Your MOOD goes into your FOOD
There is a common answer in Ayurveda...."it depends." Ayurveda is a holistic system of wellness and looks at literally EVERYTHING in your life. If someone asks, "Is this food good for me?...Should I take this herb?...Is this type of exercise good for me?....Should I be doing this self care practice?"....the answer is always...IT DEPENDS.
It depends on your elemental constitution (your dosha), your current imbalances, the strength of your digestive fire (agni), where you live, what season it is, how much stress you have in your life, and even what time of day you are doing something! This is because everything affects everything.
This idea comes back to a basic Ayurveda principle: It's not just WHAT you are doing, it's HOW you are doing it!
You could be eating the healthiest meal ever - an organic meal, made with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, but shoveling your food in your face while distracted, and doing 10 other things, and venting to a loved one about how horrible your day was. Your body will receive the food differently than if you were sitting down, mindfully eating, chewing well, eating slowly, listening to your body's signals that you are no longer hungry, and having light, pleasant conversation with a loved one.
You are NOT what you eat...but what you are able to DIGEST. HOW you eat food will affect how well it is digested.
This concept goes even further with HOW you prepare your food.
Can't you taste the difference between a fast food meal, prepared by an underpaid and underappreciated cook that's forced to work at a fast pace, and a homemade meal prepared by your grandmother, humming and singing in her kitchen and infusing her food with love? Big difference, right? Energy is contagious! Your MOOD goes into your FOOD!
There is a great foreign film from the 90's called Like Water for Chocolate. It's a story about a woman who is heartbroken because her sister is marrying her true love. She is forced to cook and bake the food for her sister's wedding, and while she prepares the food, she is flooded with emotion. Just as she cries over a dish while she is cooking it, the guests cry while they are eating it. As she laughs over a dish while cooking it, so do the guests while eating it.
So what kind of mood are you serving your family, friends, and yourself?
What kind of mood would you like to be serving your family, friends, and yourself?
Creating a quiet and nurturing space for meals and not digesting negativity, can help control your environment and encourage a positive connection with the food you are preparing.
Here is a simple way to ground yourself in your kitchen, connect with the elements, and create a peaceful environment to cook in. The food you serve will be infused with positive emotions when YOU are in a positive mental state.
1) Feel your feet on the ground - connect with the Earth element
2) Wash your hands - connect with the Water element
3) Light a candle - connect with the Fire element
4) Take a deep breath - connect with the Air element
5) Close your eyes and feel the space around you - connect with the Ether element
Keep checking in with your mood. Take breaks if you need to. Infuse your cooking with the environment you want to be in!
Be well,
Shannon