The more I learn about food, the more I realize it is less about what you eat and more about the intention underlying why you are choosing to eat what you eat. I have been seeing the impact food has on human health since inception. I was intolerant to breast milk and was fed soy milk as a replacement. My first Weight Watchers meeting was at age 5 and I regularly attended Food Addicts Anonymous with my mother throughout my childhood. Food was not only the centerpiece of all events in my family, but both of my parents were/are gourmet chefs.
One event that changed my perception of the impact food has on health was when my mother lost her vision and she followed a macrobiotic diet and regained her vision in less than 8 weeks. This was a profoundly impactful experience for me. After over two decades of studying nutrition internationally, I know how to eat healthy and prevent disease, but eating to achieve peace in your heart, mind, body and soul is the most impactful way to perceive nutrition.
Eating for peace is a step-by-step process and extends beyond just your body and mind, it is a planetary step toward activism.
When you have a clean body, your mind is more at peace. The environmental toxins are at an all time high and of the 80,000 chemicals found in our environment today, only a fraction of them have been studied for their influence on human health. Please visit https://www.nrdc.org/issues/toxic-chemicals to learn more.
Of the chemicals identified, many are considered carcinogenic. Learn more about what you can do here
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/materials/cancer_and_the_environment_508.pdf
Learn more about the The Challenge: Chemicals in Today’s Society: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK268889/
The one thing that is in our control with the state of the environment today, is your choice. We can choose to detoxify our bodies from the onslaught of chemicals in our environment because no body is immune to this phenomena, and we have the power of choice.
The first step is to educate yourself about the reality of the toxins that are undeniably in our environment. They are literally in the air we are breathing, the water we drink, and the food we are eating.
The next step is choosing to eat organic food. Choosing to purchase organic food has a ripple effect that reverberates throughout the planet. This is where your choice becomes a step towards food activism. Choosing to eat at organic restaurants and buying organic food at the grocery store is an everyday choice that support a realignment with nature’s laws. Every dollar you spend has the potential to be a philanthropic investment in your health and the health of the planet.
The next step is to realize that every bite matters. Your body and the planet are resilient, meaning that they will heal when given the opportunity, but you have to choose to stop the consumption and stop supporting nonorganic farming practices by choosing to eat organic food.
Once your body has begun the process of clearing out herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and other known and unknown chemicals, it will begin to heal itself.
Clearing your body leads to a more peaceful mind, hence eating for peace.
The next step is to eat a plant-based diet. It is my belief that a plant-based diet is the solution for humanity at this time to reverse the damage we have caused earth with the production of animal products.
“Plant-based diets in comparison to diets rich in animal products are more sustainable because they use many fewer natural resources and are less taxing on the environment. Given the global population explosion and increase in wealth, there is an increased demand for foods of animal origin. Environmental data are rapidly accumulating on the un-sustainability of current worldwide food consumption practices that are high in meat and dairy products. Natural nonrenewable resources are becoming scarce, and environmental degradation is rapidly increasing. At the current trends of food consumption and environmental changes, food security and food sustainability are on a collision course.”
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/100/suppl_1/476S/4576675
The choice to adopt a healthy, balanced plant-based diet is a powerful way to eat for peace as you detoxify your body and clear your mind while helping the earth to do the same. Imagine the impact your choices could make in your lifetime of responsible, well-informed, healthy decisions?
Three simple steps in Eating for Peace:
- Educate yourself
- Eat organic food as often as possible
- Eat a plant-based diet
Although there is tremendous despair at the state of affairs on the planet as the Amazon is burning and often it feels like the world is getting out of control, you have control over how you spend your money and what you put into your mouth. These decisions have an impact on the future generations of humanity.
The effect on your psyche in trusting that your choices matter for your health both short and long-term are profound and create more peace. There is no separation between your health and the planet’s health and healing. There are many layers to this discussion and I encourage you to stay engaged in this conversation with me and others who are pioneering these topics.
Remember:
- Support restaurants who are keeping meat off the menu
- Support restaurants that are choosing to serve organic food
- Save water by choosing a plant-based diet
- Stop supporting the GMO industry
- Stop supporting the chemical pesticides industry