Experiences in life make us who we are.
The good, the bad, the forgettable, the unimaginable, so many experiences shape our learning and we become who we are. While who we are is defined by current experiences and by our past life vasanas to a great extent; every human being in this life has a choice to redefine who we are and train the body and mind to become who we want to become.
From personal experience - we are also what we eat and what we think when we eat, and what we think we are eating...
Until a few years ago - we spent more money on food and less money on vitamins, supplements and medicines to heal the body. Today it is the opposite. Everyone wants a quick fix to health issues like cholestrol, stress related issues and the like. ...let us take a pill and all will be well....the pharma industry works on people's minds and takes complete advantage of people's insecurities and lack of time.
According to western science and empirical data (I have issues with empirical data which can be interpreted in many ways and which is ever so often based on study of a caucasian population thereby leaving out certain genetic peculiarities of certain ethnicities) - a diet with very little oil and low in carbs is recommended for most health conditions. I have seen first hand the effects of such a diet - low self esteem, depression, lack of mental alertness, muscle weakness, dry skin, dandruff, ulcers of the mouth and tongue - and many many more issues...
The doctors are often concentrating on playing the number game and lose focus on quality of life. They constantly tell you what not to eat - thereby creating this intense paranoia which finally leads to a person saying , "...oh thats made of white flour, completeley lacking in nutrition, equal to eating garbage....oh thats made of oil a poison....oh that will add inches to your waist and did you know extra inches to your waist can expose you to a higher risk of heart disease....oh thats all made of carbs, complete garbage......oh i have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and its my yearly check up, I am hoping I do well and get a good score all round....oh she is so fat; i wonder why she does not exercuise...she is killing herself by eating...." and so many more paranoid outpourings...
Bottom line - if you think food is poison; it is poison.
If you think whatever you eat will kill you; surely it will.
(call it a Self fulfilling prophecy, Neuro linguistic programming or the modern theory of the law of attraction)
I am not advocating eating recklessly - all that I am saying is eating a balanced nutritious meal, eating in moderation and enjoying the occasional treat is ok...
When every nutritious meal is viewed with gratitude and every meal is respectfully eaten with the complete conviction that this food is nurturing and healing - that is exactly what it will do to you. In the past 7-8 years; I have seen first hand the effects of good food, prepared with love and care and eaten with a welcoming, grateful mind.
“Food, when eaten, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient, that becomes feces; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes flesh; and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes mind.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.1,2)
The upanishad is very clear in the statement that the mind is nothing but the subtlest ingredient of food(based on my understanding)....and the subtlest ingredient is the subtle energies that go into the food. My husband calls it the intent of the food producer, the state of mind of person who prepares the food and the intent of the person who consumes the food...these are the subtle ingredients of the food...other influencing factors like food contamination, cleanliness of the place where the food is prepared, the cleanliness of the utensils used etc also contribute to subtle energies in the food...
About the prana, Uddalaka says: “Water, when drunk, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient, that becomes urine; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes blood; and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes Prana.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.1,2).
“Hence, mind is made up of food, Prana is made up of water.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.4)
Mind and prana (breath force) being two vital ingredients for existence - the food we eat and what we think when we eat and what is on the mind of the person preparing the food - everything matters and contributes to food becoming a healing and nurturing factor. The purity of water and the nature of all liquids cannot be over-emphasised.
The language of the Upanishads being archaic and cryptic; it is obvious there is a lot more to this than what I have mentioned. I have only looked at one upanishad and three aspects of food - purity of ingredients, purity of intent and state of mind when consuming the food.
(there are references to food in Taittriya Upanishad and the Bhagwad Geetha as well - and of course there is the nature of foods that contribute to the various gunas which I have not attempted to refer to in this blog post.)
In conclusion - I am not advocating the eating of McDonalds fries every day with good intention and positive thoughts - that will surely poison and kill you, good intentions or not..!
My focus is only on simple, nourishing, day to day meals that heal. The body needs a bit of everything in the right proportions(yes carbs included) and also some physical activity as opposed to a couch-potato lifestyle.
View nutritious food as a healing nurturing element of life; prepare it with positive state of mind and consume it with gratitude to all the people who have contributed; starting from the food producers to the people who prepared the food..consume the food in a peaceful atmospehere and mindful attitude of gratitude....
In the end you are what you eat, what you think when you eat and what you think you are eating....
....and I have seen first hand the effects (positive and negative) of these subtle (positive and negative) matters concerning food ...
References: Swami Ranganathanda's lectures on the Upanishads and conversations with Dr K Arunachalam, Brisbane.
The good, the bad, the forgettable, the unimaginable, so many experiences shape our learning and we become who we are. While who we are is defined by current experiences and by our past life vasanas to a great extent; every human being in this life has a choice to redefine who we are and train the body and mind to become who we want to become.
