Feeding your body can be a spiritual practice

To connect the deep nature and spirit, food is the conduit.

Changing your relationship to food is a fast track to changing your body. It will also change your thoughts, and your emotions.

Consumer or ‘Communer’?

There are those who consume anything food-like, without much thought as to how it will impact their being.

There are those who are careful with their food choices, but still purchase corporate driven grocery items.

This is the valley of the consumer

There are those people who want to grow their own food, buy from local growers that they know and trust, or even become members of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

What do you need to balance?

Do you need to:

• Cleanse
• Balance
• Warm
• Cool down
• Build strength
• Support function

I remember making lunch for a friend and I explained why I was adding such and such.

I could see the brain-light go on. She said “You add these herbs and spices for a reason?”

Knowing what to use, when and why is the secret about foods and healing. Food has a benefit for your body; every herb and spice has a particular value and purpose.

We just can’t assume that everyone is the same. Your ‘superfood’ may be very different from what I would choose.

This is why generic advice; no matter how well meaning, can be useless for you specifically.

It isn’t only what you eat, but how you prepare your food that determines its healing value.

Let’s start with a the simple concept of foods that warm your body, and foods that cool you down.

Warming Meal

It would be easy to say that soups and stews would warm you up on a cold damp day, even in summer. You can also roast your food to increase the ‘warming’ benefit.

Things to note:

Root vegetables: anything growing in the ground is more yin; more sustaining, more warmth

Leafy vegetables: anything growing above ground is more yang; more energizing and more cooling

Here is a recipe for my favourite warming food.

Scandinavian Winter Salad 

This is a warming building meal to cleanse the liver and blood.

The parsley detoxifies the blood, balances the ph and the spices discourage bacteria and parasites.

 

• 2 Cups Pickled Beets or Roast 4 large unpeeled beets roasted in oven 350* until tender, cool and peel
• 3 large carrots grate in food processor

Put grated carrots in a large salad bowl

Grate beets by hand grater and add to carrots

• Chop ½ Cup green onions
• 1 Cup chopped parsley

Add to the vegetables and toss well

Dressing

½ Cup light tasting organic cold pressed oil (Organic grapeseed)

¼ Cup organic apple cider vinegar

• Herbamere (a balanced mineral salt from Vogel) or Celtic salt
• Chop a tablespoon of fresh thyme herb
• or grind 1 tsp dry Thyme and 1 tsp coriander seed in a mortar and pestle

Toss the dressing and adjust flavours

This gets better when covered and marinated in the fridge for an hour or so.

My high school chum was from Scandinavia.

This salad was a staple in her home. Their version was with pickled herring cut in small bits. 

I omit this! Ewww!

Cooling Meal

A simple cooling food would be a lightly dressed cucumber salad.

You could make a light refreshing salad from watermelon with fresh mint leaves

Dressing:

• A drizzle of light flavoured oil
• Rice wine vinegar
• A dash of herbamere
• A touch of agave syrup, maple syrup or brown rice syrup

Refrigerate for an hour or more

Arame carrot ginger salad with peas

Arame is a sea vegetable that offers thyroid support, and gives the thyroid and adrenals an energy boost.

This gets better when covered and marinated in the fridge for an hour or so

•  Soak 1 Cup of Arame (sea vegetable) in enough cool water/rice vinegar to cover until soft (1/2 hour)
• Defrost 1 Cup of Green Peas under cold running water
• Grate 3 large carrots
• Chop 1 green onion or slice red onion in thin slices
• Grate fresh ginger (to taste)
• Add a dollop of hot stuff

In salad bowl, mix basic balsamic/oriental/white wine vinaigrette with Herbamere

1. Add carrots and mix with dressing
2. Add Arame and mix well
3. Taste to see if it needs more dressing
4. Add peas and toss lightly

To serve, top with Gomasio (toasted sesame seeds and dulse/salt mixture)

My intention is to just give you the gist of food as a healing medicine.

I know there are some who make a religion out of it, and have ‘food rules’ and consider themselves ‘the food police’.I prefer an easier relationship with food.

That being said, I do gravitate to foods that nourish me on a physical level.

Do you have ‘comfort foods’? They nourish you on an emotional level.

I am curious as to what foods really excite you…and why.

Drop me a line and let me know.

Disclaimer: All information in this article is for education purposes only. If you have health issues, please contact a reliable and qualified health care provider.Nelda McEwen has been practicing as a Medical Intuitive in SW Ontario for over 25 years; counselling individuals and families, as well as offering her signature ICH training to other Medical Intuitives in the health field. Nelda’s professional research has been acknowledged and published in the Professional Kinesiology Practitioners Manual. The PKP program is recognized through the International Kinesiology College of Zurich Switzerland.