What We Eat :: A Middle Path by vibr8 Blog entry

Blog: Vibrational Health Village
by vibr8

What We Eat :: A Middle Path

moderation is my dance

Date: 4/29/2006 5:06:46 PM ( 19 y ) ... viewed 2228 times

A few months ago when I was passing time at a computer without an internet connection, I wrote a message for this blog, to enter later, and then I just left it on the desktop of that computer. I was at that computer again recently and was able to copy this essay which my friend kindly saved, onto a disk. And now here it is:

What We Eat :: A Middle Path

I've been watching & listening & doing much thought and research about foods we eat and health and balance and such, for many years now, actually. I don't claim to be an expert, but do want to share with you something about the "middle path" I've chosen to take regarding what I eat.

Since my children are in their twenties now, and I am responsible only for myself and a few housepets, I can make food choices for myself without affecting an entire social system. Sometimes I long for a sense of community, within my home, but that's for a different blog!

I venture every now and then to the raw food potlucks here in town. I enjoy the raw foods and feel especially clear and healthy after I go to these. I do not eat 100% raw in my private life though. And I do not think there are only two camps: the raw foods and the SAD (Standard American Diet). There is a huge gray area in between these two ways of eating.

My middle path is somewhere in that gray area. More towards the raw, really, and further from the SAD.

I eat what I love and enjoy. I avoid saturated fats. I love the raw snap peas and eat those regularly. Prefer organic vegetables and fruits of course.

I actually got the water tested by an objective 3rd party at my house and at my VIBE office. What I found out was surprising. The tap water here is actually more pure with less dissolved solids than the semi-expensive most popular local bottled water! A device is necessary attached to the faucet, preferably a reverse-osmosis device, to remove the chlorine though to make the water more potable.

And, amazingly, a small, lesser-known spring water company actually provides water that tested almost perfectly. So I switched to that water for my office, and will be getting a reverse-osmosis whole-house water purifier for my home (when I can afford it) and in the meantime will use bottled water at home.

So, the water I drink is pure. Purer, now.

When I eat out, I am careful what I order. Not as careful as my friend who muscle-tests about every choice on the menu for a half hour before making any decision (see the "Debacle" blog message). I think about balancing my nutrition for the day, I think about assimilable protein content, I think about fiber, and I think about sugar/carbohydrate content in my food. I consider what my planned activities will be for the day. I think about energy. Some foods convert into fuel more efficiently than other foods do. Like I said earlier, I do not claim to know it all. I am very open always to learning anew each and every moment.

I've learned so much, for instance, via CureZone. There's so much information here. I appreciate CureZone.

For me, breakfast is an important meal. Assimilable protein, fiber, and fruit usually make up my meal. I do sometimes eat bread. Recently, I've been eating mainly the Ezekiel sprouted grain breads. I prefer the raisin english muffins. My body does not assimilate regular breads well at all. The Ezekiel breads are somewhat expensive. So quite often I do not eat breads for several days at a time. This is not a problem.

Sometimes eggs are my protein and sometimes yogurt is. The yogurt is more assimilable than the eggs. I am careful what brands I buy and had preferred the Horizon brand, but they're not privately owned anymore. I prefer organic yogurt.

The fruit is simple. Organic. Guavas are great, but I usually only get those on Saturdays and Sundays when I have breakfast out at this place that makes beautiful tropical fruit salads.

Papayas are great too. I take concentrated red raspberry in powdered capsule form everyday. Found out about red raspberries through CureZone actually. Their ellagic acid content has been found to be beneficial for cellular health.

Today, it's 4:12 pm as I'm writing this, and all I've eaten since morning are 2 Ezekiel sprouted grain raisin-nut english muffins, a handful of tamari cashews, and an organic Fuji apple. I am not hungry now. I will probably eat dinner later.

I rarely go to "fast food" places, and prefer Chipotle (they are owned by McDonald's, in case you didn't know) when I do. Won't defend that. I like the burrito/taco/watch it being made restaurants. For me, they're middle of the road. Am I in denial? I don't know...

For dinner I eat at home, or with friends/family, or go to somewhere like Whole Foods. I don't always like the energy of the food preparation at Whole Foods. There's sometimes a sense of carelessness in how they go about things there. I think one would be hard pressed to find many restaurants/cafes where the food is actually prepared with love. That's what I would prefer. When I worked in food service I put energy into preparing food with consciousness and love. This is unusual though. There are some chefs who appear to create each plate of food as if it is a work of art, and I sense some love there.

Mostly, I keep my opinions to myself..when it comes to food. It's rather unusual for me to be saying so much about my eating philosophies.

Somehow, each day, I muddle through. I've learned that if I find myself eating out of displaced emotional angst, to stop the minute I notice it. This often involves chocolate. There's a person here in town, Coco, who makes raw chocolate. I keep a bag of these chocolates in my freezer, so that I have a source of healthy pure chocolate from raw cacao beans.

I do drink tea. I enjoy blueberry tea, and passion flower tea, and sometimes Earl Grey or English Breakfast.. And I love a good Chai, usually with rice milk, although that turns out to be a curdled-looking and strangely textured drink. And when I keep a balance, not indulging in the caffeine drinks too often, I am fine. My body lets me know when I need to pay attention to getting back in balance.

I was re-reading Survival in the 21st Century by Kulvinskas just this morning, and love the new introduction. This re-reading actually reminded me I need to reintroduce wheatgrass into my diet.

And perhaps more blueberry and passion flower teas and less of the caffeine drinks.

I don't really drink soda pop much, and immediately feel bloated when I do. They are definitely a part of the standard american diet that I do not want to include in my personal diet. Even the natural brands like Hansen's cause the bloating for me.

Ideally I have aspired toward vegetarianism over the years, but right now I do eat fish occasionally. I do not find that I'm specifically hungry for it, however. I do not care for soy foods very much, and except for fish eat a vegetarian diet.

I would like to do some gardening this spring/summer. Growing my own vegetables would be especially beneficial for me. Whether I do it or not will depend on time --and that will be contingent on whether or not I continue with my current fulltime employer.