Many of our clients come to us with the complaint that they find themselves reaching for food even when they aren't hungry. We often ask them to look at that and see if they can find what it is they're trying to feed if they know it isn't their body.

Join us to hear more.

What it almost always boils down to is some feeling of discomfort or agitation that they're wanting relief from. And food can do that. With the way food can stimulate dopamine production, it can provide relief from uncomfortable feelings we want to avoid.

Unfortunately, the food approach is very short lived and doesn't address the issue behind the feelings. So it keeps coming back and we keep finding ourselves reaching for food or continuing to eat when we're not hungry again and again.

The fact that this is a common experience is a reflection of how our mind works. There isn't something wrong with us. We aren't broken in some way. The mind is designed to move us from what is uncomfortable or feels unsafe to what feels good and secure.

It's a great design actually, but the shortcoming is that the mind will alway direct us to some physical form of relief: food, exercise, shopping, drink. Something that distracts us. But doesn't address the issue behind the feeling, so it occurs repeatedly.

The way we look at it is that discomfort is a nudge to get us to see that we're believing something that isn't true about who we are and how life works. It isn't really about the circumstance, but what we're thinking ABOUT it.

What if discomfort, instead of being rallying call to change the circumstance, is a wake up call inviting us to return to the comfort and peace that is our true nature? What if, rather than looking for relief through something changing on the surface, we look within to see what we're telling ourselves about what's happening?

When we look for relief on the surface, by eating or trying to control a situation, we do find some relief, but it comes from a control-based sense of safety. And it requires we continually monitor and try to manage everything that comes up. It takes a lot of energy and vigilance and we always end up getting blindsided at some point.

What we recommend is when you become aware of the feeling you want to avoid, see if you can meet it. Gently and unconditionally. Warmly without a lot of thinking about it. Just the feeling. Can you actually welcome it in instead of trying to push it away with food or other activity?

We've found that these unwanted feelings and patterns begin to unwind when they're met differently. When we change the way we're relating to them.

And as our mind settles down, we can begin to see how the feeling is being generated from the thinking we're having ABOUT the situation. That the situation isn't what's putting the feeling there, but that we're feeling our thinking in that moment.

This is what we refer to as inside-out, not outside-in. That our experience in any situation comes from our thinking ABOUT the situation. It comes from inside us, our thinking. The situation doesn't put the feeling in us from the outside.

As we become familiar with this principle of the inside-out nature of life, we begin to experience a sense of safety that is based in a self-connectedness rather than control. And with this, life becomes much simpler and easier.

So, check this out and see if you can find what you're feeding when you want to eat when you aren't hungry. It can bring a huge shift in your relationship with food. And this naturally results in a very healthy shift in the choices you make.

The recipe this week is a Green Lentil Surprise. It was a surprise at how delicious it was when we put it together from the few things we had left in the refrigerator one day. Let us know what you think.

To your Amazing Health,

Connie and Bill

Green Lentil Surprise (Serves 4)

• 1 large onion, diced small
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups green lentils, rinsed well
• 4 carrots, cut in rounds
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced
• 2 cups frozen corn
• ½ cup raisins
• 6 cups vegetable stock or filtered water
• ½ teaspoon marjoram
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon no salt seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large pan add onion, garlic and several tablespoons vegetable stock. Cook until onion begins to soften.

Add lentils, marjoram, pepper, turmeric, no salt seasoning and remaining vegetable stock, stir and cook for 20 minutes.

Now add carrot, red and jalapeño peppers. Stir and cook another 10 minutes.

Add corn and raisins, stir and cook until lentils are soft, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy.