You Are What You Eat

Let food be your medicine

 

 

 

Do you eat to live? Live to eat? Eat as a way of coping with life? Or eat out of habit?

 

In order to enjoy good health and to bring peace to ourselves, we must discipline and control our approach to nutrition. Whether fighting fatigue, depression, recovery from an illness or searching for ways to boost your immune sysem, prevention and management of symptoms can significantly be helped through the foods we eat.

 

I have adopted and live by the vegetarian Ayurvedic (life knowledge) philosophy way of conscious eating and have noticed an enormous improvement in my energy levels, concentration, happiness and sleeping patterns. This philosophy explains that the food we eat should be eaten mindfully, should be of the highest quality and freshness, easy to digest,  must taste delicious and be prepared with full attention. A healthy vegetarian diet can be a powerful aid to your development and healing process. Vegetables bring the light and energy they absorb and store through photosynthesis into your body. Grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds bring into your body the light, energy, and life force that can create a new living plant. This way of eating creates a whole new experience and lightness in your body.

 

Food plays such an important role in our lives. From the time we are born, we develop a deep association which links the food we eat to our emotions. Many of us eat unconsciously.  We may also eat certain foods in an attempt to create a sense of comfort and security and make up for voids in other parts of our lives. We may also be using food to deal with feelings because we can't understand the true message of those feelings. Or you may eat and overeat to suppress your feelings, avoid painful aspects of your life, deaden and make yourself numb. Most people are not aware and don't even connect to the results of their bodily function with the foods they eat. Different foods affect our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual states. 

 

The food we choose to eat needs to provide us with nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals) which our bodies process and absorb and is transformed into energy which determine our health and quality of life.

 

You have a choice. Which nutrients and energy do you want to take into your body?

Somebody once asked me, "But isn't organic food expensive?".

My answer, "Have you checked the price of cancer lately?".

 

We are affected differently by fresh, live, whole organic foods which provide vital energy compared to processed foods which contain artificial coloring, preservatives, chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones making our systems work harder to process. Consuming meat is not only difficult for our bodies to digest, but also forces our liver and kidneys to work harder to process all these chemicals. Eating excess protein depletes calcium for our bodies. Furthermore, when you eat meat, you take in the animal's energy, including the energy of how the animal was raised as well as the fear and trauma from being slaughtered. Meat also also raises the levels of dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine in our bodies which can result in increased aggressiveness.

 

Organic whole grains (which increase the level of serotonin and result in affect us mentally by giving us a feeling of well being and being better able to handle stress), vegetables, legumes, seeds and nuts bring us a more balanced set of nutrients and natural energy. Other foods affect our memory and ability to focus, think clearly, and relax. There are many ways in which the foods we choose to eat effect us mentally, emotionally, and physically. Dark leafy greens and whole grains are abundant in the supply of necessary magnesium, phosphorus and calcium which is vital for our bodies. Consuming calcium is important in prevention of osteoporosis. Calcium from dairy, animal protein and processed foods cannot be compared to the absorption of calcium from dark leafy greens and sea vegetables due to their more optimal phosphorus ratio. 

 

Excess sugar, fat, salt, protein, caffeine, white flour, artificial sweeteners, junk and processed foods,   lack of fiber, vitamins and minerals, are major contributing factors in heart disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic fatigue. Instead of providing us with vitality and nutrients, these foods do the opposite and provide us with poor quality energy, causing us to become over weight, sluggish and malnourished.

 

It can be compared with putting diesel into a petrol engine. The results of the performance will be poor. In addition to the physical nutrients and the energy of the food components, food also absorbs the energy of the individuals who prepare, sell, distribute, harvest, and grow the food. Whoever provides and prepares our food and the way our food is stored, processed, and prepared can be just as important to our health as what we eat.

 

As we become spiritually aware, we recognize our body as a temple in which live, and we realize our connection with all living things. We want to be healthier in our thoughts and actions and live in harmonious ways that align us with the spiritual truths and natural laws and ecology of our body, our planet, and the universe.