The Goddess Diet

You have heard it before, and yes it is true: YOU ARE A GODDESS or God, so why not treat yourself like one. To me being a Goddess simply means that you know and respect who you really are and you live your life to the fullest without compromise, limitation, guilt or restriction.  As simple and straight forward as that may sound why is it that so many women don’t know how to eat? Could it be because of so many “must try fad diets” constantly shoved in our faces and down our vulnerable throats, so much information, most of it conflicting, and way too much emphasis placed on losing weight? Have we become confused, overwhelmed disconnected and worst of all- scared?

One of the reasons that there are so any diets out there is because there are so many different kinds of people, and so many different things that work under so many different sets of circumstances. The question becomes “how do I know what will work for me?”

The answer lies in your journey of self-discovery. To know what will work for you, for whatever your wellness goal is, you must first get to know yourself better than anything. You must know what foods you like, don’t like and why, for physical and emotional reasons. You must know how every food makes you feel, and how combinations of foods affect you. You must be able to recognize the signs of hunger, thirst, satisfaction, discomfort and emotional hunger. You must be willing to look at the patterns of eating that you have created and why. You must begin to trust your instincts again, and let those guide you toward perfect health, instead of the latest research on the latest diet, or a tip your friend told you.

Here are 10 steps to the Goddess Diet. They will help you to build your awareness and knowledge of self. This is a diet of how to eat not what to eat. It is without restriction, guilt and does not compromise our needs.

Step 1

To truly nourish your self, you must first believe that you are worth nourishing.

Step 2

Keep a food diet or journal. Do this for a minimum of one month. Write down everything you eat, when, how much, what time, if you were hungry or not, how that food made you feel and so on. You will be surprised on how much you can learn about your eating habits that you were previously oblivious to.

Step 3

Review your journal weekly and make note of any trends, habits or bits of info that you can link together. E.g. you skipped breakfast and around 11 a.m. you reacted emotionally to a situation at work.   Or, you had a late, heavy dinner and also had a hard time sleeping and woke up tired the next morning. Upon your review you will begin to learn more about your body and the way it reacts to what you put in it.

Step 4

Forget the grocery list. ( sometimes)

Take a trip to your local grocery store and “feel” what you need. Take extra time. Go through all the foods and notice any certain feelings about foods you should and shouldn’t buy. Believe it or not you have an instinct that will tell you what to eat, learn to trust it. When in Doubt read the label, if it is a paragraph long, with words you can’t pronounce, put it back on the shelf! Perhaps you set out to buy the groceries for your weekly pasta night, but instead what you really feel like is mangos and yogurt. That is then what you should buy.

Step 5

Pay a little extra for better quality foods. A Goddess knows she deserves quality above quantity, and that she is worth every dime! Buy organic instead, shop at better butchers, travel to a fresh market and when eating out look at the food, not the price.

Step 6

Eat whole foods

Wholesome means that nothing has been added and nothing has been taken away. Don’t get caught in the low fat, low calorie food trap. Buy the real thing and eat it in moderation and or in balance with opposing foods. Know that you take on the properties of the food you eat. Literally you are what you eat, if you don’t know who you are, how will you know what to eat?

Step 7

Realize there is no good or bad food.

Never feel guilty about eating something. Those negative emotions create poor digestion and deteriorate health. When you eat chocolate next time, realize that you may have needed the magnesium, or antioxidants. Focus on the fact that chocolate can feel really good when you eat it without guilt. Make note of it in your journal, and forget about it.

Step 8

It isn’t only food that can nourish you.

Suppose you went out to gather all the ingredients for a divine meal and prepared it with love and mindfulness, and then you sat down to eat in front of the TV and argued with your dinning partner. The food is no longer nourishing.  Take the extra time to create a nourishing atmosphere. Light candles, set the table with your good dishes, play calm, soothing music gently in the background and eat with love and respect for yourself and those dinning with you. 

Step 9

Don’t eat if you are not hungry. Eat when you are. Eat until just satisfied and not full. You don’t have to empty your plate in order to get dessert! This sounds simple but will need extra attention. Eat slowly, take time to enjoy and chew your foods. Notice the flavors, aromas, textures and sensations. Make eating a sensual experience.

Step 10

Don’t ignore the signals your body is sending you.

If you suffer from any health problem, minor or major, get help from a professional. You don’t have to accept chronic heartburn or indigestion as “normal” for you. Your body is trying to tell you something, so get help and get beyond it.

Getting back in touch with yourself and your needs will guarantee a happy and healthy You. Be who you are and never settle for less than you deserve. Every God/ Goddess knows that s/he deserves nourishing and that she is worth it!