Welcome to Donald Altman's Your Karma is in the Refrigerator.
Donald is a psychotherapist,
Award-winning writer,
A former Buddhist monk,
And the author of several books on mindful living and eating.
And now,
Donald Altman presents Your Karma is in the Refrigerator.
In my mindful eating groups and workshops,
I often like to say that your karma is in the refrigerator.
Most people get it right away.
Basically,
Karma means the choices you made yesterday have a bearing on where you are today.
Every action has a consequence,
A cause and effect.
This really is true when it comes to food,
Isn't it?
Haven't we all experienced how food produces a measurable cause and effect on our bodies?
That's why food karma can change the way we look,
Feel,
And even change our moods.
A good example of food karma was the time I was working with a group.
I remember this woman who spoke up and said the only food she had in her refrigerator was a large bowl of candy bars.
She was really curious about what other people had in their refrigerators.
And she was kind of surprised to find that no one else had a bowl of Milky Ways or M&M's next to the lettuce.
When asked why she chose this food,
Though,
She had some good reasons.
The sugar gave her instant energy.
She liked it because candy bars don't need to be sliced,
Diced,
Sautéed,
Or boiled.
You just rip off the wrapper and you're ready to go.
So what kind of relationship did she have with food?
It was really pretty superficial,
Wasn't it?
Food had no deeper meaning for her,
No deep awareness of how food impacted her health,
How it connected her to the community,
To the planet,
To her spiritual beliefs,
Or anything else.
And there were probably some emotional reasons why she liked candy bars that might have connected with a past need for comfort and soothing.
And that's why it's tough to change habits,
Like eating that extra scoop of ice cream or snacking at night.
Did you ever wonder who's in control,
Me or the habit?
It reminds me of something Mark Twain once said,
Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world.
I know because I've done it thousands of times.
And this raises a very important question.
Can you really change your food karma?
I think the answer is yes,
So long as you create a new relationship with food.
Because then you'll be looking at food in a completely different way,
Not just superficially,
But with a deep awareness and from many different perspectives.