From personal experience - we are also what we eat and what we think when we eat, and what we think we are eating...
Until a few years ago - we spent more money on food and less money on vitamins, supplements and medicines to heal the body. Today it is the opposite. Everyone wants a quick fix to health issues like cholestrol, stress related issues and the like. ...let us take a pill and all will be well....the pharma industry works on people's minds and takes complete advantage of people's insecurities and lack of time.
According to western science and empirical data (I have issues with empirical data which can be interpreted in many ways and which is ever so often based on study of a caucasian population thereby leaving out certain genetic peculiarities of certain ethnicities) - a diet with very little oil and low in carbs is recommended for most health conditions. I have seen first hand the effects of such a diet - low self esteem, depression, lack of mental alertness, muscle weakness, dry skin, dandruff, ulcers of the mouth and tongue - and many many more issues...
The doctors are often concentrating on playing the number game and lose focus on quality of life. They constantly tell you what not to eat - thereby creating this intense paranoia which finally leads to a person saying , "...oh thats made of white flour, completeley lacking in nutrition, equal to eating garbage....oh thats made of oil a poison....oh that will add inches to your waist and did you know extra inches to your waist can expose you to a higher risk of heart disease....oh thats all made of carbs, complete garbage......oh i have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and its my yearly check up, I am hoping I do well and get a good score all round....oh she is so fat; i wonder why she does not exercuise...she is killing herself by eating...." and so many more paranoid outpourings...
Bottom line - if you think food is poison; it is poison.
If you think whatever you eat will kill you; surely it will.
(call it a Self fulfilling prophecy, Neuro linguistic programming or the modern theory of the law of attraction)
I am not advocating eating recklessly - all that I am saying is eating a balanced nutritious meal, eating in moderation and enjoying the occasional treat is ok...
When every nutritious meal is viewed with gratitude and every meal is respectfully eaten with the complete conviction that this food is nurturing and healing - that is exactly what it will do to you. In the past 7-8 years; I have seen first hand the effects of good food, prepared with love and care and eaten with a welcoming, grateful mind.
“Food, when eaten, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient, that becomes feces; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes flesh; and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes mind.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.1,2)
The upanishad is very clear in the statement that the mind is nothing but the subtlest ingredient of food(based on my understanding)....and the subtlest ingredient is the subtle energies that go into the food. My husband calls it the intent of the food producer, the state of mind of person who prepares the food and the intent of the person who consumes the food...these are the subtle ingredients of the food...other influencing factors like food contamination, cleanliness of the place where the food is prepared, the cleanliness of the utensils used etc also contribute to subtle energies in the food...
About the prana, Uddalaka says: “Water, when drunk, becomes divided into three parts. What is its grossest ingredient, that becomes urine; what is the middling ingredient, that becomes blood; and what is the subtlest ingredient, that becomes Prana.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.1,2).
“Hence, mind is made up of food, Prana is made up of water.” (Chandogya Upanishad 6.5.4)
Mind and prana (breath force) being two vital ingredients for existence - the food we eat and what we think when we eat and what is on the mind of the person preparing the food - everything matters and contributes to food becoming a healing and nurturing factor. The purity of water and the nature of all liquids cannot be over-emphasised.
The language of the Upanishads being archaic and cryptic; it is obvious there is a lot more to this than what I have mentioned. I have only looked at one upanishad and three aspects of food - purity of ingredients, purity of intent and state of mind when consuming the food.
(there are references to food in Taittriya Upanishad and the Bhagwad Geetha as well - and of course there is the nature of foods that contribute to the various gunas which I have not attempted to refer to in this blog post.)
In conclusion - I am not advocating the eating of McDonalds fries every day with good intention and positive thoughts - that will surely poison and kill you, good intentions or not..!
My focus is only on simple, nourishing, day to day meals that heal. The body needs a bit of everything in the right proportions(yes carbs included) and also some physical activity as opposed to a couch-potato lifestyle.
View nutritious food as a healing nurturing element of life; prepare it with positive state of mind and consume it with gratitude to all the people who have contributed; starting from the food producers to the people who prepared the food..consume the food in a peaceful atmospehere and mindful attitude of gratitude....
In the end you are what you eat, what you think when you eat and what you think you are eating....
....and I have seen first hand the effects (positive and negative) of these subtle (positive and negative) matters concerning food ...
References: Swami Ranganathanda's lectures on the Upanishads and conversations with Dr K Arunachalam, Brisbane.
Varsha,
ReplyDeleteA great blog and well connected to the aspects of "spirituality", reality and health. I agree a hundred percent (more than that would not make mathematical sense). Keep writing..!! You are too good at conveying concepts.
Cheers,
Dinesh
Wonderful article Varshaa. Very meaningful and enlightening.
ReplyDelete