Sip on a cup of tea or a glass of water . Grab an orange. While y ou’re wa iting, check in with yourself. How are you feeling? What’ s
going on emotionally? Even if you end up eating, you’ll have a better
understanding of why you did it. This can help you set yours elf up for a
dif ferent response next time. It may take you a few tries to clue in as to
whether or not your hunger is related to your emotions. Anything you eat
outside of your meals is worth paying attention to. Our body is hig hly intelligent, however we can definitely undermine that
intelligence if we stuf f our cravings with fatty and sugary snacks. Cravings
tend to hit between meals, especially if our meals are missing t he nutrients
and taste s our body needs. In fa ct, cravings are indicative of an  imbalance
in our physiology . In my clinical practice, I have noticed an interestingassociation betw een the tastes my clients crave and their psychological
implications. Here’ s what I have discovered: sweet cravings point to th e need for
nurturance or love in our lives . Salty or spicy cravings may point to the
need of adding some spice or zing to our lives. Cravings for bitter foods
may be due to the need to dige st the bitter in our lives, perhaps our own
bitterness. Crav ings for astringent tastes may point to the need to set
boundaries, and cravings for pungent foods means we need to experience a
kick, or more passion, in our l ife. Cravings for sour taste may indicate a
need to be more flexible or ada ptable to life’ s ups and downs. Don’ t take
this too seriously , but it may help you to think beyond your cravings. 6 . A V O I D  E X T R E M E S
Extremes tend to present one of the major challenges in our relationship
with foo d. Whet her we are deali ng with guilt, shame, or other emotions, we
very often end up in a state of either overconsumption or utter rigidity in
our diets. W e continue to swing like a pendulum from one extreme to the
other . Here are my thoughts on why this is so: extremes give us a solution, a
short-term one and a misguided  one, but a solution nonetheless. W e know
what to do when we are taking an all-or -nothing approach to our food. Either w ay , we don’ t need to think, we simply follow the path we’ve laid
out for ourselves. Thinking and figuring out food-related solutions without a logical, pre-
determined system to guide us is challenging to our mind. When we can’ t
figure it out, we give up and do what’ s easiest. W e have all be en there, at
least I know I have. As I mentioned earlier , we mess up our body’ s
intelligence by ignoring it. The way to restore it is to go deeper than the
craving and satisfy it by adding real nutrients to our meals. Wh en our body
and min d are balanced, we actually can eat whatever we want, as what we
want is the same thing as what our body needs. When we understand and
honor our body’ s innate intelligence, we can reap its benefits. Doesn’ t that sound like a se lf-functioning fool-proof system? It was
certainly design ed that way . Ou r body communicates to us and we listen toit. Our eating lines up with what our body needs. W e become intuitive, our
body responds and remains intel ligent, and we become even mo re intuitive. This is how living and eating is meant to be. Our long term obj ective is for
our who le being to function coh esively . How do we get to that stage? W e
begin w here we are, as we are, with a small tiny step in the direction of
following our own intelligence. If yo u ar e curiou s about how yo ur relationship with food might be af fecting
your overall health and wellbeing, then I invite you to complete the
questionnaire on my website. It will help you think a little more deeply
about w here you are in your healing journey and perhaps give you a few
things to  consid er as you read the rest of this book. Y ou can find it here:
https://www .ayurvedichealingcenter .com/ayurveda/initial-consulation-
questionnaire/ . It isn’ t that we don’ t know what’ s right and wrong for us. It is just that we
don’ t do the right thing, even when we know we should. Our bod y is always trying to ach ieve homeostasis; a point of eq uilibrium in
all its functioning. It is always a  balancing act. Balance is how we want to
think wh en it comes to food. Not too much and not too little— the middle
ground, where growth happens. W e want to lean towards the mi ddle ground
and have an easy relationship w ith food. Do you love chocolate? Enjoy it in
moderation. Y ou  seldom need t he whole bar . A couple of squares will do. No food should be taboo if you  enjoy it. A voiding what you love will take
you to the other extreme of binging on it. Moderation is key . When you
become too strict with food i.e. “I will never ever eat _______,” the ur ge to
break that rule will grow just as strong because we have something called
an ego, the culprit that keeps us stuck. (Mind you, it can be a blessing if we
understand how to use it!) Findi ng the middle ground is the answer to many
of our challenge s in life and if we can become comfortable getting to that
place, w e will grow tremendously and find the inner peace and l ove that we
are ultimately seeking (we’ll talk more about that later). As I  me ntioned earlier , we can start with one step that we feel we can do. This will take us to the next step, and so forth. All the tools given here are
interdependent and not mutually exclusive. Following one technique will
help you with another . For example, writing in your food and mood journal,and exploring your beliefs about food, will raise your awareness to the point
where you may no longer care to indulge in the extremes, but can find a
middle ground. 7 . A S S E S S  Y O U R  L I F E S T Y L E
It is rarely the case that our struggles are only with food. W e show up as we
are in all areas of our life. Our struggles with food have less to do with food
and more to do with us, as in, how we are being or showing up in our lives. In o ther words, our struggles are not isolated, rather they are re lated to the
whole o f our life. My clients d on’ t just have digestion issues, they have
issues with “digesting” their lives. Our lifestyle has to do with how we live, how we think, how we relate to
others and to Nature, and how we are being in our communities. Our
sleeping habits,  our emotional habits and our relationship habits are all
connected. Whe n we make a change to improve one thing—l et’ s say our
sleep habits—we improve our emotional health and our relationships. This
is re al medicine. How is your sleep? Both the quantity and the quality
matter . Sleep deprivation leads to over -indulgence in sugary and fatty foods,
not to mention caf feine. What about your shopping habits, particularly your
grocery shopping habits? What’ s in your pantry and fridge? W e won’ t eat
healthily if we d on’ t shop healthily . Who cooks in your home? What about
relationships? This is another big area that af fects our health. One of my
clients had chr onic back pain w hich disappear ed once she decided to leave
her toxic r elationship. Are  you happ y with your ca reer? What else is
unresolved in your life that may be pulling you down? As you do this self-
inquiry , you may notice patterns of behavior repeating in all areas of your
life. Thi s may give you a cleare r picture of what the real issues are, which
may be far bigger than just food. It is clear that ou r food struggles are not limited to food. Food struggles are
indicative of other bigger struggles in your life that also need resolving. When we begin to heal one area  of our life, we heal the whole of our life; it
happens natural ly and simultaneously . No extra ef fort is required but
allowance is a must. In the meantime, you can find some gentle, healthy
ways to soothe yourself other than with food. Feeling exhausted ? T ake a hotbath or a nap. S et up a bedtim e routine. Have a cup of tea. Light some
candles. Slow down and just be. Sit with a warm blanket and a cup of tea
and enjo y lookin g out the wind ow . Feeling anxious and worried? Learn to
pray . Create an altar in your ho me to “physicalize” your prayers. T alk to a
friend, g o for a w alk. Y ou get th e picture. Y ou can do this, one tiny step at a
time! 8 . M O V E ,  M O V E ,  A N D  M O V E
I can ’ t s tress thi s enough! Our b ody represents the sub-stratum of our mind. Moving and breathing is how w e circulate the ener gy of stagna nt thoughts
and feelings and help them trans form. W ithout involving our body , we can’ t
experience freedom or peace, we can only talk about it. Both breathing and
meditating are inner movements  that do the trick. Outer movements which
engage the physical body , such as walking, running, swimming, yoga,
biking, playing sports, and gym activities are all wonderful ways to move. Everything is ener gy and freque ncy is one way to measure it. O ur thoughts
and emotions are also ener gy . A sedentary body creates a dif ferent thought
than a body that is in motion. Give it a try! Dif ficulty getting out of bed in
the mor ning is a classical symptom of depression. The bod y has been
mostly still during sleep at night, but the situation gets better once the
person begins to move. Going for a brisk walk can immediately change
your mood. A body in moti on gives motion to your thoughts and feelings, allowing
them to transform. One of the principles of ener gy is that like a ttracts like. The mor e we remain stuck in ou r negative thoughts and emotions, the more
