Less Really Is More!

My husband and I just got back from an expedition down to Tuscon ~ a culinary capital ~ to discover some new and different approaches to cooking. We've both recently moved away from eating red meat and poultry, and except for an occasional dish with cheese, we've pretty much given up dairy products, too.

In some ways it was challenging, because in most restaurants, most entrees are built around meat. Breakfast options are pretty much egg and meat-based, and lunch menus are mainly variations of meat and cheese sandwiches.

Some restaurants featured a few meatless dishes, and so we would select from those. Otherwise, we'd pick and choose among soups, salads and appetizers.

But while our restaurant menu options may have narrowed, by talking with vegetarian foodies down there, we've discovered there's a whole new world of great eating available when we sample new vegetables ~ for example, rutabagas, parsnips, fennel and chard. Get to know a few spices like basil, cumin, tarragon and red pepper flakes and there's no end to the great dishes you can create!

I can accept that from now on, our restaurant menu options may be fewer and we may no longer have meat in the freezer, because we have many more still undiscovered vegetable-based dishes to try ~ and more money to spend by cutting out that pricey meat!

Food Touches Physics and Spirituality

I'm more convinced that eating mindfully is a constant practice, not unlike yoga.

That's because depending on what the landscape of the mind is at any given time, cookies and chips can easily win out over broccoli. To move out of psychology and into physics ~ simply put, it has to do with energy frequency.

When we're stressed or depressed, and our energy levels are low, we'll crave foods with a low energy frequency. Anything salty, sweet, carb-heavy or fat-laden would be a perfect match!

But if we're mindful and make the choice to introduce high-frequency foods ~ like fruits or vegetables, we draw energy from them and get a "leg up" in our efforts to gain balance. And balance implies that meter is always moving ~ so if we depleted our energy reserves with our choices one day ~ the next day we can choose to regain some ground.

Of course, so many of us stay stuck within a comfort zone that mimics a see-saw, because to go beyond means leaving part of our "old selves" behind. The ego doesn't buy that!

It makes so much sense to me now why the Christian Lenten period ~ which prescribes some fasting ~ is six weeks long. If you follow a practice that you stick with when it becomes uncomfortable ~ some of that life-restricting ego gets left behind along the way.

As we approach Easter Sunday, I wish I had done a better job of observing it. Fortunately, the same choices will be there for me tomorrow.

Is Wal Mart Becoming Part of the Solution?

Never did I think I'd be singing the praises of Wal Mart, but I'm suggesting it now.

I read today in an article by Corby Kummer in The Atlantic that the huge conglomerate is marshalling its resources to compete with Whole Foods as a supplier of quality produce at affordable costs ~ and from local growers, no less!

From apples to zucchinis ~ Wal Mart is now offering these underpinnings of good health ~ in many cases, the organic version ~ and, according to the article, is holding its own in a taste test comparision with Whole Foods produce.

Through its new program, Heritage Agriculture, they are encouraging farms within a day's drive of a Wal Mart warehouse to grow crops that are otherwise imported cross-country.

This, at a time when many families are struggling financially as a result of job losses and high unemployment to put food on the table.

Factor now the ever-present issue of affordable health care.

Try this scenario ~

Dad's at home checking the unemployment ads, while Mom's at work and the kids are in school.

With this newest option, for not much money, he can buy a few carrots, potatoes, celery and onions and get a vegetable soup going in the crockpot before eveyone gets home. He skips the aisles displaying chips, cookies and pop. He picks up some bananas and raisins to top oatmeal or cereal in the morning ~ or to give to the kids as snacks after school.

They go to the park for some playtime before supper. They sit at the table to eat, and the TV stays off until they're done.

He's setting a course which, if repeated, means "money in the bank" because he's nurturuing his family with good food to promote their physical health. And he's spending time with them ~ quality time ~ to strengthen their emotional health.

Meanwhile, that all important community player, the farmer, gets economic support by offering a stronger, local market. (This is not to mention the huge, energy-saving benefit of eliminating transportation costs when food comes from miles away.)

As ironic as it seems, Wal Mart just might end up making a significant contribution in our communities.

It's going to be interesting to watch.

There's Opportunity Amidst Crisis

Universally, this is a very challenging period of time to be eating mindfully ~ or probably to correct any unhealthy habit!

The unsettling parade of tragic stories running across our TV screens and computer monitors are not just reporting isolated events, but a rippling that now resonates everywhere. And heightened anxiety welcomes anything flavored with salt, fat or sugar ~ in food offerings that are abundantly available.

Eating is the one thing ~ besides breathing ~ that we do every single day that we can control, and as a result, improve our health, our emotions, and our thinking.

