I read Isaac Asimov at an impressionable age. In one of his Foundation books, the heroes have a conversation with a woman from a society keenly in tune with the earth (and thus with themselves). I don’t remember the entire exchange, but the part which impacted me was when the woman stated that her body was telling her to eat shrimp and that she needed to gain or lose a few pounds for optimum health.

I have always loved the idea of eating what one’s body requires, when it requires it. No diets, no fads. Just intuitive nutrition. And I have been blessed with the kind of body which craves good, whole, unprocessed foods (for the most part). So for me, this philosophy works.

When I went vegan two and a half years ago, I discovered I needed to eat more often. When I tried out a sugarless, glutenless version of veganism last January, I discovered I couldn’t function unless I ate every two hours during the day.

This bothers me, not because eating a lot is or isn’t healthy, but because society is set up to box mealtimes into specific points of the day, and because people are socially conditioned to both remain in mealtime boxes and to not eat in front of others outside of those times.

I contend that this is unhealthy. But I don’t know how to fix it.

In my line of work, a lot of what we do is modeling appropriate behaviour for our clients. This may include voice volume, social niceties, personal hygiene, and personal safety. Breaking social conventions by eating a snack while working with them, not to mention the modeling issue, would not be responsible for someone in my position.

Yet maintaining a schedule which is hard on my body and deprives me of regular nutrients is not a recipe for health and happiness. My job keeps me on the go, and I find that I’ll limit my hydration or forget to snack when I need it because I’m trying to fit everything else in.

This next year will be an interesting experiment in balance and self-care.

First action: to schedule my workdays in rough 2-hour blocks to allow for hydration, snacks, and movement.

Potential barriers: disorganization, forgetfulness, getting in the zone and not wanting to stop, pressure to push myself too far for the sake of my clients, or being too flexible and skipping it for the sake of something else.

Incentives: feeling better, having more energy, and less internal struggle.