of the same we attract into our life. T o change our outer environment, we
need to change the inner environment i.e. the ener gy of our body . W e can’ t feel di f ferent from the experience of our body at the cellular and
molecular level. It is this environment that we need to change, and we can
change it by moving, breathing and meditating. Negative emotions may
arise, bu t they won’ t hold your interest. They won’ t stick, as the y no longer
match th e vibra tion of the inne r environment. This is one of the reasons
why talk therapy is not suf ficien t to bring about a lasting change. W e can’ ttalk our way through our challenges, we must experience a dif ferent way of
being and know that there is so mething else that is available for us to feel. Meditation (a way to build mental stamina) and physical exercis e (a way to
build ph ysical stamina) are both powerful ways to ef fect change in the
mind. Put the technolo gy to good us e here. Find an app for walking, dancing,
meditating or whatever you fancy . I am sure there is an a pp for it. I
frequently use a running app that trains me in interval running. There are
group classes of all kinds out there—try them. Find one that you like. Switch t hings ar ound so your ro utine holds your interest. T ake char ge, this
is your opportunity! Every now and then as the need may be, I meet clients at a nearby running
track for their fo llow-up appoint ment. I check on the progress they’ve made
since th e previo us week, inquire as to what worked and what didn’ t, and
discover what the obstacles to success for them were, if any , all while we
are walking together around t he track. Before they know it, they are
stretching, doing jumping jacks or shuf fles and much more. A n hour goes
by q uickly . They sweat, breathe and move. The end result is th at they feel
better , which af fects their eating and food choices, and that inspires them to
do m ore. For t he same reasons, I will also schedule follow-ups in my
kitchen. Sometimes, we need a little taste of how we can  feel, and that gets
us inspired to do more. So, even if you hate moving, try it one time and give
it your all, and allow yourself a  dif ferent experience of yourself. Y ou just
might like it! 9 . E N G A G E  I N  Y O U R  L I F E
Developing an interest in all that matters to our health tends to keep that
which is not healthy away . Having curiosity about how food can heal or
how to cook healthily are some  of the ways we can engage i n our lives. Being engaged isn’ t about be ing busy or distracted, rather it is about
immersing yourself in something so much that it fulfills you. In a  world fille d with entertainment, excitement and option s, we have
for gotten—or we devalue—the simple things that we must do. Finding theextraordinary in an ordinary life is the ultimate sophistication, where we
can engage in th e ordinary day-to-day tasks of cooking our mea ls, cleaning
up a fter ourselves, and simply  sitting and doing our work, instead of
constantly looking to distract ourselves. Being endlessly busy does not
necessarily get us anywhere. W e d on’ t always have to paint th e town red or have a blast with  our friends. More often than not, we need to be fulfilled just being with ourselves. There
is something that happens when we are totally comfortable in our own skin
and can  be totally engaged in ourselves. W e become creative , we get to
know ourselves, we become introspective. This de-stresses our nervous
system, gives it an opportunity to digest our life, unwind, and, in turn, it
reduces our stress. The easiest thing to do is to be endlessly distracted with a list of
meaningless to-do’ s that fail to bring fulfillment into our lives. When we are
not internally engaged, we seek distractions, and food of fers that
distraction. Food can provide an instant gratification, a feeling of love and
warmth. W e can over -focus on food when we don’ t have much else going
on in our lives. I h ave found that when our liv es are purpose-driven, we are not overly
focused on food all the time but eat according to what we need . Again, the
solution lies in evaluating your life from a lar ger context and assessing
where the gaps are. Learning t o cultivate presence of mind, patience and
grace is worth th e ef fort. Doing what is easy makes life harder in the future;
doing what’ s right may be harder in the short term, but it makes life easier
in the long run. Boredom is not necessarily about the lack of a to-do list, it is the  inability of
the mind to immerse or engage in what we are doing. Interestingly enough,
this has become more of a modern-time phenomenon than it ever used to
be. W e are ove r -stimulated and entertained to the extent that we have
for gotten how to just “be.” See mingly engaged, we are totally disengaged
from ourselves. The nature of th e mind is such  that it wants to be somewhere other than
where it is! It continuously seeks enjoyment and entertainment. But thegood news is, o ur mind can be entertained by anything. W e can be totally
engrossed in watching a bug, a TV show or cutting our toena ils. In other
words, the activity does not mat ter to the mind. It is our ability to engage in
whatever it is that we are doing that matters. It is nothing more than a
perception that one thing is mor e exciting than another . As long as the mind
is en gaged, it is excited, which is why each of us finds that dif ferent things
are exci ting and  fun. The point is that the more we engage on an internal
level, the more we will move in a healthy direction in all aspects of our life. Ther e was a lot in this chapter . What point stuck out for you that you
would like to explor e?C H A P T E R  3O u r  D i s c o n n e c t i o n  f r o m  F o o d
As many of my clients turn their health around with food and ot her lifestyle
changes, they desire for their lo ved ones to do the same. They often share
with me the comments that they are met with:
“Oh, I don’ t believe in this food stuf f.”
“Y ou mean I had a bad night with my knee pain because I a te all those
cupcakes? Are you crazy?”
People continue to believe that a pill is the only answer to their health
issues and, as a result, they perpetualize their illnesses through their eating
habits. I t’ s bad enough that we don’ t link illness to our food in take; what’ s
worse is  that we believe that o nly a pill can bring the cure. H ow did this
come to be? The stro ng mark eting of drugs convinces many of us that no matter what
we’re su f fering from—whether it’ s heartburn, chronic pain, or the common
cold—there is a pill for it. Reg ardless of all the side ef fects that the law
forces drug companies to disclose in their marketing, what sta nds out for
consumers is the powerful conn ection between an illness and the drug that
promises to make it go away . W e don’ t really hear  th e side ef fect s when they’re named in a TV ad
because the drug companies d on’ t want us to hear them. Notice how
quickly the side ef fects are read out to a vulnerable audience desperately
seeking relief from their symptoms? Coincidentally , on your next visit to
the doctor ’ s of fice, he/she just h appens to have that very same pill, a sample
at that, and free to you. As you w ill read several times throughout the book,
our subconscious beliefs are subtle, yet powerful, and by repeatedly
watching these ads, we are allowing drug companies to change our
subconscious beliefs. R E V E R S I N G  Y O U R  R E S U L T SWhat al so stands out for me is that pharmaceutical ads start o ut with the
illness already in place and accepted as a fact of life, as if we were just born
with it. There is no talk of how  the illness came to be, and therefore nothing
about what you, the viewer can do to reverse the conditions that led to it. Y ou are deemed powerless as “they” are the only ones with a solution to
your problem; hence the blind  faith in the pill remains, even when the
results are not achieved. The advertisers throw out another hook and a
psychological carrot is dangled before you, perhaps someone  is dancing
happily , or there is a fun scene with friends, a grandchild is sw ung up onto
grandpa’ s shoul ders. Even when no one gets that carrot from the pill, the
desire for it is lit. Modern medicine and pills are the answers to acute illnesses , where the
question is about life and death . Modern medicine saves lives e very single
day . The question is, do we want to be living at the edge of life and death? Is that what we w ant to deal wit h in our life? I think not! W e want to thrive,
be totally alive and do what we came here to do. In orde r to have energy , vita lity and health, we can’t outsour ce our
health to someone else. Go to the doctor when you need help in managing your disea se. But our
goals ar e much higher . When we don’ t have disease, there is nothing to
manage. When we don’ t have disease, what we do have is ener gy and time
to live our best a nd most desired life. And those goals are not lo fty , they are
within your reach. The question is, are you ready for that? This disconnect between what  we eat and the illnesses we develop is
alarming and highly concerning . Not only will this keep us sick , but it will
keep the next generation sick as well, as our children absorb the information
about diet and h ealth that we pa ss on to them. As if that were not enough,
our blind faith in modern medic ine leaves us vulnerable: in inv iting others
