Divine Wellness by Traci A. Fonville

Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger pull of what you really love

-Leo Tolstoy

Think for a moment of a food from your past, one that makes you feel great after you eat it for no specific reason. Maybe its macaroni and cheese, slow-simmered tomato sauce, ice cream cones or potato pancakes. Eating comfort foods (every now and then) can be incredibly healing, even though your rational brain might not consider it highly nutritious.

Food has the power to impact us on a level deeper than just our physical well-being. What we eat can reconnect us to precious memories, like childhood playtimes, first dates, holidays, our grandmother’s cooking or our country of ancestry. Our bodies remember foods from the past on an emotional and cellular level. Eating this food connects us to our roots and has youthening and nurturing effects that go far beyond the food’s biochemical makeup.

Acknowledging what different foods mean to us is an important part of cultivating a good relationship with food. This month when we celebrate love and relationships, it’s important to notice that we each have a relationship with food and that this relationship is often far from loving. Many of us restrict food, attempting to control our weight. We often abuse food, substituting it for emotional well-being. Others ignore food, swallowing it whole before even tasting it.

What would your life be like if you treated food and your body as you would treat your beloved – with gentleness, playfulness, communication, honesty, respect, and love? The next time you eat your soul food, do so with awareness and without guilt and enjoy all the healing and nourishment it brings you.

Traci A. Fonville is a board certified holistic health coach, a graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and a registered yoga teacher. She is the owner of I Affirm Wellness, which specializes in health coaching and beginner yoga classes. She is a Wellness Advocate for dōTERRA Essential Oils and a Brand Ambassador for ItWorks! Follow Traci on Instagram and Facebook @iaffirmwellness. Log onto her websites for health and wellness products at www.mydoterra.com/iaffirmwellness and www.iaffirmwellness.myitworks.com.

Traci A. Fonville
Contributing Writer