisdom meets modern nutritional science. Various components
of it have been embraced and have been even taught under what is known as
lifestyle medicine.
It is holistic even in its historical approach of time by
integrating the past with the present and into the future, and a geographic and cultural
focus across the world, cultures, and traditions by including yogic traditions and
Eastern healing systems (such as India’s Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese
and Tibetan medicine), while also traversing disciplines ranging from nutritional
anthropology and nutrition (Deborah’s academic background and expertise) and
psychology (with some assistance from her spouse/co-author and contributor/ behavioral
scientist Larry Scherwitz) to philosophy and religion.
Moreover, I was pleasantly surprised that she was not
opposed to my quest across the profound realms of depth psychology, but
she seemed to even embrace and condone it by giving me a literal thumbs-up,
something that even many psychologists may not accept and may even criticize and
frown upon. She has also approached and expanded upon the topic of orthorexia, an obsession with healthy food and lifestyles, an important and relevant issue
that is often underreported, if not downright neglected and glossed over in today’s
media.
After personally talking to Deborah, I cannot wait to read
her book and am planning to include and incorporate it as a reference (alongside
Brian Wansink’s Mindless Eating and Mark Mattson’s articles on Intermittent
Fasting) within my own self-help book project that I am planning to hopefully
finish this year. While my approach focuses mostly on psychology and stress, her
concepts on nutrition and its social and emotional impact with the recommended mindset of "relaxed restraint" versus fretting and obsessing over
food and health are relevant, helpful, and very useful.
It is indeed most encouraging and heartwarming to find not only similar-minded individuals, researchers, and leaders but also to encounter those who take a path that is not only revolutionary but that will bring fruitful and longstanding results and rewards to everyone.
Instead of engaging in the
next dieting trend better to spend your time, focus, and money on what will not
only help you lose weight but also give you overall health. Although science may
still be on the lookout for the Theory of Everything, Deborah’s Whole Person Integrative
Eating program comes closest to it by promising and delivering essential and important
health benefits and healing to everyone who decides to embark upon its path.
If you prefer to listen to the interview, here's a link to my podcast: Arash's World Podcast
2 comments:
Thank you for your wonderful contributions, Arash! You are amazing!
Thank you for your kind and uplifting words, Carla! It's much appreciated ;)
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