Energetic approaches to diet

I have been formally studying nutrition and diet for ages. I have found the science aspect super informative, interesting but for me, there is more to diet than just that. Especially when prescribing diet. I find it so dissatisfying to discuss diet based on the functions of physical body solely - serving sizes, what's 'good' and 'bad' for you, what is healthy and unhealthy and what will prevent disease. There is so much more that goes into diet and diet affects you beyond your physical body. Your mind, thoughts and beliefs affect the energy of your food before it even goes into your body and affects the way your body deals with the food once in there.

There is so much more that comes into play when it comes to what you eat and how it affects your body. I like to consider your relationship with food, your eating habits – do they make you feel guilty, are they private and shameful, your thoughts about what you are about to eat, your beliefs about what this particular food or meal is going to do to your body and headspace are they unconscious and distracted – you consume these energies. For example, if you believe that peanut butter on toast is going to make you 'fat' then it may well do. Someone who eats the same delicious combo and thinks nothing of it regarding weight, or believes it will provide them energy and sustenance and nourishment – well, that is exactly what may happen. Belief and whether to not you allow yourself certain foods is huge, I think. Your beliefs, whether they are true in reality or not are your beliefs and you are going to believe them regardless. Those beliefs as energy, that you put into your food, can manifest into something. Energetics in food is something that I am interested in in regards to these beliefs. Some people talk about 'blessing' your food. Asking your meal to provide you with energy, light, love, to nourish you – taking the time to set this intention is so interesting to me. It is all about intent and being grateful for your food. If you put that energy into your food you then put that energy into your body. Energy of food isn't only relevant to the individual. There are entire systems of energetcis of food. Traditional Chinese Medicine and dietary energetics The stomach receives food and the spleen transforms the food into Qi and Blood. Qi is not exactly vital energy as we know it (see my previous post on Chinese Medicine), but this comes closest to defining Qi what Western language understands. Blood is also not as we define blood, and rather pertains to a more energetic concept. The Qi and the Blood and therefore the diet, affects the balances and harmonies of the body. For example, insufficient food can result in insufficient Qi and Blood, eating habits can determine the balance of the Qi and Blood. Certain foods can create dampness, heat, cold and dryness. In Chinese Medicine diet is a huge part and often food combinations are prescribed and aimed at heat for example. Chakra energy centres Chakra wise it is simple enough to create intent and energy surrounding your chakras by eating food the corresponds with with the colour of your energy centres. For example, the colour of the base chakra is typically red. Consume earthy coloured foods and red coloured foods – keeping in mind that wholefoods are energising. Tomatoes, berries, red rice, meat if that is a choice of yours and red wine are some examples. In addition, root vegetables are amazing for the base chakra because they, like the chakra itself, are close to or connected to the earth. The heart chakra is often seen as green. Whole green foods are incredibly beneficial nutritionally and from a scientific perspective. However, I have often come across the idea that cacao opens the heart chakra (look up cacao ceremonies) and that pink is a colour to introduce into your life when thinking about the heart chakra. So possibly pink foods are beneficial too. It is all about intentional energy. Ayurvedic diet Diet is prescribed in Ayurveda according the individual constitution. The constitution is in a way an energetic concept that can be manipulated by holistic approaches, including the diet. The constitution refers to the balance or imbalance of the three doshas – vata, pitta and kapha. For example (and I'll use myself [excess vata] as an example), certain foods and combinations can aggravate or serve the constitution. Someone with excess vata would ideally avoid excess amounts of dried fruit, apples, potatoes, tomatoes, ice cream (bad luck me), beef and green salad. Notably these are cooling foods and vata types require warming practices. Vata types would favour brown rice, avocado, red cabbage, oranges and bananas. The 'digestive fire', known as Agni regulates food intake and enhances the flavour experience. Given that vata types are 'cool', agni is not typically so prevalent. Activated Agni is indicative of hunger, so drinking instead of eating when your Agni is active, can 'put out the fire'. I think what is most important first and foremost, is the individual's energy and beliefs that go into their food.