Back from the journey of a lifetime, I was on my Hajj trip in Mecca, Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, it's an obligation on every capable Muslim, but it's also a highly spiritual trip, Muslim's believe that after Hajj all their sins are erased, it's an amazing chance during Hajj to pray for things that we have long wanted and dreamed of, Muslims's also believe that it's a time to let go of the materialistic world with all of what that stands for and connect solely with god, a complete disconnect from the hustle and bustle of this world, and a total connection and submission to God on those few but beautiful days we spend in Mecca, which leaves you feeling absolute peace, gratefulness, satisfaction, and happiness.
Food In Mecca
As a health coach, a mother and a wife, I had to let go of all of my regular roles in life, and just be present in the current moment and why I am there..... Food wasn't anywhere close to what I usually eat at home, there were fried foods, bakeries, white rice, sugar-loaded drinks, desserts, and all sorts of junk being served, but I had to let go, I had to concentrate on the bigger picture and not allow food to be a source of stress, because that stress in itself could be much more harmful than the piece of croissant I just ate, So I just let it be, picking the healthiest options when I can, and totally accepting and not worrying about the times that I couldn't. At some point, I was so sick of the food, and my stomach started complaining, so I got myself some fresh dates and some dried dates and had these for my meals, they gave sustainable energy and made me full for long hours, and even made it easier for me to concentrate on the actual purpose of me being their.
Beautiful Turkey, Istanbul
I followed this trip with one day in Turkey, you can't visit turkey without being mesmerized by its glamorous natural beauty, history, architecture, food, I visited their local markets that had an abundance of fresh colorful fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, and fish, I was so happy to be back to a place where I can eat healthy again, I packed myself some fresh produce from the market, filled it with figs and peaches and had an amazing home cooked style meal from a small Turkish restaurant in the market.You can only admire how many vegetables they use in their cooking Okra, spinach, and eggplants..... compared to the western diet based on fries, burgers, hotdogs and wonder-breads. Their street food Aka Junk food was a truck selling fresh mussels stuffed with a rice and herb mixtures, it was delicious, and didn't feel like junk food at all... I truly enjoyed the tastes and variety of food in this beautiful city.
Turkey is also known for it's desserts, you can't leave without getting a taste of their baklava or konafa, I gave in to a cheese Konafa while watching the sunset in a cafe on top of a roof building .... and grabbed a box of fresh Baklava to go for my family back home.
Balance is key for long term success in any goals, why would it be different when it comes to food and health? Sometimes we feel the need to deprive ourselves of all the food we love even on those special occasions, I choose to keep my balance, occasionally eating something outside my healthy list won't kill me or cause me to become overweight, it is the constant abuse that causes the harm, so enjoy and let go occasionally!
My spiritual self-was so fulfilled so food was very secondary, I only ate when I was starving and truly needed some energy, I ate very small amounts, not because I intentionally deprived myself, but because I was so satisfied that food wasn't a major need for me at the moment, and that's what I always teach my clients that when your life is full with meaningful things that you want for yourself whether it is family, career, sports or other things food will be secondary, you won't be opening the fridge every half an hour looking on how to fill the empty gap, the gap will be filled by other more important things.
When we are not clear about our purpose and our goals or are not working towards them, and instead of spending most of our time on things that don't satisfy us emotionally or spiritually, food becomes in itself a source of pleasure and satisfaction and a way to escape life's reality.
I call this "primary food" ..... How do you fill your primary food? How satisfied are you with your social life, relationships, career, health, spirituality? Do you turn for food to get pleasure? to fill that gap in your life? If that seems like you, and you would like to discuss this further with and see how I can help you on your journey to be free from food addiction, food dependency and how to start living the life that you want for yourself, without opening the fridge at 1:00 Am!! schedule a free 30 Min. consultation with me today and we can further discuss your personal goals, challenges and how to best achievement.
Looking forward to hearing back from you soon!
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