Food and Compassion

An awful lot is going on in the world right now (or at least in the United States), and while I’m not going to delve into all of that, I will say that it’s gotten me thinking about what I value. And one of my values is compassion.

While it’s easy to consider how compassion might come out in daily interactions with people, you might be wondering, how does it relate to food?

Food as support

A few things come to mind. The first is probably familiar – after all, when someone doesn’t feel well, often our first impulse is to give food. This can range from chicken noodle soup for those with a colds or the flu, chocolate or ice cream (or chocolate ice cream) for someone in emotional distress, or perhaps a casserole for someone more seriously ill or in mourning.

What is this if not an expression of compassion?

Reacting to food choices

Then there’s the question of how we treat ourselves or others based on what we or they eat. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of judgment if someone’s food choices are not the most nutritionally sound, but what if instead, we react with compassion?

That’s certainly a kinder approach, not just for the other person, but for ourselves, if we can recognize what might drive those choices and respond with an attempt at understanding and empathy.

Behavior and being well-fed

And another, less obvious, connection is that we tend to be more compassionate when we’re well-fed.

Studies have shown this, how judges give more lenient sentences when they’ve come back from lunch, rather than right before. You may have also noticed this in your own life as well, either in yourself or others.

And I think most of us have heard the term “hangry”, which feels very accurate. I know I can certainly get snappish and impatient when my blood sugar drops, threatening my ability to make compassionate choices or responses.

Consider compassion

This all makes me wonder – what does it mean for our world when so many people are going hungry? Not just those who don’t have enough to eat, but those who choose to go hungry in an effort to lose weight, or stay thin.

Are we unintentionally fostering systems and ways of being that separate us from our compassionate nature? And if so, how might things change if we made sure everyone had enough to eat and also didn’t feel the need to impose starvation on themselves?

I certainly don’t have those answers, but it’s worth thinking about. And maybe it’s worth noticing how your food choices impact your own actions and compassion.