As you may be aware by now many of you who read this website and blog would know that we communicate at many levels here in Sankalpa the philosophy of a non-medical approach to healing. So when I think of the many theories of nutrition that I could put forward, like drinking eight to ten glasses of water is good for you. Or perhaps I could also say that it is a well-established fact that eating lots of fruit and vegetables every day is good for your health.
There is a huge army of knowledge and statistics supporting this information. Our aim as you can see is to give you lots of nutritional information and some recipes that are loaded with goodness and health giving properties and most importantly that these recipes are simple and easy to make and they taste good!
The philosophy of good nutrition has to address more than just food and what you put into your body. Human beings are full of complexity and complications and it is very important to understand how uniquely individual each of us are. We process food through physiological and biochemical processes that are determined by many factors.
This means that being too absolute and obsessive about food and what constitutes good health can be more of a deterrent to health than a positive force in your life. We need to wear our nutrition like a loose piece of clothing – it fits well but does not constrict or restrict us.
If we think of the word nutrition and what it means, we have to look at what ways we nurture and nourish ourselves apart from what we put into our bodies. Do we get nourishment and nutrition from the sunshine and being in the outdoors? Would having lots of good conversations with people you like and who make you laugh influence how well the food you eat gets absorbed and digested?
For example if you are anxious and uptight and feel unable to sit and relax, it would make it more difficult for you to get the benefits out of the good food that you might be eating as your digestive system tends to shut down at these times which makes it harder for your body to work efficiently.
On the other hand if you are at ease and out with friends and sitting in the sunshine or at home in your favourite chair sharing a meal with someone you love – it may not be as important that every bite you eat is super healthy. It may be soul food which is the food that may not fit into the category of healthy, like chocolate, or a home made piece of cake lovingly prepared by someone especially for you. It may be a simple toasted sandwich or a plate of chips but if you are really hungry and really at ease with yourself that might be the food that nourishes you most at that time.
Obviously if you feel good and nourished and nurtured inside yourself by people, books or movies or nature or your work – you will automatically be more inclined to eat food for sustenance and pleasure but not repeatedly for comfort and sedation and as a way to numb out all feelings. We can use food in the same way as we use alcohol or illegal drugs or nicotine. So think today about what nourishes you and remember that nutrition is emotional, mental and spiritual as well as physical.
Blood sugar is raised and lowered very dramatically over the festive season due to increased consumption of sweet sugary treats, lots of bread, and copious amounts of alcohol. These all have the effect of sending our blood sugar rising and crashing which produces low mood and increased cravings for sugary foods.
