Food guilt can quietly steal the peace we’re meant to experience at mealtime. In this episode we walk through four practical ways to move from restless eating toward rest, grounding the conversation in both nutrition and faith.

You will learn how to change your focus to go from food guilt to food freedom. Listen in.

Key takeaways

* Your viewpoint of food directly shapes how much peace you experience with it.

* Asking “what is this food doing for me?” is more nourishing than focusing on what it does to you.

* Not every piece of food advice deserves your attention. Let anxiety versus rest be your filter.

* One meal does not define your overall diet.

* Food is not a moral issue. It sustains life and fosters relationship.

* Restful eating is part of a rhythm of pause and Sabbath that runs through the whole week.

* Confidence in God, not willpower, is what brings the restful eating you crave.

Find the full blog version here.

Craving more? Pull up a chair and subscribe to The Contented Table newsletter to receive free bonus content about family nutrition, and occasional Plain Jane recipes to get a little kitchen inspiration.

To support the Contented Table:

~ Text this episode to a friend who may also have feeding guilt

Share

~ Leave a 5-star rating and review on the podcast

~ Cover the coffee/tea

~ Pray this message reaches the one who needs to hear it.

A gentle reminder,

God wants you to know: I see you, I hear you, I love you.

Jane

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Family meals are meant to nourish, build connection and be a place of rest. But why for many do they feel more restless than restful?

Food Guilt, Feeding Guilt and Table Guilt, can steal what your family meals are meant to be but there are ways to move toward a more contented table. If you crave more Peace at your table and rest for your spirit when eating or feeding your family, the upcoming Food Guilt Series is for you. Join in to hear what to expect.

If you need help bringing your table from chaos to calm, listen in or read the blog version to learn table strategies that will help you put food guilt in the garbage.

*New download for you*. Click here to get your copy:

When Food Guilt Hits

Key Takeaways

* Food guilt can show up in your own eating, in how you feed your kids, and at the family table itself

* Perfectionism and good intentions can become exhausting when they are driven by pressure instead of grace

* One meal does not define your whole diet

* Progress matters more than perfection

* Family meals do not have to be perfect to be powerful

* Peace at the table is still possible

When guilt rises, you do not have to believe it. You can notice it, name it, hand it over to Christ who already dealt with it, and choose one small act of nourishment instead. Leading to a more contented table.

So settle in, take a breath, and join me for this series on food guilt. We’ll look at the lies that keep us striving, and we’ll keep coming back to what is true:

Food is for nourishment, meals are for connection, and Peace and rest is still possible at your table.

A gentle reminder,

God wants you to know: I see you, I hear you, I love you.

Jane

Craving more? Pull up a chair and subscribe to The Contented Table newsletter to also receive free bonus content about family nutrition, and occasional Plain Jane recipes to get a little kitchen inspiration.

To support the Contented Table:

~ Text this discussion to a friend who may also have food guilt.

~ Leave a 5-star rating and review on the podcast

~ Cover the coffee/tea

~ Pray this message reaches the one who needs to hear it.

⬆️⬆️ The Recipe Story.

Are you looking for an Easter dish?

Or searching for a meal that tastes of a long-awaited springtime?

You will love this quiche.

It is easily put together once the pie crust is prepared. And the aroma will bring everyone close, in anticipation of it landing on your table.

Listen in to this Recipe Story to hear how this recipe is an example of a gateway meal to learning to like vegetables, as well as some nutrition and kitchen tips for you.

Find the recipe for Fresh Asparagus Quiche at The Contented Table.

Craving more? Subscribe for free to receive biweekly newsletters in your inbox.

What’s cooking up some memories around your table?

Pull up a chair and join the conversation. You can share your Easter meal memory or quiche kitchen tip and encourage another.

Bring a friend, there’s always room for one more.

Jane

P. S. Looking for a treat for Easter celebrations? These Plain Jane cupcakes can be your Easter buffet centerpiece or some High Protein Breakfast Sausage Bites can be an addition to your Easter brunch.

Paid subscribers - please find your printable recipe card coming right to you in your exclusive email.

⬆️⬆️ The Recipe Story.

Do you need another protein idea for breakfast?

Are you prepping ahead for Easter brunch?

