Why I Write About Food and Intuitive Eating

It all began with a grilled cheese sandwich.

I was seven years old and a member of 4-H, a youth development program populated by farm kids like me. Each winter, members chose a project related to Head, Hands, Heart, or Health (the 4 “Hs”), and worked on it until mid-summer when they presented it at the county fair. Participants who did well, went on to the State Fair, where fame, fortune, and a possible purple Grand Champion ribbon awaited.

Most kids picked a farm animal to usher from birth straight through to slaughter, but because my tender age wasn’t suitable for raising cattle or livestock, I chose my favorite food for a cooking project: grilled cheese sandwiches.

A picture, which has since been lost, showed me smiling shyly and standing behind a table with a beautiful place setting. Mom’s best china, with the green pattern around the plate edge; an amber-colored goblet set properly above the knife on the right side; and a paper napkin folded into a triangle under the fork on the left. A poster, written in my best second-grade printing, stood to one side announcing my delectable menu, and, sitting in the middle of the plate, the piece de resistance: a perfectly golden, with cheddar oozing from the bread, grilled cheese sandwich. 

I won a blue ribbon, but didn’t make it past the county fair. 

Luckily, my heart wasn’t broken, but inspired by my loss to do better. I abandoned savory flavors and discovered sweetness. How to bake gooey brownies from scratch. How to beat egg whites into a fluffy meringue. How to make flaky pie crust that melted on my tongue like the butter it contained. 

My baking was a harbinger of what was to come: a degree in Food Science and a lifelong love of creating deliciousness on a plate. 

In my past, there was a dark, disordered side to food, too. (You can read that story here - link to intuitive eating.) The worst times of my life were when food became the enemy - a tool of torture and control. Fortunately, I’ve conquered those demons and now, I share how you can do the same through Intuitive Eating coaching and workshops. 

To me, food is so much more than a flavor or a fuel. Food is connection. Food is celebration. Food is history. Food is heart. It’s the wedding cake I shared with my husband; the ice cream I bought for my kids after the school play; the apple pie recipe my great grandmother handed down to me; and in the myriad ways I show love to those around me. 

Let’s explore the fabulous world of food — what it means to us and how to savor it more — together.  But first, let’s have a grilled cheese sandwich, I know the perfect recipe.