Three Creative Ways To Connect With The Food We Eat

We all know that there is something special about the food we eat. The way it smells, the way it tastes, and the memories it brings back can be so comforting. But sometimes, it seems like our relationship with food can get a little too comfortable—we keep ourselves too busy and mindlessly eat without really enjoying or connecting with what we’re putting into our bodies. In this post, I’ll introduce three creative ways to connect with the food you eat. For some of us, cooking is an enjoyable pastime; for others, it can be a way to show our affection for loved ones. No matter what your motivation may be, these tips will help you savor your meals even more. Intrigued yet? Follow me.

Just cook already!

I say this with the strongest love: Damn, if you could just get to cookin’, the rest will follow. I promise. What makes it more enjoyable is cooking a meal with your partner or friends. The process of preparing and eating it together is a close second to nothing else. And use your hands as much as possible. Physical touch doesn’t just benefit person-to-person; it can begin a meaningful conversation between you and your ingredients too.

If you’re anything like me and work best alone in the kitchen, no sweat! Pour your significant other a glass of wine and let him or her stand by the doorway to watch you work. I’ve had some of the best conversations with my dude this way. 

Looking for some Valentine food ideas to cook together? I’ve got the perfect comfort meal for you to make for your special someone. You can read it here.

Connect with food by finding your green thumb.

When I traveled for work, it was hard for me to tend to a garden or indoor herbs. But now that I’m home for good, it’s time for me to start growing all the things. Watching your food grow infuses a strong appreciation into it. It also builds a connection that you don’t quite feel until you taste the food. You nurse it through its growth, whisper sweet nothings to it at least twice a day, and then honor it in the dish you prepare. Guess what happens next? It honors you back through its nourishment. That’s what I call a reciprocal relationship.

To learn which seeds you should begin planting in the month of February, you can check out this article here.

Connect with food through farmers markets.

I’ve got three words for you… farm-to-table. When we connect these two things, we appreciate and respect the food even more. When I know how the food I choose to eat is grown, raised, or produced, the act of eating it isn’t a quick, mindless action anymore. It becomes a complete experience. When I eat a beet that I picked up at the farmers’ market, I can taste the earth that gave it life. I can almost smell the nutrients it provides, and I give thanks to that beet that took eight weeks to grow just for me.

On the Saturdays in which I have nothing planned, I try to venture out to our local farmers’ markets to grab the freshest of the freshest produce. And if you’re lucky, you’ll find some gorgeous floral bundles to adorn your dining room table. So, pencil the farmers market into your Saturday errands. And cook a beautiful meal.

Never stop learning.

Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It’s also a necessary ritual for sustaining our bodies and minds, so, by golly, we must do it well! Connecting to our food in these three creative ways will help us enjoy eating more, experience new flavors from around the world, and cultivate creativity as home cooks/bakers. If you’d like to learn more about being intentional with the food we choose to eat, how we eat it, and with whom we eat, please join me on a journey of mindfulness by getting on the waitlist now for my course, “Cook Mindfully, Eat Artfully.” You’ll learn all about that and more!