to take char ge of our health, we rob ourselves of our power to protect it. It is
my sincere hope that we will all wake up and think for oursel ves when it
comes to our he alth. W ith that i dea in mind, we owe it to ourselves to ask
this one question: “How did I get here?”T H E  A N S W E R S  A R E  I N  Y O U R  K I T C H E N
The answers to chronic illness lie in your kitchen and your lifestyle, and
they are  therefore in your hands and within your reach. Food ha s been used
from the beginning of time to heal, to prevent disease and to create a vibrant
life. This isn’ t a “New Age” p henomenon: food is our oldest and most
ef fective medicine and it has stood the test of time. It will serve you to pay
attention to that and turn the ads of f! Luckily our body is for giving, to an extent. As soon as we begin to feed it
well, it respond s. Food works w hether you believe it or not. Eat junk and
create illness; eat real food and create health! It’ s just that simple! Start now! Inflammation is  at the root of most, if not all, illnesses of the body and
mind. A ll processed food causes inflammation, with sugar being the biggest
culprit. What is the one food that you can eliminate? Eliminate it for a few
days and  notice  any dif ference in your pain level, ener gy level, mood and
ability to relax. W ith each processed food product, you elimina te, you can
add a healthy yummy food to y our repertoire. Y ou can continue this until
you entirely clean your diet. Even if you get rid of only one item  per month,
you can  get rid of 12 disease-c ausing items from your food in  a year and
within a  year , you can potentially regain your health. Now you can form
experiential-based beliefs about food and your health. As an aside for those who don ’ t believe that food can heal you, please
consider this: when you take a pill, it goes through the esophagu s and down
to th e stomach to the small and then the lar ge intestine. Alo ng the way ,
many m echanical and chemical processes have to take place in order for
this pill’ s journey to deliver th e essential chemicals to the ta r geted area. W ell, food follows the same pathway and the natural vitamins and minerals
and medicinal properties of the food get transferred to your body via the
same mechanism. So, you believe in a pill but not in food? Why is that? Is there a special mysterious pa th that the pill follows that we don’ t know
about? All drugs and pills are created for one of two reasons:1 . T o d uplicate the natural functions of the body that are no longer
working and/or
2 . T o negate our body’ s natural responses to our lifestyle. W ithout adjusting our lifestyle  and eating to restore our body’ s natural
intelligence, we must depend on  the pill forever and suf fer the side ef fects,
not t o mention the fact that we miss out on a huge opportunity to learn and
take cha r ge of our own health. The fact is that the innate intellig ence of our
body remains. W e can access it. It is like the sun that is always there, even
on cloud y days. And we can tap  into that natural intelligence. It  is far easier
and natural to do  that than to “chemicalize” our body and suf fer  in the long
run. Our healing isn’ t separate from our eating and living; when we change
how we  eat and how we live, we are creating an inner env ironment of
healing. S M O O T H I E S
It seems  that if we are not totall y disconnected from food, we a re obsessed
with it and I need to say a few words about smoothies, our modern-day food
invention. W e find all the power foods, combine them together and literally
dump th em into our bodies via  our morning smoothie. When we bypass
many o f the important functions, such as chewing, that t urn on our
digestion, we undermine our body’ s intelligence and we don’ t achieve the
results th at we may have anticip ated. As much as we may want to, we can’ t
outsmart Nature. Stacie came to me suffering fr om bloating that lasted thr oughout the day but
was esp ecially bad after br eakfast. I discover ed that she was making
smoothies out of what she believ ed to be all good stuff, and she was making
enough to last for thr ee or four days as a way to save time. Right off the bat,
I kne w t hat this was causing her bloating: too many ingr edients wer e being
mixed together at once, and the  food wasn’ t fr esh after the first serving. It
was fermenting, making it unsuitable for consumption. Although Stacie was
trying to  eat healthily and save t ime, her effort did not work. As soon as she
stopped the smoothies and r eplaced them with a warm, cooked br eakfast,
the bloating went away .W e a re s wimming in informatio n about what we should be eating every day
to re main healthy , and there is a  lot of good food available to us . Getting all
of what we need  sometimes feels like a full-time job. None of us can keep
up with that. So, it seems easy to dump all the goodness we can find into
one sing le drink  and stop worrying about it. Can’ t figure out a way to
incorporate supe rfoods into your diet? Eating on the run all th e time? No
worries, just toss all the goodies you can find into your smoothie! Here’ s t he catch: the most or ganic and nutrient-dense ingredients don’ t
operate the way we might ex pect. Mixing many dif ferent textures and
tastes, a nd combining foods that should not be combined, undermines the
intelligence of the body and we pay the price in the long run. But there’ s something else wrong with this picture! When w e drink our meals, we do n’ t chew them. Chewing is one  of the most
important triggers for turning on our digestive juices. Chewing allows you
to e xperience eating, and chew ing longer changes the taste of food to
sweetness. What’ s more, when we add too many ingredients into our
smoothie—and especially ones that don’ t combine well—we are launching
an assault on our digestive system. T R E A T  Y O U R  B O D Y  G E N T L Y
Morning is not a  good time to drink your food. Y our body is stil l in “fasting
mode” after the previous night ’ s dinner and it has been busy digesting,
cleansing and eliminating (at the cellular level) while we were sleeping. When you awaken in the morni ng, your body needs to be treated gently . It
needs something warm and gentle, such as oatmeal, a cooked apple, fresh
toast with nut butters, eggs, hot tea, etc. W e can have smoothies later on in
the day if we choose, but keep the following in mind so they  deliver the
goodness that you are after:
1 . Fruits and vegetables should not be combined in a smoothie as your
body digests fruit much faster than vegetables. But food stays  in the
stomach until the last ingredie nt is digested and processed, s o fruitsugar fro m a smoothie will start  fermenting the vegetables before they
are fully digested. This creates bloating, gas and toxicity in the gut. 2 . Most greens are bitter and as tringent in taste and they ar e both
catabolic (which means they promote a process which breaks down
tissues) and cooling. T o introduce them in the morning when your
body ne eds gentle nourishment af fects your ability to metabolize food
throughout the rest of the day . 3 . Drinking too much raw (uncooked) green vegetables aggravates the
Air and Space element, or V ata, and we’ll talk about these issu es later
in the book. Mo reover , ingesting raw and cold food like these r educes
the ef ficiency of our digestion. 4 . Long-term depe ndence on smoothies generally leads to nut ritional
depletion, even if you may notice a power sur ge in the short term after
you drink one; many of my clients have ended up feeling sick despite
quaf fing a power smoothie daily . 5 . Adding nut butters and extra fats to smoothies makes them dif ficult to
digest and ultimately will creat e toxins in your body , instead  of the
nourishment that you had intended. If yo u en joy smo othies and want to include them in your diet, incorporating
some of the tips below will help you obtain the benefit you seek from them. 1 . Think of the sm oothie as a snac k and not a substitute for a meal. So,
mid-afternoon is a good time to drink one, if you are hungry . 2 . Make ei ther a green smoothie or a fruit smoothie. A void combining the
two. 3 . Making a smoothie with just two or three dif ferent fruits is okay such
as berries and mango, or berries and pineapple. 4 . Drink your smoothie at room temperature. 5 . Add water instead of coconut or almond milk
6 . Far better than a green smoothie is to eat your greens cooked, rather
than raw . Sauté them lightly in  ghee (clarified butter) with the spice
mix. (See recipe in Chapter 16 ). T his will give you all the b enefits
without any of the drawbacks.7 . T ry cele ry , carrot and beet juice as a tonic and ener gy boost. (4-6  stalks
of celery , 2-3 carrots, ½ a beet)
O U R  D I S C O N N E C T I O N  F R O M  F O O D
S O U R C E
Where does our food come from? How does it end up in our local grocery
store? How is it produced? Who produces it? Right at the corner of my subdivision, ther e is a beautiful mulberry tr ee. It is
as healthy as ca n be as it gets full sunlight and it has a lot of sp ace to gr ow . The tr ee  is full of berries thr oughout the summer months. I often stop by the
tr ee on my walks and grab a few handfuls of berries to enjoy . One day , a
man driving by stuck his head o ut his car window and asked, “Can you eat
those?” I answer ed, “I hope so , because I am eating them!” Then he said,
“My wife won’ t go near them as she does not trust food right off of the
tr ees.”