(It IS true ~We create our reality with our thoughts!)

Clearly, we can't control the chaos in Washington, or in Haiti ~ or now Chile. But we can take stock where we are, and begin an upward climb ~ starting in our own kitchens.

Interestingly, the selection of foods that calm our nervous systems and put our bodies on a healthy track is much wider than the packaged, processed stuff that populates the middle aisles of the grocery store. And as we stress over the future of affordable health care in the country, there's a veritable pharmacy in the fresh produce section!

Rutabagas, parsnips and collard greens are just waiting to show you what they can do!

But before you meet them ~ start simply with the fruits and vegetables you're most familiar with. Toss the potato chips from the cupboard and snack on almonds, carrots and raisins ~ and enjoy them on a walk around the block instead of in your recliner!

No matter how bad the media says it is out there ~ you have more power than you think!

Eating Differently Nudges Recovery Issues

Let's face it. Changing anything you do every day can change your whole life. Or put another way, if you want to change your life, change one thing you do every day.

If you are mindful about changing the way you eat, there's an uncomfortable ripple effect to be dealt with ~ not unlike giving up booze. For those who are carb sensitive, the experience is darn near identical because the carb addict craves sugar ~ be it Dewar's scotch or donuts!

While physically you may be feeling better, other familiar patterns may begin to fall away, too ~ and that can leave you feeling emotionally unsteady. That's when it's most tempting to scurry back to what's familiar, however bad for you that might be.

I'm finding that to be the case since I cut out meat and dairy two weeks ago. It's been so much a part of my grocery shopping, meal prep, and eating habits for so many years, I see it's not an emotionally simple adjustment to make. Perhaps this is the detox phase, not unlike what a cigarette smoker experiences who's decided to quit, or the alcoholic who's decided he's taken his last drink.

You start to feel edgy, like you need to DO something or GO somewhere. Meal planning is definitely simpler and less time-consuming, and so I have more time. But it's a bit disorienting, because I think: What shall I do with it?

Of course, doing NOTHING means we sit with ourselves. Initially, that's a very tough place to be because we don't think we like the company.

Within that new time and space, we start to get to know who we really are. For most of us, coming face-to-face with ourselves, we have to learn to accept, to forgive and to love that person.

But before us is a chance to live differently ~ more mindfully ~and it's a golden opportunity if we can leave the ego out of it.

This Lenten season is a perfect time for mindful eating ~ but then so many religions have prescriptions for eating mindfully because our bodies truly are temples for the spirit.

In that respect, how we eat is a spiritual practice in itself!

The Kind Diet

I had taken some time off from writing here to finish up a book that my brother and I wrote about his journey with ALS, known by many as Lou Gehrig's Disease. It's written as a support for people who have it, and for their caregivers. I'm happy to provide copies, if anyone is interested.

Now I've surfaced again with renewed energy for writing about my favorite topic ~ FOOD!

In case you haven't heard about it, Alicia Silverstone has a wonderful book out called "The Kind Diet." Briefly, her diet is plant-based, and she does a good job of introducing a plethora of recipe options for those, as she puts it, "flirting" with going meatless.

In an interview for "Energy Times," she said she experienced both physical and mental benefits fairly quickly, and said she enjoyed a "lighter spirit" once she eliminated animal products as a food option.

I would agree. I experimented with an eight-week liver cleanse several years ago that was mostly plant-based. Some recipes occasionally called for free-range chicken or fish, but aside from that, I was pretty much just eating lots of fresh produce, drinking lots of water, and avoiding anything processed.

Was it daunting? No.

However it did take some planning.

But the pay off was that I felt great physically, and my outlook brightened.

It's true. You are what you eat, and Silverstone provides gentle guidance towards becoming a new, healthier "you."

As the title of her book suggests, what's good for you is also good for the planet!

(A note here ~ I'll be presenting a one-hour session on menu planning at the Academy of Yoga on Sunday, February 14th, at noon.)

A Llttle Help from our Friends

So you've decided that 2010 is the year to eat healthier?

Like any change, it's hard to do without support from the people around you. Eating food is a cultural experience, and unfortunately, the cards are stacked against us here. Like so many other aspects of American life, we tend to overdo it.

The economy is slow to rebound, and while it can be depressing and drive some people to eat the things they shouldn't, it's causing others to consider prioritizing where they spend their money, and consequently, what they choose to eat.

Not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your lens. Are we living in a time of crisis or opportunity? Eastern thought would say it can be either ~ depending on your outlook.

Make sure you surround yourself with positive people if you've chosen a path of change this year. Nothing drives us to the refrigerator faster than negative thoughts from associating with negative people. And nothing makes resolve easier than just a positive few who are rooting for your success!