The food as an ally: symbolic meaning and well-being

Food: what it represents and how to “make it your friend.”

• Everyone quotes the phrases:

• you are what you eat

• nutrition is important

• you heal yourself with food

• food is our fuel

And yet, when I go grocery shopping at the supermarket, if I look inside the carts, I don’t see any coherence with the phrases above.

Especially young people, who say they care about the Earth, make very unaware purchases.

This article is born from the desire to taste with the palate and with all our organs…

Did you know? Food is, first of all, EMOTION.

For almost all of us, our first memory of food, our first encounter with food, is the milk we received in our mother’s arms.

In food we continue to seek that AFFECTION, that LOVE, that ACCEPTANCE and that WARMTH. Clearly, if that love was sincere, a bond will be created for the child, a positive emotion, a coherent perception that will show itself over time in their body.

In the first 25 years of my life, I lived in this coherence: I ate only when I was hungry, I practiced a lot of swimming, I followed my study interests; as I said in another article, I was very aligned. My body reflected this coherence in harmony and health. 

Later on, when I started working in a world that for many years I struggled to accept, where I felt forced to stay, my body began to show its discontent. From that moment, I started to look for in food a love that I couldn’t find in my environment, in the incoherent message from my husband toward me. And instead of being an ally, food turned into an enemy.

In these years dedicated to my personal transformation, to my growth, to my awareness, little by little I regained contact with my body, the vehicle I chose to live on this planet. Little by little I relearned to thank it for the great support it gives me thanks to the fact that it is healthy, and that it is strong enough to sustain the growth of my inner awareness. Thanks to this body of mine, I am relearning the lesson of coherence and of love for myself through food. Now I do not look for a surrogate for affection, now I nourish myself with love, knowing MY emotional and stress-related dynamics.

As I often say, first I renovated the house that is me (a reference to MY Feng Shui couldn’t be missing), and now I am dedicating myself to the restoration of the façade, the external appearance of this same house.

In this article I want to describe to you some foods in their symbolism so that you can, from now on, see them as a friend, as support.

Breast milk gratifies, satisfies the newborn, brings pleasure and relaxation to the body, satisfies the need for survival and at the same time allows us to come into contact with the mother who represents affection, safety and love.

Through food we can transmit loving energy: the way it is conceived, the type and taste of the ingredients used, the attention and the time dedicated to its preparation, the loving intention in the moment in which it is presented on the plate make the difference and become, themselves, quality, flavor and nourishment that adds to the other nutrients as they are understood “traditionally.”

Food is family, rituality, culture, shared emotions.

The meal puts us in relation with something—indeed with someone—external, who through digestion will become part of us. This is why, often, we increase portions to seek comfort, to fill a void of love and other forms of nourishment for the soul. SO WE CHOOSE WHAT TO EAT IN A COMPENSATORY WAY.

To all this I would like to add the symbolic meaning of foods:

• Soft foods are preferred by those who need emotional integration.
• Hard and crunchy foods speak of grit and tenacity.
• Sweet foods tell us about a need for care.
• Savory foods tell us about a decisive and strong-willed behavior.
• Simple dishes are chosen by those who love clarity and linearity in things.
• Elaborate dishes are chosen by those who need more integration.
• Foods of animal origin speak of strength and aggressiveness.
• Plant-based foods speak of lightness and harmony.

As already mentioned at the beginning, the mother is represented by milk (and dairy products). Milk gratifies, satisfies, brings relaxation (how often do children ask for a glass or a bottle of milk before going to bed?). Milk satisfies the need for survival AND through milk we come into relation with our mother, with her love, with the sense of safety and protection she represents… try reflecting on how much you love cheese and what kind of relationship you have with your mother.

The father is represented by cereals (particularly by wheat). Try thinking about how many times you would eat pasta and pizza.

Tubers represent our roots, our attachment to our land. (Try thinking about how much children love potatoes.)

Sprouts are preferred by those who are trying to plan and aim for new beginnings, for what is new and must take shape. (Try thinking about who normally eats sprouts… try observing in shopping carts—)

How important is it to understand that emotions and our reactions to stress and life situations push us toward a compensatory eating behavior?

How important is it to finally see food as our ally in our emotional well-being?

Knowing the symbolic meaning of food and understanding that our body has an internal clock that helps us in this process is fundamentally important to let ourselves be supported by the food itself.

And how can we make this shift gently? Contact me and we will prepare a personalized path respecting your nature and your needs.