So, this is where we are when i t comes to knowing the source of our food! W e happily buy food from grocery stores without question, but  won’ t trust
it right of f of th e tree, its source . The one thing we can do is trust food wehave picked right from its source. It is what’ s in the store that needs our
attention and discernment. The path from the tree to the groc ery store is
what we must q uestion and understand. W e know crops are treated with
pesticides. W e just don’ t know much about their impact on our health. Much of that information is coming out now . The further the food grows
from our home, the more it ’ s treated with chemicals to sustain its
“freshness.” Some of it may be necessary , and some is clearly overdone. The best thing to do is buy or ganic and locally grown food wherever
possible. T H E  P R O T E I N  C O N U N D R U M
Another big concern surrounds meat products and how they are produced. If nothin g else would make us question our dietary habits, then the link
between meat consumption and  disease should wake us up. The National
Cancer Institute2 has linked red m eat consumption to cancer , heart disease,
respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, infections, kidney disease, and liver
disease. The link to disease is not just because of the chemic als applied
while the animals are still alive and then again after they are killed, it is also
as a result of the cruelty imposed on these animals
Animal cruelty in the productio n of meat is not an unknown subject. W e
conveniently ign ore it, as, wha t can we do about it, anyway? Giving up
foods that we have come to love is something we are not willing to do. And,
in p articular , if this has been a way of living for you, changing  it may not
feel possible. Nonetheless, it is worth knowing how the m eat that we
consume is produced and what  path it has taken on its way to our dinner
plate. Animals are force-fed, treated h eavily with chemicals, confined , and killed
in the most inhumane ways po ssible, all so we can have our protein. W e
justify it because we feel we need what we need. A few  things are
noteworthy here . Our lives are far more important than the lives of these
animals, yet we consume them in the hopes of completing our nourishment. How is that possible? On the surface, this may seem only a mora l issue. It is
far more than th at, as the moral issue af fects our spirituality and  in turn our
healing. Y es, spirituality and healing are not separate things, they are oneand the same. W hen I talk abou t health, I am talking about more than our
physical health. Health here is a ll-encompassing, and includes our spiritual
health. By switching to or ganic meat, we may improve its quality , but the
moral di lemma still remains, which af fects our spirituality , our healing, and
our Karma. And we can rationalize it in any way possible to justify our
actions. Whethe r we can justify it or not does not have anything  at all to do
with the ef fect it has on our health. W e are all fami liar with the laws of Karma, which suggest yo u “Do onto
others as you want done to you,” and we remember that “What goes around,
comes a round.” When we treat life unkindly , we are treating ourselves
unkindly , it is t hat simple. W e can’ t sustain life by taking life; we can’ t
experience kind ness when all we have imparted is cruelty . Denial, or
pretending this isn’ t so, does no t make a dif ference to the law o f Karma. It
is a simple science of action and reaction or cause and ef fect. What we do to
Nature, we do to ourselves, as we are not separate from it. Th is is how it
works, whether we like it or not. W ith every bite of meat, we al so ingest pain and suf fering, as that is the
ener gy that is i n the meat. A long with protein, the pain an d suf fering
becomes our pain and suf fering . W e are part of the whole of Creation. The
abuse of animals leads to the abuse of our kindness, our heart and our
Consciousness. This creates a huge disconnect from the source of our food
and a total disconnect from our own Source. W e are so far removed from
the source of our food that we pretend that it does not matter how it got to
our table. W e pretend that the abuse of animals is irrelevant just  because we
did not directly cause it. W e may not see animals’ pain, but we can surely feel it. If you truly desire
to find out what’ s going on with your “food,” a trip to the slaughterhouse
will do the trick. In spite of technological advancements, ther e is endless
suf fering in the w orld and an epidemic of disease. This is not a coincidence. Everything af fec ts everything else. Life for life; when we take l ife, we sow
the seed  of our o wn demise. Because we are all connected and made of the
same stuf f, we are part of the collective Karma. Please u nderstand that Karma is not a judgement or punishment from the
Creator . It is sim ply an ener gy that is created through our action s. W e createKarma ( good an d bad) every moment in our lives by our thoughts, by what
we d o and what we say . What’ s needed is for us to take responsibility for
the Karma we c reate. This can b e a great motivator to mindful living on all
levels. Good Karma creates posi tive ener gy and bad Karma crea tes negative
or dark ener gy . Both the ener gies are part and parcel of our being. The obj ective is  to transmute t he dark ener gy into love. Ano ther way of
understanding i s to accept our own darkness and in the accepting, we
expand more into who we are: Love! Darkness is as much a part  of love and
light, it is in accepting and owning our darkness, that we move to light. So,
we d on’ t use Karma to control others, rather to point out the r esult of our
actions, as every action creates a reaction and this process is explained by
Karma. Anythin g more than wh at is explained here is beyond the scope of
this book and, frankly , beyond my own understanding. And is the cost of meat produc tion worth its benefits? Not to mention the
psychological ef fects on those who are at the front line of produ cing it. So,
these are some of the issues to consider if we want to consum e meat. W e
can’ t ex pect healing from acts o f violence to life—all of life. This may not
be convenient. T ruth seldom is! This is what connecting to our food source looks like. It requires
Consciousness a nd our willingness to look beyond what’ s on our dinner
plate. Introspection of one’ s life and life choices has never hurt anyone. T aking a  life may not kill us imm ediately but it sure kills someth ing like our
humanity , empa thy , love and ki ndness. It sure is a death of “h onoring all
life” and harmonizing with the whole of Creation. F E E L  D E E P L Y ,  T H I N K  D E E P L Y ,  L O V E
D E E P L Y
This deep connection with wha t surrounds us, with Nature and all life is a
way of deeper connection wit h ourselves. W e can’ t continue to live a
superficial life and expect deep  transformation. Our life journey is to feel
deeply , think deeply and love deeply because we can af ford to. W e can
always af ford to care more and love more.T o give up food s that we have come to love is never easy . As  mentioned
earlier , instead of taking an “ all-or -nothing” approach, the point is to
become more conscious and understand that food is the sou rce of our
ener gy a nd the ener gy of our fo od af fects our own ener gy . In that way of
thinking, you are already starti ng to think beyond what’ s on your dinner
plate. This opens up a lot more possibilities and choices for you than you
may have originally thought. W e have free will, we can do what we choose. But it would be wise to choose with an expanded awareness. I qu estioned whether to include this chapter in this book as I want to of fer
you the most unbiased thought process that I can. W ill it disturb those of us
who do eat meat? Is there some thing really wrong with eating meat? After
all, we are all in this circle of life and death. Perhaps the killing  of animals
for m eat consumption is a way to control the animal population and it is
what Nature wants? W ell, I believe that Nature has built in ways to control
both the animal and the human population. Who are we to decide if there
are t oo m any an imals on this pl anet? Frankly , there is an overpo pulation of
us h umans in the world, are we going to take that into our own  hands, too? Secondly , I believe that which g ave life, all  life, has the lone right to take it. Life and death are better left i n the hands of the Creator . And that, my
friends, is neither you nor me . Whether you eat meat on not, I firmly
believe that we won’ t get far b y torturing and killing animals. Our health
and healing is directly related to it. The pro tein worry isn’ t real. Being a vegetarian all my life, I  have never
worried about having enough protein, or lacking ener gy and  strength. I
participated in sports and even today remain quite physically active. I share
this with you to break the myth that meat is the only source  of protein. Massive protein  intake from animal products is not necessary for good
health a nd, in fact, there is growing evidence to indicate it can  actually be
quite harmful to us. The beli ef that we need lar ge amounts of meat protein is imparted to us
