You Are A Lifelong Learner
Believe it or not, I only really learned how to cook about three years ago (at 42!). Prior to that, I was super proud that I did NOT cook or really know how. The only spices on my countertop were salt and pepper for my sunnyside up egg in the morning, one of the few things I did make.
To be fair, I did a lot of what my sister calls “cook by numbers” with a meal planning service, but I ate out more than 50% of the time (even takeout during the pandemic).
So what changed?
I began experiencing my first symptoms of perimenopause, and in seeking relief for my fatigue, brain fog, difficulty sleeping, and weight gain, I found Ayurveda.
As I started instituting new practices, and learning about food as medicine, I wondered: what belief did I have around cooking? I knew I was capable, and I figured I could make time; what else was there?
Every habit, choice, way in which we live our lives is also tied to our IDENTITY- how we view ourselves. In Ayurveda, it’s called ahamkara (a word I love!). I talked about this last week, but if you missed it (or forgot already), it’s here.
A reminder that the ego’s identity is an illusion. At the spirit level, your beliefs about yourself are not who you truly are. However, we need to work with aspects of our physical world here…
So lucky to skip the arctic freeze. Playa Carillo in Nicoya, Costa Rica. Photo by Ron Kapioski.
In probing my beliefs around my identity and cooking, I realized I believed an independent woman shouldn’t be “tied to the kitchen.”
As a start, I decided to dedicate myself to making only one meal per week fully at home, from scratch.
I was initially overwhelmed. When I looked at recipes, I felt like they were too complicated. Half the time, I didn't know what the ingredients were.
I began looking up ingredients online (including many vegetables– I didn’t know what a beet looked like uncooked!) and used pictures to find them at the grocery store.
Once I got started, I loved how it felt to eat my own food, food I'd made with love (an Ayurvedic teaching) and food in which I knew all of the ingredients were nourishing for me.
I shifted into believing cooking for myself meant I loved my body, and made it a priority.
Now, almost three years later, I can proudly say I make about 80% of the food I eat at home, from whole, unprocessed ingredients. Most of the time they’re pretty simple meals, but they are warm, spiced, made with good oils and cooked with love.
By the way: Ayurveda says that whatever we eat, it should taste good to us. Eating foods that are “healthy” but you *hate* is not the way!