Conscious Potato Chip Eating
Conscious Potato Chip Eating (by Bob Spensley)
Eating is an integral part of living. Our survival, attachment, self-regulation, social connection, pleasure, and health are outcomes of this complex daily living activity. Most of the time we eat without consciousness, yet the act of eating requires such a significant amount of integrated brain function.
During COVID times when our food habits (for better and for worse) had been brought more to light, we decided to explore the topic by creating an all new workshop called “Eating and Feeding Matters”. Now, we’re eager to share some of this research that may be applicable to people doing their best to manage eating disorders and improve their overall health.
Here are samplings of what we’re learning:
Hunger, fullness, thirst and satiation are examples of internal (interoceptive) feelings that contribute to our overall sense of self.
When we are stressed, we can chew to activate the propioceptors in our jaw and teeth to alter the chemistry in our brain to shift towards comfort and ease.
When we see food, the chemicals of satisfaction in our brain have already turned on even before we have taken a bite.
When we enjoy our favourite snack as a way to celebrate something important to us, our dopamine receptors are having a party as well.
However, there are a myriad of reasons why challenges with eating and feeding may emerge, and they can be complicated and extremely difficult to manage.
One element that remains constant - our relationships with food are interconnected with our relationships with people. Our feelings about food are acquired by the messages we receive both verbally and non-verbally from our family, friends and society around us. When things are out of balance, our awareness of how our tummy feels on the inside can be intertwined with our overall sense of self-worth. The more conscious we are of what we eat, how we eat, and even who we eat with, the more connected we become to ourselves and the experience of being fully present in the world.
The bottom line for us with all this information is that something we frequently do relatively unconsciously - eating and feeding - is very much worth doing with more consciousness.
Now where are those chips?