From Flavor To Nourishment
I used to plan what I was going to eat based on what flavors I wanted to experience. But my desire to do this changed the more I nourished the body with food. And a round trip sailing excursion from Zanzibar islands to Lamu island during the world pandemic solidified for me the importance of food nourishment.
It was late November of 2022, and the boat and sailors I had chartered (in order to get my passport stamped and get a new three month visa) was ready to leave the Zanzibar islands and head to Lamu Island in Kenya. With my UTI medication and high fever, I boarded the wooden boat and we set sail north on a calm quiet morning.
Because of the UTI infection and the fever, I spent a lot of the time during the first few days sleeping. I asked the sailors to please wake me up every time food was ready because I needed to eat no matter what. As I slept, laid, or sat on the wooden deck, somewhat protected by a shade tarp, the three sailors cooked, fished, sailed, and relaxed. Each evening when we would anchor by the shore, we were greeted enthusiastically by friends or family of the sailors. During this two week trip, I would sit on the floor of people’s homes, the ground of a shamba, and the wooden deck of the Dohw to eat the majority of my meals.
Once we got to Lamu Island, we sailed no further north. We stayed there for four nights. On the last evening, I had an epiphany that solidified my belief in eating nourishing food.
I had already spent the three days on Lamu Island with very limited funds to purchase food. In fact, one of the sailors had given me some of his money so that I could feed myself during those days. This fourth and last evening I was down to less than a dollar to feed myself for the night and get myself something that I could eat the following morning. (A meal would be served at some point on the wooden Dohw once we were at sea. I was not traveling in luxury. I was traveling with three Muslim Rastafari sailors I had met and hung out with in Zanzibar. I was required to provide food for myself unless food was cooked onboard the sailboat.)
So that final evening, I walked along the paved walkway, where donkeys walk, looking at the foods being sold. I found a place that I could purchase some protein and something that was a carbohydrate so that my mind would be nourished and calm, and my body would have enough energy to sleep. This was only my second of two times that I sat in a chair and at a table during this two week trip.
Either before or after I ate that evening, I called my daughter. I joked with her that the cure to an eating disorder, or restrictive eating , is to be where you really want to eat and you realize how important the food is, but you don’t have the funds to feed yourself. I think she was proud of her mom. Eating as entertainment to my taste buds was no longer what I desired. I desired to eat food for nourishment.
The sailing trip home took an extra 12 hours because of a mishap in the middle of the last night. Usually, we anchored in the evening and only sailed when there was daylight. But the captain desired to be back early in the morning. He was pumped to sail through the evening. When I woke in the morning, I learned that we were basically in the same spot and had somehow just been circling. I found the situation quite hilarious, and with a lot of laughter, I helped bail the water out that was slowly continuously entering the boat. Somehow, we had gotten a small leak in Lamu. The whole return trip back to Zanzibar we had to bail water out. I was never concerned. I was never concerned for my safety or the abilities of the sailors. I was grateful for the mishap because it meant I got to enjoy a beautiful morning sailing.
This two-week trip was evidence that I was no longer sick from an eating disorder. I had no control over when I ate, what I ate, where I slept, where I was, and yet nothing in the trip consumed me. Instead, I ate and accepted food when it was offered. People opened their homes and cooked for me, and I was humbled. I have great appreciation for what people shared.
This sailing experience came after years of intentional work to nourish myself every day, and I continue that intentional work to nourish myself every day when I shop for food at the local farmers market. I purchase protein, carbohydrates, and other foods with minerals and vitamins.
You are welcome to buy food that nourishes your body.
Stacy 🌺
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I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.