"So much of our beliefs are shaped by the people around us, the books we read, or the advertisements we see. We don’t even notice what an impact they have on us”

"It was cool noticing how different things affect how satisfying food was over this week, didn’t you think?” asked Chaya as they started the session.

“Yeah, for sure!” agreed Leah. “But I felt bad when I couldn’t make my meals super satisfying. lt was like I failed myself.”

“That sounds like you’re starting to make rules around your meals,” Bracha started. “Which is just what we’re talking about today. Rules are beliefs or actions around food to dictate how we eat, instead of listening to our body’s needs. Can you think of any examples?”

The ideas came fast. “Eat bread only on Shabbos, or max once a day”, “Only drink water”, “eating at certain times of day”, “always have a vegetable at meals.”

“That’s a good start on some famous ones. Let’s get personal now. Take a moment and write down all the beliefs or rules you have about food, and how you feel about following them.” Bracha gave the girls time to think. “Now try to think back to where your rules came from.”

Shoshana raised her hand. “When I was six, I was at a family party and saw all the kids eating cake, but none of the older girls or mothers. I knew that meant I’d have to stop eating cake when I got big. So I did.”

Leah had a shocked look on her face. “I just remembered reading a kids’ book about scary carrots. I never eat carrots. I never even connected those two things!”

“Yes,” Bracha explained, “so much of our beliefs are shaped by the people around us, the books we read, or the advertisements we see. We don’t even notice what an impact they have on us.”