Food with intention - a way to love yourself

Food is a gateway to unconditional love for one’s self. We take on the life force of the food that we consume. To be mindful of what goes into our bodies is to contemplate the vegetable in the earth, nourished by the soil, watered by the rain, beamed down on by the sun, harvested by hands and then made available to us.

When we consider this, we unlock a far deeper appreciation for not just our earth, but for ourselves. We see the similarities, like that plant in the ground, we too need nutrients to grow and be strong.

To fuel yourself with nutrient-dense food is to say to yourself “I am worthy of ultimate nourishment”. You suddenly see the joyful side of the responsibility we have to look after ourselves. For me personally, I feel immense gratitude for the privilege I possess to choose.

I am passionate about food and eating with mindfulness, intention, and presence. When you create a meal, you are ingesting the nutrition but also the love and care that went into making it. Sometimes it can be hard to comprehend that which we don’t see or maybe aren’t taught. But we mustn’t lose sight of the love we show ourselves through food, you are nurturing yourself because you are actually keeping yourself alive. It is a choice you are making, and to be conscious of that choice is extremely empowering.

"There is no physical thing to acquire; there is no place you need to reach before you can love yourself more"

When you purchase, prepare and consume food that makes you feel at your most optimum then you begin to feel clearer. Lighter. Taking care of yourself becomes easier to choose, you want to move your body. You want to give yourself time to rest. You begin to speak kinder words to yourself when you look in the mirror, into your own eyes.

We are all so beautiful, in our own ways, yet we use up most of our daily energy ripping ourselves apart with judgements or comparing ourselves, or even berating ourselves for past choices. All of that time spent, simply in a place of our own creation. We could instead invest that time into lifting ourselves up as well as others, shining as bright as we can, without feeling bad about it.

There is no physical thing to acquire; there is no place you need to reach before you can love yourself more. You hold all the power you will ever need to create your internal environment.

Self-love looks completely different for every individual, because we are just that: individual. For one person it could be travelling to the lake and spending one hour fishing, with no phone or distraction. Complete presence and time with one’s self. For another person it could be waking up and speaking an affirmation in the mirror such as “I am perfect just as I am and today I make choices that nourish me and make me feel good.” And throughout that person’s day they might bring extra awareness when they sit down to eat a meal. It could be by smelling their food and tasting it slowly, savouring every bite. Or for you it could be finding a spot outside to sit with your food, listening to the birds singing around you and feeling the grass or sand beneath as you surround yourself in nature.

Make the nourishment of eating a ritual for you.

Intention, I’ve learnt, is the key to uncovering and stepping into the meaningful life you’ve always desired. Develop trust and love for yourself within first. Then you’ll find the world around you shifting and changing for the better.

My mission is to share this light I’ve found through mindful eating with the rest of the world. This is my motivator behind creating Mindfully Made. I experience overwhelming joy when I make healthy, organic food. In particular, raw treats that can nourish us nutritionally and on a soul level. When I create, I pour my intention of love and care into the food and strongly believe that an energetic exchange occurs when this food is eaten. As well as this, I want to start a conversation around how we eat, what food means to you, how conscious we are now and how conscious we can become. This can be a powerful tool for loving ourselves more.

- Chelsea