from a very young age by our cu lture and it is reinforced with near -constant
exposure to of ficially-sanctioned national food guides and food pyramids. W e mus t pay attention to the  source of these guidelines and question
whether they are really are in the best interest of our health. Animalproducts such as fish, dairy , eggs and meat are marketed as the only
complete source of protein and are based on a “one-size-fits-all” approach
to nutrit ion. The y give no consideration to issues that are key to a holistic
view of health, such as an ind ividual’ s age, gender , unique constitution,
state of balance, state of mind, or distinct level of spiritual awareness. So many of the  health issues that I encounter in my practice are directly
related t o meat consumption. When my clients move to a more plant-based
diet, they get he althier . Some of the results they experience include weight
loss, hig her ener gy , mental clarity , better sleep, normalized blood pressure,
decreased pain and an overall sense of well-being. In addition, many of my
female clients experience a reduction in hot flashes and normalized
menstrual cycles. While th ere are many illnesses that are linked to meat consumption, I have
yet to find an illness that comes from being vegetarian. It i s, however ,
important to note that the vegetarian diet may create some deficiencies
including vitamin B12. Consider evaluating your whole diet and adding
supplements where needed. Consider the following if you want to lean towards a more plant-based diet. 1 . Have a day without meat and see how you feel. 2 . Eat meat at lunch time only . Notice the ef fect on your sleep. 3 . Reduce meat portion size and combine it with plenty of leafy greens. 4 . Cook meat with digestive spices. (See the recipe for this in Chapter 16 )
Skip meat for tw o days with a goal of eventually eating it perha ps couple of
times a week, or once in a while. T rust your experiences and give your body
some time to adjust. There ar e many vegetarian sour ces of protein. While this is not a complete
list, here are a few I use most routinely in my diet:
All lentils and beans, chick peas, black eyed peas
Grains such as quinoa and amaranthGreen peas, artichokes, edamame, spinach, broccoli, asparagus , green
beans, all leafy greens
Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts,
chia seeds
Nut butters including tahini
Nutritional yeast, spirulina powder
Our culture of extremes and indulgences makes us perfect tar gets for
manipulation, make-believe, and marketing, and if we want a balanced and
complete view of what our nutritional needs truly are, we need to lean
heavily on our c ommon sense, wisdom and intelligence. W e need to replace
our old nutritional paradigm w ith one that is holistically devoted to our
health. Paying attention to the  changing seasons, your body’ s changing
needs, and the wisdom of Nature will promote long-term health and vitality . The changing seasons provide n atural dietary guidance, if we ar e willing to
pay attention. The wisdom and truth of Mother Nature points us to a high-
protein, high-fat  diet in winter , a very low-fat diet in the spr ing, a high-
carbohydrate die t in summer tha t is heavy on veggies, fruits and grains, and
back to a little heavier diet as fall begins. Spring is the log ical time to
restrict calories as it forces the body to reset its ability to use fat as a
primary source of fuel. In essen ce, a low-fat diet in spring forces our body
to burn its own fat, which is the goal of a ketogenic diet, our latest diet fad. Any diet can b e a medicinal d iet in the short term, however when the
desired results are achieved, we must get of f that diet. W H A T  A B O U T  D A I R Y ? The treatment of animals isn’ t a ny better when it comes to milk and dairy
production. T reated like milk-producing machines, cows are pl ugged in to
milking machines, they are force-fed and they are heavily drugged with
chemicals. The “motherly” qual ities that milk was revered for are no longer
available in the way milk is produced today . In In dia, cows a r e sacr ed and o ften a common household animal; they ar e
part of the fam ily . As a r esult,  milk is r ever ed and it’ s synonymous with
mother , nurturance and love. W e always had a cow while we wer e gr owingup. O ur cow wa s loved and car ed for . She had a big r oom in a  barn set in
the shad e and a nice br eeze blew  thr ough to keep her comfortable. She had
a big open space for walking in  the evenings and she had warm blankets at
night. She was b athed, fed and milked, and she was taken car e of well. In
r eturn, her milk nurtur ed the whole family and we enjoyed fr esh butter
every morning. Whenever our cow hear d my da d come home, she would not settle until he
came to see her . He would pet her and chat with her . She was a happy cow ,
and she would stand quietly and peacefully while being milked . I gr ew up
drinking hot, boiled milk at b ed time. Milk was rar ely consumed cold,
unless it  was a r eally hot day . Then we would put water into the raw milk
and add ice and sugar to make a cooling drink. I still enjoy the nutritive
qualities of milk I pur chase fr om a local dairy farm. W e d o what we can. There is no judgement on whether you eat meat or not,
drink m ilk or not. If you wish to consume milk, you may want  to follow a
few gui delines below to make it digestible. Most aller gies to  milk stem
from its wrongful consumption. Buy only or ganic or raw milk if possible. Get it from a reputable
source that you know cares for their cows with kindness. Never d rink mil k cold but rather dilute it with water (50/50), add a few
slices of  fresh ginger root, and bring it all to a boil first. Once you can
tolerate it, then you may not have to dilute it so much. Don’ t drink milk with salty food as it will curdle, and upse t your
stomach. Don’ t combine milk with yogurt, meat, cheese or eggs. Don’ t dr ink milk  at mealtime. It is a great bedtime treat, as it is natural
sleep aid and a laxative. How we  live and how we eat is not separate from how we heal. I encourage
all of my clients to keep an open mind and see if you can connect a little
more with the foods you consume to determine how they af fect your health
and well-being. All you need to do is pay attention, it does not require more
time. Attention takes as much time as inattention and it may give you a
sense of deeper connection and a sense of responsibility for yo ur part in it.W e mak e the world what it is! Each one of us matters. A void the all-or -
nothing approach as it tends to be temporary . Gain a deeper un derstanding
instead. Do what you can today  and this can change the direction of your
health. Think about a health issue that you may be having and see  if it has a
connection to what you ar e e ating by eliminating or r educing “that”
food.C H A P T E R  4O v e r c o n s u m p t i o n  a n d  A d d i c t i o n
W e are a cultur e of overconsumption. If a little is good, more must be
better . Big boys, big meals, fr ee refills, extra-lar ge fries, all-we-can-eat
buf fets, Costco and all-inclusive vacations are all part of our lifestyle. W e
are getting sicker as a nation in more ways than one. Do we have too much? Having too much can af fect us in one of two ways. It can create an
abundance mindset which m eans we feel secure and grateful with
everything we have and happily share it with others. This keeps the flow
going, m aking u s all feel abundant. Or it can make us feel insecure and
fearful of losing it. W e begin to hoard like pigs in mud, as if we have never
seen an item before and, who knows, we may never get it again! This
creates a “hungry ghost” as, reg ardless of how much we have, we feel we
don’ t have enough, and we there fore continue to overconsume. It’ s for each
one of us to figure out our own mindset and move in the directio n of feeling
abundant and secure. It ta kes more tha n skill to navig ate the culture of overconsumption and stay
true to our own goals and aspira tions. What’ s needed is a comp lete internal
rewiring, and a deep mindfulness. I have had my  own challenges with over consumption. Coo king small
portions was a big challenge for me as I had always seen food in lar ge
quantities due to the lar ge family into which I was born. Even in college
days, in spite of both lack of time and funds, when I did cook I would
pr epar e lar ge portions, much m or e than I needed, and I would shar e the
excess with my landlady . She wo uld enjoy what I had cooked and would say
that if I ate this way all the time , I would be very healthy! She h ad seen me
eating on-the-ru n or for getting to eat altogether , at which point she would
bring a cheese and tomato sandwich up to my r oom. I didn’ t know this was a pr oblem until I was a mom.I continued to cook lar ge portions but then I would get str essed about
having to finish what I had cooked. My sister suggested I fr eeze the
leftovers, which I did, only to r e alize that some dishes ar e just not meant to
be fr ozen. I o ver cooked because I simply b ought too much, which led to the str ess of
managing, cooking and eating the food. And the r eason I bought too much
