Like so many others, I enjoy food. Summertime offerings of sweet corn and watermelon with some pulled barbecue chicken. Fall and winter apple pies freshly removed from the oven, bubbling over with their loving sweetness. Oh I enjoy sugar far more than most people should. Sugar is “My Precious”, as I lovingly look at its goodness like Gollum looks upon “The Ring”.
One of the main reasons for this love is that during the four years I lived with Gastroparesis, my main source of calories was sugar. Not being able to eat much solid food, I just added a lot of cream and sugar to my drinks. When I could eat, the easiest food to digest were highly processed and had a great deal of sugar added. So yeah, this has become an unhealthy habit. A habit for which has now brought on constant sluggishness, heartburn and generally icky feeling. Time for a change!
So for the past 3 weeks, I have been on an elimination diet. No sugar, complex carbs or dairy. I have to admit, I am using the Creative Bioscience 1234 Diet Drops to help curb the sugar cravings. This stuff works very well. I am not only feeling better but even use less makeup than ever as my skin looks pretty good. Oh and I also have lost 7 pounds, so there’s that.
Wanting to move more toward clean eating I thought this would be a good start and so far, so good. Having to get used to Stevia was a bit of a pain but I’m okay with it now. I also don’t follow the diet to the “T”. Having much experience with past dieting, I do not strive for perfection. The downfall is too heartbreaking.
What are the purposes of eating anyway?
- Nourishment for our bodies – Well yeah, or we will die.
- Pleasure – Of course!
- Communion with others.
- Communion with God – Did you know that?
“I love to live in Your house, oh Lord. I love to be here at Your feet.
And let Your words be the food I eat, the food I eat.
I love to live in Your house, oh Lord. To dine at the table with my King.
And give You the praise I bring, the praise I bring” – Glen Veenstra
This lead me back to a book I once read, “Art of the Inner Meal – Eating as a Spiritual Path”, written by Donald Altman – a former Buddhist Monk. The book describes the many different cultural and religious meal rituals throughout the world. What I love of course, is the spiritual representation of food. There is a saying that you can tell a person’s spirituality by witnessing the food he/she eats. I think this is correct. So I am now ready to start my full spiritual path with food! Here are a few of Donald’s suggestions:
Spend time in Nature Daily
Try to sense the cycle of life in the trees, rocks and dirt. This will help us become conscious of the link between the food that we eat and the Earth from which it grows.
Awareness
Being conscious of what you like is not the same as knowing why you like it. This is really good stuff as it takes some work to pay attention rather than just shoveling food into your mouth.
- As you prepare for your meal ask yourself if you are hungry because you are hungry or is it because you are bored, hurt, angry, nervous, happy, fearful or sad.
- Almost all religions start their meal with cleansing (washing your hands) and prayer for the meal.
- Next, think about or even write about what feelings or emotions this food gives to you. The texture, the flavor. Sweetness or spiciness.
- Also pay attention to your surroundings. Does this place or situation connect you to food? Are you eating because of location or are you actually hungry?
Building up spiritual strength means letting yourself feel your desires, not repressing them.
Discover Your Spiritual Diet
Establishing a personal guideline for foods we think are wholesome and healthy for ourselves is essential. We don’t follow the exact spiritual path as our brothers and sisters so we cannot expect what works for them to work for us. Just as well, we must remove judgment of others’ eating habits from our own spirit. Judgment is not beneficial to our growth in any way, whatsoever. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to progress!
- Column 1 – Write down the foods you typically ate as a child or teenager, putting a plus or minus sign next to each food to indicate whether or not you liked it. Not if it was good for you. Be honest about your feelings in regard to food. We are uncovering, not censoring.
- Column 2 – Write down your current regular food choices, also placing a plus or minus sign next to each food you like or do not like.
- Column 3 – List the foods that your inner self believes to be ideal for you. What would be most nutritious? What would your ideal spiritual meal look like? Make this list rather large! Again, place a plus or minus sign next to the foods you like or dislike.
- Compare these lists. What has changed over the years?
- Remember, this list is unique to you. So if there are any foods you need to additionally remove from your diet, so be it. There are no right or wrong answers. Just truth.
With this, we can build our confidence in where we have come from, where we are and where we can go in improving our eating habits. We can also develop a deeper connection with God and with our fellows!
There is so much more to share from this book. It is available on Amazon if you are interested. For now, enjoy a lovely, blissful meal and consider these conceptions.
Stay Blissful My Friends – E
Living Elysian 