These golden nuggets of protein might be your family’s new favorite.

Listen in to the Recipe Story to hear how long they’ve been ours.

Plus nutrition tips and kitchen tips for you.

Find the recipe for High Protein Sausage Bites at The Contented Table.

Craving more? Subscribe for free to receive biweekly newsletters in your inbox.

Bonus for paid subscribers - The Contented Table High Protein Sausage Bites downloadable recipe card.

What’s cooking up some memories around your table?

Pull up a chair and join the conversation.

Bring a friend, there’s always room for one more.

Jane

P. S. Looking for a treat for Easter celebrations? These Plain Jane cupcakes can be your Easter buffet centerpiece.

⬆️⬆️ The Recipe Story.

Listen in to the recipe story to hear how this simple mid-winter salad marked the beginning of something special. Plus hear a host of kale kitchen, and nutrition tips for you.

Take the classic taste of BLT to another level of goodness. Find the recipe for Katie's Kale Salad at The Contented Table.

Mentioned in the Recipe Story:

The Love Story of Eve

Leftover Pork and Potato Soup (includes some kale!)

What’s cooking up some memories around your table?

Pull up a chair and join the conversation, leaving your kale memory below. You can encourage another.

Bring a friend, there’s always room for one more.

Jane

Craving more? To avoid missing a post by The Contented Table and to support this work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Craving a good love story?

There is none better than the crushing love sacrifice that Eve received.

Adam foreshadowed Jesus’ choice of sacrifice. Listen in to the love story your heart deeply desires. Stay to the end to soak in a Valentine's Day prayer for you.

Scripture references:

The woman said,

"The serpent deceived me, and I ate"

Genesis 3:16

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Genesis 3:6

I pray your Valentine’s Day is saturated with the deep love of Jesus.

And that you embrace Him. Inviting you into a deeper presence of the One who nourishes your soul.

Thank you for pulling up a chair to the Contented Table.

Craving more? Subscribe to the Contented Table Newsletter to receive an email twice a month to help bring Peace to your table and rest to your spirit, nourishing both body and soul.

I will be back soon with another episode. Saving you a seat. Bring a friend.  There is always room for one more.

Until then,

A gentle reminder,

God wants you to know:

I see you, I hear you, I love you.

Jane

You will want to start making this Plain Jane granola way before I did. It became a staple on our shelf after making it once. It’s delicious! And has enough variability in how you make it and how you can eat it, to keep you going back for more.

The Recipe Story lets you in on where this granola has traveled with us recently, plus kitchen and nutrition tips for you. Listen in.

Find the recipe for Crunchy Fiber-full Natural Granola at The Contented Table. Subscribe to the newsletter to find the next post right in your inbox.

Nutrition Tips:

* Choose ground flax rather than whole flax seeds so you can digest and absorb the healthy omega-3 fats.

* Looking for more soluble fibre? Choose oat bran. Looking for more insoluble fibre? Choose wheat bran.

* Prebiotics are food for your healthy gut bacteria. This granola has plenty!

* There is much less sugar in this granola than processed varieties. Less than 1 teaspoon per 1/4 cup serving. Much less salt too.

* A little goes a long way - this granola has all the filling ingredients - fibre, healthy fats and protein. It keeps you full longer than refined cereals.

Kitchen Tips:

* This recipe easily doubles if your family goes through it quickly.

* You can use 1/4 cup of either honey or maple syrup instead of 1/8 cup of each.

* You can omit the egg white to make it vegan. It just adds to the crunch.

* Choose gluten-free oats and oat bran to make this recipe gluten-free.

* This makes a beautiful gift in a jar or pretty bag.

What’s cooking up some memories around your table?

Pull up a chair to the Contented Table Community Chat to join the conversation. Or leave a comment below. Your food memory can encourage another.

Bring a friend, there’s always room for one more.

Jane

5 Costs of Following a Calorie-Restricted Diet:

1. Your body requires less energy than before.

* For every 2 lbs/1 kg of weight lost, your Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) is reduced by 20 calories a day.

2. You burn less energy when physically active than before.

* The greater the weight loss, the more your body adapts to be more energy-efficient when you are active.