is be cause I shopped at a very lar ge pr oduce market that not only had a
lar ge selection of pr oduce but a lar ge quantity of everything. Being a
vegetarian and a food lover , this widened my eyes way bigger than my
stomach and I would excitedly  and happily buy everything. Although I
mostly b ought v egetables and fruits, I ended up eating mor e than I needed
simply because I had bought mor e. Eventually I got a handle on over -
buying. I stopped going to the BIG stor e and learned to buy fr esh food every
few days instead of stockpiling it as if it wer e going out of style. Now , I often
simply r efrain fr om going to the gr ocery stor e until I finish wha t I have on
hand, which for ces me to become cr eative in my kitchen. Over -consuming food, material things, entertainment or any thing else,
points to two important issues. First, it means we are making up for an inner
lack of somethin g. Our subconscious plays a powerful role in compensating
for this lack, and  doesn’ t judge how we are doing that. But as we discussed
in Chapter 2 , foo d can’ t make up for what’ s missing in our lives. The
second t hing overconsumption indicates is that we feel somehow insecure
about having “enough,” even though we may have an abundance of
everything in our life. This scarcity mindset makes us greedy and we hoard. The more we h ave, the more w e want. When we have too much, fear of
losing it can set in. What if we won’ t have all this, all  the time? Overconsumption of anything c an’ t satisfy our needs, however; it can only
be corrected by connecting to our Source. T H E  D E S I R E  F O R  “ M O R E ”
T o some extent we have all bou ght into the belief that more is better . There
is a certain lure to the bigger ho me, the bigger car , the bigger refrigerator or
an extra freezer , the big screen T V , and the computer or mobile  phone with
bigger c apacity . And still the de sire for “more” remains. Perhaps there is aperception that having more con fers a higher status and a better quality of
life. Or we are trying to overcompensate for not having had eno ugh at some
point in our live s. The accumulation of material things, includin g food, may
give us a higher status, but a healthier and happier life is a bala nced life. A
better life is a healthier life. Food is everywhere we turn and it has become normal for people to
overindulge at social gatherings, and snack non-stop. It is impor tant to point
out that we can  overconsume healthy food as well, at which point it can
become “too much of a good thing.” Overconsumption of processed food is
a m uch bigger c ause of concern as it creates a deficiency in our body that
we then must seek to balanc e. The average grocery store sells more
processed food than fresh, “real” food, which obviously encourages
increased consu mption of processed food. The more processed food we
purchase, the more retailers make available and, as more becomes available,
the mor e we purchase. I conte nd that the overconsumption of processed
food pro ducts le ads to disease. Prevention is the ultimate cure  and that is
what we are after when we use food as medicine. W e can thank the marketing world, as well, again, for luring us into
overconsumption. The slogan, “the more you buy , the more y ou save” is
true only if you buy more because you NEED it, and because it is going to
move you in the direction that you have set for your life and your health. This af fe cts us psychologically . W e don’ t even think to pick ju st one apple
when there are hundreds in a bin. By prepacking quantities o f a fruit or
vegetable, the stores are suggest ing that we buy that amount and, unless we
are payi ng atten tion, we just f ollow along, only to realize th at we have
bought too much when we get home. W e can learn from this experience. W e
can pack our ow n quantity in a  separate bag and buy what we need rather
than buying what we are told  to buy . More food just d oes not just take  up more space in our refrigerators, it takes
up space in our body as well. D O N ’ T  S A V E  M O N E Y . S A V E  Y O U R  H E A L T H . B U Y  L E S S !I hosted a Sufi Saint in my yoga studio a few years ago. His mission was to
travel to  as many places as he c ould to spr ead his love and blessings. Many
people showed up to get his ble ssings. T wo stories about his v isit come to
mind: The Sufi S aint’ s disciple asked me for water and asked that I only fill
the glass half wa y . He kneeled d own in my kitchen next to the sink and with
both han ds drank the water as if it wer e the nectar of life. He drank the
entir e amount. He asked for only what he needed and did not waste a dr op. The Sufi  Saint’ s comments on wo rry and fear also stuck with me. He pointed
to the bir ds outs ide and said, “ do they have a fridge? They eat when they
ar e hung ry and always find the ir next meal. W e have extra fr eezers in our
basements and garages and yet we ar e worried about our next m eal.” I find
a lot of truth in his wor ds. In Michigan, it is normal to have a couple of
snow storms in the winter months. I am always perplexed when I see the
long lin es at the gr ocery stor e a day befor e the storm. Y ou wo uld think it
wer e Christmas ! Everyone is eager to stock up and be r e ady for the
snowstorm. Ar en’ t our kitchens stocked up enough for one day? The storm
lasts a day at most. ONE DA Y! And the gr ocery stor es ar e packed! Instead of rejoicing in the abundance that has been bestowed upon us, we
hoard. So, regardless of how much we have, there is a scarcity
programming running through our minds and that’ s what needs to be
rewired. W e are on this merry-g o-round of overconsumption while moving
further and further away from real health, happiness and joy! W e must get
of f, and get of f quick! O V E R C O N S U M P T I O N  A N D  W E I G H T  L O S S
Nearly all of us are trying to lose weight, which means the weight-loss
industry is now a multi-billion dollar industry . This is a crucial issue. W eight gain is not just weight  gain, it is heart failure, tissue and or gan
degeneration, depression and anxiety , and missed opportunities. Food can
create either disease or health. It  is up to us to decide what we want it to do
and choose accordingly . W eight  gain requires no ef fort, only mindlessness
and lack  of responsibility for one’ s own health; weight loss, on the other
hand requires persistent ef fort, and every ounce of our awareness.The best way to lose weight is to not put it on in the first place. O V E R C O N S U M P T I O N  A N D  F O O D
A D D I C T I O N S
Overconsumption can easily lea d to food addictions, especially if you are
consuming suga rs or foods that turn into sugars. Refined suga r , processed
foods and simple carbohydrates  are addictive. Addiction is a norm for us
humans. W e are all addicted to comforts, conveniences, happin ess and life
working according to our whims. What happens if we lose the in ternet for a
day , or lose our phone? If we l ove something, we want more of it all the
time. All the wa ys we discussed in Chapter 2  abo ut o vercoming emotional
hunger a pply to addictions as w ell. What works is dif ferent for everyone. The quic kest path to overcome any addictions is to transcend them through
meditation. W e connect with our Higher Self which is complete and
wholesome. Wh en we solidify our connection with that part o f ourselves,
food becomes a medicine that prevents disease and keeps us vibrant and
healthy . This is how we internally rewire. It is dif ficult to go against the grain of society . What would it be like if our
individual ef fort s to stay healthy were not undermined by money-minded
corporations? W e must be a step ahead and keep our wits about us. Food is
our ultimate health insurance. More is not better . Here are a few things
worth considering. 1 . A h eightened awar eness is r e quir ed to tune into our habi ts and
behaviours and especially our needs. W e mus t develo p a habit of making new habits. The same applies to
eating habits. Which ones are working and which ones need  to be
ditched? Much like the paint color in our homes or our wardrobe,
habits need a review and an update from time to time. W riting down
what we  are eating is a great w ay to know how much we are a ctually
eating, which can give us awareness on what needs changing. 2 . Real food is the answer to food addictions. Much of food ad diction relates to junk—processed food produc ts. Themiddle aisles in most grocery stores are filled with these pr oducts. That is your disease in the making. A void them. 3 . Buy most of your food fr om the pr oduce section. Some st ores hav e a natural secti on where they keep all of their o r ganic
food and food products. Remember , the goal of the stores is to improve
their bottom line, not your heal th. Sometimes, they will intentionally
place he althy it ems in the mid dle aisles to lure you into buying the
other food products that are there. Just being aware of that is helpful. 4 . Pick a smaller cart or , better yet, use a shopping basket. Y ou can also take your own reusable bag with you. By doing that you
have already set the ceiling on how much you will buy . 5 . At meal times, take only what your two hands can hold. I ha ve f ound tha t our physical h unger is satisfied with little fo od, the
