I recently read from an ancient Vedic scripture, ‘ food that is dedicated to the Lord and to guests tends to immortality; otherwise the food is useless.  So too food that is cooked for one’s own sake is said to be one’s death.’  (Select Works of Sri Shankaracharya)

Ayurvedic Medicine is devoted to the knowledge of maintaining balance and health in life so one can devote oneself to self-realization.  From this perspective food is taken to sustain life and to be celebrated.  Eating is regarded as a holy experience.  A prayer is done to acknowledge that which is responsible for the life giving qualities in the food, which is also expressed in you and guests.  It is also implied that there is always a guest.  This is generally done silently and personally.

In our culture there is so much energy around food- and food is not necessarily the problem.  The mental conditioning is the problem.  Food fundamentally is neutral, neither bad nor good.  We in this culture analyze food to death.  We have developed this complex controversial body of knowledge of all these carbohydrates, proteins, fats, enzymes, and catalysts through scientific investigation on the microscopic level.  While science has certainly discovered many of its attributes and characteristics nature never needs our approval or understanding to express itself.

Nature doesn’t require us to know if there are too many carbohydrates in the apple.  Nature asks that we remain balanced enough to know when and if an apple is right for us to eat.  In balance our health and therefore our intuition is so in tune that we immediately feel what will bring us a healthy life expression or not. This actually can be trained in so well the one clearly ‘feels’ comfort or discomfort in any circumstance, in this case with food.  There becomes knowingness as to what is right and what is not. The comfort or discomfort is related to how we “digest” the experience.

Digestion is all about tastes and not so much at all about the carb’s, proteins, enzymes and such. When we begin to understand food in this sense we see it’s all about balance.  It is especially about balancing the qualities that are expressed in different foods to see that these balance the qualities in our individual constitutions.  The most serious mistake is to see us separate from nature.

There are very detailed explanations of the mechanisms of digestion expressed in the Ayurvedic texts, which are simply enlightening.  These references speak about digestion in a very different way. We all know that when we see something the visual experience needs to be digested.  This happens with all five senses. The experience needs to be digested.  The process of metabolizing that which is nourishing and eliminating that which is not, is explained as digestion.

So, food is not the problem. Our awareness of eating and digesting is. Here are a few tips to help you: Remember the appetite gauge or Eating Awareness Technique (EAT’s). 

1. Think of your appetite like a gas gauge. Eat at around 3 and stop around 6 and never beyond 7.
2. Drink ginger tea between meals.  Ideally each meal should contain all six tastes; sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent.  Food during the winter months should be cooked and should be more watery and unctuous (oily) and a bit sweeter.
3. First look at the food, then smell the food, and then taste a little bit and pause and feel the sensation in your solar plexus. You feel the rightness of the food. 

Ask us for an Ayurvedic constructional questionnaire and you can get an idea what constructional type you are and we can provide some dietary guidelines as to what to eat and what to avoid.

One thing that should be seriously considered after the holidays is a cleanse.  What a great way to start the New Year off.  Do a cleanse and get on a routine that is specific to your personal mind-body type.

We hope that the New Year is filled with blessings and that you have a healthy year.

Doc-B

Today’s video will give you some insight on what we all call pinched nerves.  make sure you check out, Time to Think with Doctor Bacon as well for more information!

Have a Healthy Day,

Doc B

Enjoy,

Dr. Bacon

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