Food Intensifies Love

Sep 11, 2020Mindful Doctor

Strategic Ladies’ theme for this month is “Love.” Although the topic of Love is amplified during February, events happening in 2020 justify us moving the “Love” notch up a bit. “What the world needs now is love, sweet love…it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of”, was beautifully written by famous songwriter Jackie DeShannon.

Songs have always been beautiful ways to express Love, but we have another way that is served on a plate in front of us daily, and that is our Food. Unfortunately, Food sometimes gets a bad rap due to our lack of balance as we sometimes overeat, eat too little, or eat wrong. But our indulgence of Food has been shown to intensify Love in different ways.

So, before you throw away that knife and fork and only use a straw, here are some facts you should know about Food and Love.

  • Food transcends cultural boundaries – Having lived globally, I identified one element that can open anyone’s hearts: good Food. Unique cuisines, styles of dining, and ways to catch and prepare food cross all diversity boundaries.
  • Food and Love are linked in the brain – There is a complex hormonal reaction that affects our emotional attraction to loved ones and our need for Food. According to MaryAnne Fisher, a professor of Psychology at St. Mary University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Food is a way to display skills to a potential mate. In her research, she found increased Love.
  • Food can give way to our empathetic emotion regulation. The food offering is one of the earliest biobehavioral regulatory interactions between parent and child. It shows concern for one another and ensures the child’s survival as they are entirely dependent on others’ food provision. The quality of these early interactions influence how people respond to situations later in life, and food offerings, in particular, may be closely related to emotion regulation throughout the lifespan.
  • Some believe that you can taste Love in Food. Ripert, one of the world’s best Chefs, says, “It’s a spiritual experience.” Dr. Jai, “The doctor with an intuitive twist,” believes that Food is sensual …making differing emotions arise.” It is also the belief that when Food is prepared with Love, the people who eat it can feel that”.

We are all looking for ways to feel good, so why not add to the other things Food and experience the Love it brings.

TheMindful Dr. E

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