extra is to feed out emotional hunger . I heard “The Banquet is in the
first bite” often during my studies, and I remind myself and my clients
of this often. It really reminds us to increase our presence and therefore
our enjo yment of our food. T aking time to sit down and enjoy a meal
without distracti ons will not onl y give us more satisfaction but also the
time nee ded for our digestion to work well (we’ll talk more abo ut that
later!). Bringing  awareness to the taste, texture, aroma and c olor of
your foo d, and being in gratitude for the working hands that m ade it
possible for it t o be on your table, will make eating a who lesome
experience and will satisfy you more than in just the physical sense. Y ou can always take more if you still desire it. 6 . Use a smaller plate and bowl for your meals. Skipping meals leads to eating more as our body needs the calo ries to
function. When we skip a meal with the hopes of losing weig ht, we
more than make up for it at the next meal. It is better to eat a small
meal than to skip it altogether . 7 . Find other ways to soothe yourself. Make self-care your default pattern in any challenge because tha t is all
you can  do sometimes. Giving  yourself an oil massage, med itating,
praying, eating and sleeping on time, reading a book, soaking your feet
or soaking in th e tub, and going  for a walk in Nature are some of the
ways to take care of yourself and add sweetness and love into your
life.8 . Lack of movement or exer cise leads to over eating. Lack of movement leads to inertia and then we look to fo od for
stimulation. That’ s when we end up reaching for high-fat and high-
sugar foods for a quick ener gy boost. When our lifestyle is sed entary ,
we are not likely  to chomp on a carrot when hungry . W e tend t o want
heavy foods. But when we are active and have more ener gy , we don’ t
need the quick e ner gy from food, rather we choose nourishing meals
and we tend to e at less. In other words, we choose the foods that  match
our ener gy: whe n we feel heavy  and lethar gic, we tend to want heavy
foods; w hen we feel ener getic, w e gravitate towards foods with higher
ener gy , or prana (life force). 9 . Eat to live or live to eat? This is worth po ndering. Is food taking center stage in our lives or are
we taking center stage with food  as an ally that is supporting our life’ s
purpose? What rings true for you? A lack of other interests or passions
can make us obsess about food. Pay attention to that. Food is important
but it is a means to an end. Food is the fuel that we need to propel
forward towards our aspirations and desires. If you find y ourself
constantly think ing about food, notice if you have other things in your
life to hold your interest. Refer to Chapter 2  on the t ools to overcome
emotional hunger . It is what we do  consistently that matters. Occasional overcon sumption is
not a problem if we eat in a balanced way most of the time. And, in fact,
overconsumption isn’ t just about food. It could be Netflix, s hopping, or
something else. Only you can know why you do this—give it so me thought. Just simple ways of introspection can give us great insights about our inner
world. Life is not about perfection; it is a practice. If you’d like to reflect a
little mo re deepl y on your health and your behaviour , it might be helpful to
complete the health questionnaire situated on my website:
https://www .ayurvedichealingcenter .com/ayurveda/initial-consulation-
questionnaire/ . Do you tend towards overdoing things? Is ther e a lack in your life of something else?C H A P T E R  5L a c k  o f  P e r s o n a l  R e s p o n s i b i l i t y
Over the  course  of my career , I have had the privilege of speaking to many
groups and or ganizations and at many events. One event I participated in
was for cancer patients and survivors. This event included a segment wher e survivors went up on stage and shar ed
their sto ries of surviving cancer . One survivor shar ed that she ate her
carr ots a t lunch  or dinner , at which point everyone cheer ed and  applauded,
and she took a b ow . Something about this disturbed me. What seemed like
encouragement felt like condesc ension. It felt to me as though not caring
about oneself was the accepted norm and caring about oneself i.e. thr ough
eating right was out of the norm and warranted applause. It was like
saying, “Oh, isn’ t it nice that YOU take car e of yourself, ar en’ t you
special!” Our expectations of others ar e so low that when someone exceeds
our expe ctations they merit applause. This in a very subtle way sets the
societal norm. Our society and the medical world expect that we ar e too
dumb to take car e of ourselves. Y ou eat a carro t and the wor ld applauds! What happens if they don’ t
applaud, do you stop eating your carrot? At s ome point i n our lives, we must take responsibility for our  own health
and the  rewards are personal and internal. Y our health isn’ t anyone’ s
concern. It must be yours. T aking char ge of our health ignites our spirit and
lights th e path before us, and th is is what we give up when w e leave our
health in someone else’ s hands. This event, by the way , was sponsored by a hospital. Coincidentally , at the
same ev ent, the breakfast that was served included sugar -glazed cinnamon
buns, m uf fins, donuts and cold cantaloupe or melon for good measure, just
to “bala nce” and “health” things out a little. In serving that  food to their
patients, the hospital made a loud and clear statement: “Food has nothing to
do with your illness or your healing.” This level of disconnect came right
from the custodians and gatekeepers of our health! W e are willing tounder go extensi ve treatments but we are not willing to eat ri ght. W e are
willing to subject our bodies to  drugs and their side ef fects yet we don’ t
think that what we eat has any bearing on our health at all. This is how
disconnected we are. W e can’ t be anything but personally responsible for
our health! W e can’ t outsou rce our thinking to others. “T ell me what to do exactly and I
will foll ow .” “G ive me the quick fix so I don’ t have to deal with life.” What
seems easy in th e beginning makes life harder in the end. What feels harder
in the beginning can make our life easier . Don’ t follow! Lead, instead, by
example! T aking responsibility means educating yourself; learning how to
live and  eat; speaking up when all your doctor does is hand you a script for
drugs; d emanding more from yourself and your life and living  up to your
potential. This is what is neede d in these times. Sooner or later we must
assume r esponsibility and take char ge of our own health. Anythi ng less than
that will leave us wide open and a tar get for money makers where our
illness becomes their opportunity; our ignorance provides a way  in for them
to s ell us the path they have already laid out for us, the pat h of drugs,
specialists, and testing when it may not be what we needed to begin with. Over 15 years ago, I injur ed my shoulder while practicing a hand stand
with my friend, a nother Y oga teacher . I didn’ t r ealize at that time that I had
injur ed it and ther e wasn’ t muc h pain. But my shoulder did not work the
same and slowly I lost the full r ange of movement, which started to distort
my alignment. Not knowing wh at this was, I compensated by  over doing
things w ith my other arm and made it all worse to the point w her e it hurt
just to touch the shoulder . This d isrupted my sleep and made oth er functions
of my life like d riving and putting a seat belt on very difficul t. Finally , I
went to a doctor and he told me  that ther e was calcification in the shoulder
joint and then he just very ca sually scheduled a sur gery . He said that
sur gery would be no big deal and they would r emove the calcification. Sur gery had never even occurr e d to me until he scheduled it for  me. I liked
this doctor and he meant well. This happened so quickly that I was left
dumbfounded and confused. I had gone in to find out what was  wr ong with
my shou lder an d walked away with a pr escription for sur gery , all in the
matter o f 5-10 minutes. I r emember thinking that per haps this is all normal,everyone has sur geries and now it is my turn. I har dly go to the doctor and I
didn’ t tune into my confusion and this cloud that was hanging over my
head. Luckily , I ran into someone who had had a similar sur gery mor e than a year
earlier and she was still not healed. She said that what I had was called
fr ozen shoulder . That is the first time I had hear d that term. Right then, I
sensed that sur gery was not my only option. I took matters into my own
hand. I needed t o know exactly what was wr ong with the shoulder , i.e. was
something torn? Fr ozen shoulder could mean a number of things. After
ruling all that out with an MRI, I knew what I had to do. W ith some physical
therapy and mostly my own yoga therapy and diet to r educe inflammation, I
started to heal my shoulder . W i thin a year , I was 90% healed and shortly
afterwar ds r egained my full range of movement. Like you , I also thought doctor s knew best.
