Ever notice those people who seem to eat whatever they freakin’ want without gaining a pound or thinking for one minute?

What do you notice about those people? How do they look while they’re eating? Happy, sad, silly, mad? The truth is that it doesn’t matter.

Why?

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Because food is not intrinsically tied to their personal value. They don’t identify with food to such an extent that it defines them. If they overate at lunch, it doesn’t translate to a self-conscious state in their afternoon meeting. If they had an entire brownie sundae at dinner, it doesn’t mean they’re going to hide from their boyfriend who wants to cuddle with them (etc., ahem).

So, how do we separate food from our personal worth? It’s really difficult, because food is a big part of our human nature and something we absolutely need to survive.

First, let’s lay some ground rules:

1. What you eat is not a direct reflection of your worth. Repeat daily if needed.

2. Food is pleasure, but primarily and primally, it’s fuel. Use at your discretion.

3. No one cares what you are eating or how you look – they care about how you feel and how you express yourself (assuming I’m referring to intelligent humans).

Ok. Now what?

1. Pay attention to the way food affects you. Do you feel tense after certain meals? Relaxed after others? Here are some hints: Rushing through meals will make you feel tense, as will overeating any one food – meat, carbs, sugar, fat. The first step is just to observe how you feel after different meals and different types of foods.

2. Adjust accordingly – eat more of the foods and practice more of the behaviors (eating slowly, maybe?) that make you feel amazing, relaxed, and in flow.

3. Remove extenuating factors. Does your boyfriend make you feel tense around food? It might be your innate patterns, but it might also be him – gasp. Pull a little “It’s not you, it’s me” and get out of there. If he’s controlling, judgmental and finicky he might be affecting you more than you think.

Here’s my formula for a great meal or snack: Silence or calming music + delicious food + candle + no distractions + someone I love (sometimes) – those are my necessities – the rest varies.

How do you feel after eating? What feels best? What throws you off? Tell me.

This week, I have a cozy recipe for you: Simple zucchini boats filled with organic, local sausage. This recipe is so easy but tastes so amazing – it makes me very happy and I hope you enjoy it too. If you’re into the whole paleo thing, it totally fits the bill

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free

Ingredients
Serves 2

4-5 small-medium zucchini and/or yellow squash
1 cup organic, local loose sausage filling – turkey, pork or vegetable all work great
1 medium yellow onion
¼ cup fine almond meal
1 bunch fresh basil
3 tablespoons olive oil
Himalayan salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash and pat dry zucchini and/or yellow squash. Scrap out insides to create a cavity and set aside on large cutting board. Rub remaining boats with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Place on baking sheet.

Dice onion and finely chop squash insides. Bring two tablespoons olive oil to medium heat in skillet. Add onion first and cook for 5-7 minutes, until caramelized. Add squash and cook for 5 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Increase heat to medium-high and add sausage filling. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until cooked through and combined. Add almond meal to create a cohesive filling. Add a bit more salt and pepper.

Transfer mixture to bowl and let cool a bit. Using a small spoon, fill squash with cooked filling. Transfer to oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until a golden crust forms. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Photo: Jake Freeman