3. You use less energy to process the food you eat.

* The Thermogenic Effect of Food is relative to the energy you eat.

* When you eat less, you burn less.

4. You want more food.

* Hunger increases 2 fold after ~8 weeks of dieting.

* Appetite increases by 100 calories a day for every 2 lb/1 kg of lost weight.

* Appetite is higher than before when you return to your original weight.

5. Food is even more appealing.

* The pleasantness of food is increased.

* Your senses are heightened to food aroma and taste in the context of being more hungry.

This list doesn’t even touch on the impact restrictive diets have on mental health, or the nutritional sacrifice. You can read more in my post, Intermittent Fasting.

Your body becomes more energy efficient and you are hungrier with each calorie-restricted diet.

4 Strategies to Avoid Diet-Harm and Choose Body Benefits Instead.

Find the full post on https://janecurryweber.substack.com/

Why listen to me?

There are countless nutrition voices.

One. Critical. Difference.

I listen to you.

You determine what I recommend at the Contented Table.

And I have been listening to people’s stories like yours for over 20 years.

When you steer away from popular quick-fix diets and work with how God made you, you will have more Peace and rest at your table.

Has this helped you? Perhaps encourage another? Share this episode with someone you know who is considering a calorie-restricted diet. So they can make a more informed choice and consider an alternative that leads to more Peace and rest.

The Contented Table is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Listen to the end to soak in a prayer for you.

Blog version is at the Contented Table.

Scents Trigger Memories.

It’s incredible, isn’t it, how you can smell something and it brings you to a memory or a feeling, even?

I thought of this when reading John 12.

Martha and Mary prepared a meal to honor Jesus. Lazarus had just been resurrected so joy and celebration is a given. He was feeling a little more than thankful.

It mentions that they reclined at the table. They were at rest. It was a peaceful place to be. They were lingering.

And then, Mary comes with a year’s worth of wages in pure nard (a cousin to lavender, I once heard) and anointed her beloved Jesus; pouring it on His feet.

Wiping His feet with her hair.

The house was filled with the fragrance.

Imagine with me, that during the following week, leading up to the crucifixion, Mary had the constant fragrant reminder of Jesus.

The scent of her hair saturating her every breath. Her sleep even, with the memory of being in His presence.

I wonder if every time thereafter when Mary smelled pure nard, it took her back to the moment of Jesus receiving her gift. Being in His presence. Don’t you think so?

What if you had a fragrance that reminded you this vividly of Jesus? Instantly took you to a place of Rest and Peace.

Listen in to hear more.

Pull up a chair to the Contented Table. There is always room for one more.

To cheer on the Contented Table:

~ Subscribe to The Contented Table

~ Text this episode to a friend

~ Leave a 5-star rating and review on the podcast

~ Cover the coffee/tea

~ Pray this message reaches the one who needs to hear it.

I pray your Christmas season is filled with the fragrance of Jesus.

And that it is attractive. Inviting you and your family into a deeper presence of the One who brings Peace and Rest to your table. And nourishment for your soul.

Thank you for pulling up a chair to the Contented Table. I am so glad you came. Invite a friend for next time. There is always room for one more.

Until then,

A gentle reminder,

God wants you to know:

I see you, I hear you, I love you.

Jane

Do you find regret and guilt gnaw at you some days too?

My wise friend said recently, that we aren’t meant to deal with yesterday and today and the future. Only God lives outside of time.

You are meant to handle today.

Just today.

Listen in to hear how a foundational step empowers us to use a strategy today to reframe shame into gentle curiosity.

Cultivate Curiosity Rather than Shame

Gentleness, instead of heaviness, waits patiently for you.

With this one grammatical switch, you will bring more Peace to your table and rest to your spirit.

How this is helpful? Share in the chat or leave a comment. We are cheering each other on in journey to nourish what needs feeding.

Pull up a chair to the Contented Table. There is always room for one more.

Related posts:

6 Strategies to Combat Body Shame

Body Shame: The Balanced Momcast Guest Interview

To cheer on the Contented Table:

~ Subscribe to The Contented Table

~ Text this episode to a friend

~ Leave a 5-star rating and review on the podcast

~ Cover the coffee/tea

~ Pray this message reaches the one who needs to hear it.