_OceanofPDF.com_Healing_Your_Relationship_with_Food__The_A_-_Meena_Puri.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Sip on a cup of tea or a glass of water. Grab an orange. While y ou’re wa iting, check in with yourself. How are you feeling. What’ s
going on emotionally. Even if you end up eating, you’ll have a better
understanding of why you did it. This can help you set yours elf up for a
dif ferent response next time. It may take you a few tries to clue in as to
whether or not your hunger is related to your emotions. Anything you eat
outside of your meals is worth paying attention to. Our body is hig hly intelligent, however we can definitely undermine that
intelligence if we stuf f our cravings with fatty and sugary snacks. Cravings
tend to hit between meals, especially if our meals are missing t he nutrients
and taste s our body needs. In fa ct, cravings are indicative of an  imbalance
in our physiology. In my clinical practice, I have noticed an interestingassociation betw een the tastes my clients crave and their psychological
implications. Here’ s what I have discovered: sweet cravings point to th e need for
nurturance or love in our lives. Salty or spicy cravings may point to the
need of adding some spice or zing to our lives. Cravings for bitter foods
may be due to the need to dige st the bitter in our lives, perhaps our own
bitterness. Crav ings for astringent tastes may point to the need to set
boundaries, and cravings for pungent foods means we need to experience a
kick, or more passion, in our l ife. Cravings for sour taste may indicate a
need to be more flexible or ada ptable to life’ s ups and downs. Don’ t take
this too seriously, but it may help you to think beyond your cravings. 6. A V O I D  E X T R E M E S
Extremes tend to present one of the major challenges in our relationship
with foo d. Whet her we are deali ng with guilt, shame, or other emotions, we
very often end up in a state of either overconsumption or utter rigidity in
our diets. W e continue to swing like a pendulum from one extreme to the
other. Here are my thoughts on why this is so: extremes give us a solution, a
short-term one and a misguided  one, but a solution nonetheless. W e know
what to do when we are taking an all-or -nothing approach to our food. Either w ay, we don’ t need to think, we simply follow the path we’ve laid
out for ourselves. Thinking and figuring out food-related solutions without a logical, pre-
determined system to guide us is challenging to our mind. When we can’ t
figure it out, we give up and do what’ s easiest. W e have all be en there, at
least I know I have. As I mentioned earlier, we mess up our body’ s
intelligence by ignoring it. The way to restore it is to go deeper than the
craving and satisfy it by adding real nutrients to our meals. Wh en our body
and min d are balanced, we actually can eat whatever we want, as what we
want is the same thing as what our body needs. When we understand and
honor our body’ s innate intelligence, we can reap its benefits. Doesn’ t that sound like a se lf-functioning fool-proof system. It was
certainly design ed that way. Ou r body communicates to us and we listen toit. Our eating lines up with what our body needs. W e become intuitive, our
body responds and remains intel ligent, and we become even mo re intuitive. This is how living and eating is meant to be. Our long term obj ective is for
our who le being to function coh esively. How do we get to that stage. W e
begin w here we are, as we are, with a small tiny step in the direction of
following our own intelligence. If yo u ar e curiou s about how yo ur relationship with food might be af fecting
your overall health and wellbeing, then I invite you to complete the
questionnaire on my website. It will help you think a little more deeply
about w here you are in your healing journey and perhaps give you a few
things to  consid er as you read the rest of this book. Y ou can find it here:
https://www. ayurvedichealingcenter. com/ayurveda/initial-consulation-
questionnaire/. It isn’ t that we don’ t know what’ s right and wrong for us. It is just that we
don’ t do the right thing, even when we know we should. Our bod y is always trying to ach ieve homeostasis; a point of eq uilibrium in
all its functioning. It is always a  balancing act. Balance is how we want to
think wh en it comes to food. Not too much and not too little— the middle
ground, where growth happens. W e want to lean towards the mi ddle ground
and have an easy relationship w ith food. Do you love chocolate. Enjoy it in
moderation. Y ou  seldom need t he whole bar. A couple of squares will do. No food should be taboo if you  enjoy it. A voiding what you love will take
you to the other extreme of binging on it. Moderation is key. When you
become too strict with food i. e. “I will never ever eat _______,” the ur ge to
break that rule will grow just as strong because we have something called
an ego, the culprit that keeps us stuck. (Mind you, it can be a blessing if we
understand how to use it. ) Findi ng the middle ground is the answer to many
of our challenge s in life and if we can become comfortable getting to that
place, w e will grow tremendously and find the inner peace and l ove that we
are ultimately seeking (we’ll talk more about that later). As I  me ntioned earlier, we can start with one step that we feel we can do. This will take us to the next step, and so forth. All the tools given here are
interdependent and not mutually exclusive. Following one technique will
help you with another. For example, writing in your food and mood journal,and exploring your beliefs about food, will raise your awareness to the point
where you may no longer care to indulge in the extremes, but can find a
middle ground. 7. A S S E S S  Y O U R  L I F E S T Y L E
It is rarely the case that our struggles are only with food. W e show up as we
are in all areas of our life. Our struggles with food have less to do with food
and more to do with us, as in, how we are being or showing up in our lives. In o ther words, our struggles are not isolated, rather they are re lated to the
whole o f our life. My clients d on’ t just have digestion issues, they have
issues with “digesting” their lives. Our lifestyle has to do with how we live, how we think, how we relate to
others and to Nature, and how we are being in our communities. Our
sleeping habits,  our emotional habits and our relationship habits are all
connected. Whe n we make a change to improve one thing—l et’ s say our
sleep habits—we improve our emotional health and our relationships. This
is re al medicine. How is your sleep. Both the quantity and the quality
matter. Sleep deprivation leads to over -indulgence in sugary and fatty foods,
not to mention caf feine. What about your shopping habits, particularly your
grocery shopping habits. What’ s in your pantry and fridge. W e won’ t eat
healthily if we d on’ t shop healthily. Who cooks in your home. What about
relationships. This is another big area that af fects our health. One of my
clients had chr onic back pain w hich disappear ed once she decided to leave
her toxic r elationship. Are  you happ y with your ca reer. What else is
unresolved in your life that may be pulling you down. As you do this self-
inquiry, you may notice patterns of behavior repeating in all areas of your
life. Thi s may give you a cleare r picture of what the real issues are, which
may be far bigger than just food. It is clear that ou r food struggles are not limited to food. Food struggles are
indicative of other bigger struggles in your life that also need resolving. When we begin to heal one area  of our life, we heal the whole of our life; it
happens natural ly and simultaneously. No extra ef fort is required but
allowance is a must. In the meantime, you can find some gentle, healthy
ways to soothe yourself other than with food. Feeling exhausted. T ake a hotbath or a nap. S et up a bedtim e routine. Have a cup of tea. Light some
candles. Slow down and just be. Sit with a warm blanket and a cup of tea
and enjo y lookin g out the wind ow. Feeling anxious and worried. Learn to
pray. Create an altar in your ho me to “physicalize” your prayers. T alk to a
friend, g o for a w alk. Y ou get th e picture. Y ou can do this, one tiny step at a
time. 8. M O V E,  M O V E,  A N D  M O V E
I can ’ t s tress thi s enough. Our b ody represents the sub-stratum of our mind. Moving and breathing is how w e circulate the ener gy of stagna nt thoughts
and feelings and help them trans form. W ithout involving our body, we can’ t
experience freedom or peace, we can only talk about it. Both breathing and
meditating are inner movements  that do the trick. Outer movements which
engage the physical body, such as walking, running, swimming, yoga,
biking, playing sports, and gym activities are all wonderful ways to move. Everything is ener gy and freque ncy is one way to measure it. O ur thoughts
and emotions are also ener gy. A sedentary body creates a dif ferent thought
than a body that is in motion. Give it a try. Dif ficulty getting out of bed in
the mor ning is a classical symptom of depression. The bod y has been
mostly still during sleep at night, but the situation gets better once the
person begins to move. Going for a brisk walk can immediately change
your mood. A body in moti on gives motion to your thoughts and feelings, allowing
them to transform. One of the principles of ener gy is that like a ttracts like. The mor e we remain stuck in ou r negative thoughts and emotions, the more
of the same we attract into our life. T o change our outer environment, we
need to change the inner environment i.
The author suggests taking a moment to check in with yourself, acknowledging your emotions, and then addressing the root cause of your hunger, rather than just eating to cope.
What is the author's suggestion for addressing emotional hunger?
The author emphasizes that the connection between food and health is not limited to just food, but rather it's a reflection of our overall well-being and the state of our lives. They encourage readers to explore their own life and address the root causes of their struggles, rather than just focusing on food.
What is the author's view on the connection between food and health?
The author suggests that cravings can be indicative of an imbalance in our physiology, and recommends exploring the emotional and psychological implications behind them. They also emphasize the importance of finding a middle ground and not overindulging in cravings.
What is the author's advice for dealing with cravings?
The author does not take a stance on whether or not to eat meat, but encourages readers to question the source of their food and consider the impact it has on their health and well-being. They also highlight the importance of mindfulness and connection with the food we eat.
What is the author's stance on meat consumption?
The author emphasizes the importance of trusting our body's natural intelligence and not undermining it by ignoring our cravings or overindulging in food. They suggest that by honoring our body's needs, we can achieve a more holistic approach to health and well-being.
What is the author's perspective on the relationship between food and the body's natural intelligence?