Observe How You Experience Your Food

Today I ate:

Breakfast:
4 ounces Blueberry Bonanza smoothie with frozen blueberries and banana, psyllium seed powder, flax seeds, cacao nibs, agave and water
16 ounces Crazy Coconut Cacao with Thai coconut meat and water, frozen bananas, cacao powder and nibs, raw vanilla bean, raw crunchy almond butter, psyllium seed powder and agave

Easter Lunch:
stuffed portobella mushroom with sunflower sundried tomato pate
Seaweed Chowder (from Matt Amsden 'RawVolution', with a little adaptation): In a Vitamix, 5 cups of water (part of the water is from the soaked Wakame seaweed - 1 oz., which is a small package; break each piece of wakame into a few pieces and soak in water until hydrated), 8 ounces pine nuts, juice and meat of 1 1/2 lemons, 3 cloves garlic, sea salt and nutritional yeast to taste. Blend all up except for the soaked seaweed; only blend the seaweed water and add enough regular water to equal 5 cups in the Vitamix. Skim the foam off the top. Put into a bowl and add the seaweed. This soup is always outrageous. Serve it to anyone and they don't even know it's raw.
cashews and a few figs

Dessert (oohhh, I had a couple of Easter desserts....)
blueberry cheesecake made by my friend Lori
a brownie made by Lori
a mini chocolate canoli filled with ricotta and chocolate chips made by the outrageous bakery

24 ounces water

Here is what I noticed today: It was so beautiful to be with my friends. My friend Lori is the perfect hostess and the most giving person and friend, so everything about the day was lovely. I loved bringing my raw foods with me; I used to do that all the time. I really enjoyed looking at the food that was served; enjoying the love that went into it and seeing the special Easter dishes, especially the Easter bread with the colored eggs. Lori said it's a real bread that needs to rise twice. I really appreciated the foods Lori made, even though I would not be partaking in them. They looked delicious.
I loved my meal. My stuffed portobella was just delicious and so satisfying, and the soup was completely energizing, creamy and luscious. My body just soars from that food.
I really focused on the people, and met two new friends today. We had great conversation and also made music together.
When I thought I might taste my friend's homemade dessert, I noticed my mind wandering to thinking about it and when it would be served; something that doesn't happen to me with raw food.
When I ate it, I really wasn't 100% sure I wanted to, but allowed the pull and also the desire to appreciate her food by tasting it, steer me into choosing to eat it.
When I ate it, I didn't just have the cheesecake and really savor it; I went for the two other desserts.
I also observed that my relationship to my body shifted. I didn't feel as connected to my energy and grounded in my relationshiop to my own clarity and 'power.'
I felt a lowering of 'self'-identity.
All very interesting.....merely observations.
Stop and notice how you feel depending on what you eat. What foods leave you feeling high in your mood and very high in your energy? For the next week, just observe yourself right away after eating; then an hour later; five hours later; and the next day. Make some observation notes in a notebook: How was my energy after eating this meal? Did it increase or decrease? Did I notice a change in mood? Did I feel happy or sad? Was my body giving me any messages? What about my level of confidence; did it shift after eating a particular food? What about my relationship with my body; did I go from loving it to hating it or the other way? Take this week and simply observe; make no judgements or criticisms; just be a witness to your own experience. Please write in as you walk through this.