Exploring our relationship with food

For those of you who are looking to do the Little White Feather cleanse with us - our 10-day countdown starts next week - this is the perfect time to reflect on your relationship with food (and drink, for that matter)!Is this relationship perfectly balanced  - or are there areas where the dance between you does not flow as well as it could? Is there a time of day, for instance, when you just have to have a cup of tea? Or do you 'need' a cup of strong coffee to get you going in the mornings? And, say, when you look at the truffles in the picture here, for instance, is there an, 'I must have you!' voice that screams inside you, rather than a gentle inner voice prompting,  'maybe later, for pudding?'  This is the kind of thing I'm talking about here.Now, I'm not advocating any extreme measures here. I have a bit of a Taoist approach when it comes to relationships - and that includes the culinary sort! Like with any relationship - healthy or otherwise - the truth of why the relationship is as it is needs first to be explored and coaxed out of hiding, before we make any radical decisions. At least that's the way it works with me.And working on our relationship with food - like working on any relationship - can actually be a lot of fun.So for now, when you open the fridge and come face to face with a hunk of cheese that shrieks, 'Eat me!' ask some questions before you decide to consummate the friendship. 'Where is the area of 'tightness' - the 'must-have-ness'?; 'Where is the attachment?' Is there an uncomfortable emotion that you're feeling right now - and want to avoid - and drinking that coffee, say, would help you escape from it for a while? These are the kinds of questions that are fun to ask. But like any good relationship, you're asking in a bid, not to judge or condemn, but to discover more!If you discover co-dependency in your relationship with food, then this 21-day cleanse - and the 10-day run-up to it - are going to help you to explore that and any choices you make about the long-term viability of that relationship - and any changes you need to make - will arise 'organically' out of the process. At least that's the way it has tended to happen for me.So now, in the week before the countdown begins, spend some time observing this relationship, ease out the lines of communication and start to dislodge some of the 'tightness' around certain foods. This will make not ingesting that particular food or drink  - if it is indeed one of the foods or drinks that we take out  - so much easier (you'll already be aware of your areas of tension around it - and when and why you get to crave for it - if indeed you do) - and you'll be prepared for any big bust-ups or ultimatums before they happen. May the Force be with you!