Stagnation. According to Dictionary.com, stagnation is "to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing". So allow me to explain why processed foods represent stagnation. Think about it, processed foods are designed to sit on the shelf for insanely long amounts of time. I mean INSANELY long amounts of time. They just sit there, with their little individually wrapped selves, unchanging, and completely uniform in taste, color, and texture with the rest of their kind.
So take a box of Twinkies, for example, you buy the brilliantly colored Hostess package with 10 promising sweets inside. The anticipation of the cake alone may bring back fond childhood memories and make you feel as sweet and fluffy as that white sugar cream in the middle of the Twinkie.
Ok, now that I've succeeded in making your mouth water, let me get back to my point.
These cakes are uniform in taste, color, texture, and size just like the last five boxes you had over the previous months. You know what to expect because they are all the same. I believe that subliminally you are receiving the message that things (and people) in life should be the same way: uniform and unchanging. This leads to stagnation, because everything becomes predictable.
Maybe processed food pushes us to stereotype people and situations because our mind wants to put everything into a little box, put the lid on, and label it. When you do this you cannot ever really get the true essence of what you are labeling. You cannot know something from attaching a label to it. You can merely know details about it.
Processed food comes with nutrition labels and ingredient lists in a pre-labeled, pre-branded package, this way we know what to expect, right?
But why does that attract us?
Does it make us feel "safe" and "comforted"?
Why don't we want a fresh fruit, vegetable, or nuts and seeds? After all, no two will ever taste the same. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors and textures so you never really know what to expect. Also, you cannot know what any given fresh produce contains because they are not individually labeled. They cannot be, science has not been able to determine every vitamin and mineral and healthful property of these foods.
But who cares, you eat it and then you feel the results. If you make a point to eat many of these you will see the results including clearer skin, more energy and a vibrant appearance to the people around you.
Unlike processed food which comes with labels and teaches you to expect uniformity and predictability, raw food is unpredictable and teaches you to embrace change and uncertainty. It may be sweet or sour, ripe or unripe, but at least it's unique, and subliminally you may get the message that it's okay to be different and unique.
Then you can apply that concept to other people and allow them to be different and unique. Raw food represents freshness and uniqueness. I believe that it can subtly teach us to be less and less judgmental and more loving and compassionate.
In contrast to processed food, fresh produce is not designed to sit on the shelf for extended periods of time. There is a window of opportunity to either eat it or allow it to go back to nature from the place from which it came. I believe this teaches you to take action, if you decide not to eat it you must let it go. It represents inner security by allowing the foods to come into your life then let them go. That's a beautiful concept.
Processed food encourages you to hold on to the past, because no matter what, 1 month later that Twinkie will still be sitting in your pantry waiting for you. It will still taste like it would have on the day you purchased it and it will still comfort you with fond memories and sugary ecstasy. But does it allow you to grow?
If you always look for uniformity what happens to creativity?
"The food you eat is a direct representation of how you feel inside."
I have just grasped this concept over the past months. I've had to deal with cravings for processed food that have made repeat appearances since my childhood. It's tough, and sometimes I get frustrated and feel like I am not going to succeed. But I know ultimately that I truly love myself and taking care of my body, mind, and spirit is part of that love. Both raw foods and processed foods play a part in how I feel inside, either positive or negative. So I make a choice, every meal of every day I choose to either love my body with healthful food or stuff my emotions with processed foods.
How does making food choices affect body, mind, and spirit?
Making a choice in the food you eat has an effect on your body, mind, and spirit in the following ways:
♦BODY: Everything you decide to put into your mouth (whether it's conscious or not) will either bring you closer to optimal health or farther away. Your choice will either give you vibrant energy or make you feel sluggish.
♦MIND: If your body feels sluggish, chances are your mind will follow close behind. If you are full of energy the sky is the limit! What you do to your body is also done to your mind.
♦SPIRIT: The spirit is affected by your state of mind (which was previously affected by your body). So as described by this chain effect what you choose to eat affects your whole being.
In wrapping this article up, I want to say that choosing to be healthy and pay attention to what you eat is a way to introduce consciousness into your life. It is one of hundreds of ways, so it may or may not be the ideal choice for you. I personally find that I have a passion for using healthy food to become more aware of myself, my habitual eating, and at last...my deepest emotions.
A good way to start is to make a mental note when you grab food from the cabinet. Ask yourself: What kind of food is it? Does it represent something to you? Does it bring back certain memories from anythings? What is your mood at this moment (stressful, calm, happy, depressed, etc.)? Are you truly hungry or in search of comfort? This will help you to discover a lot of your normal habits when it comes to food; you may just be amazed at what you learn. I know that I was surprised to learn that I have a habit of eating even though I'm not hungry.
As you become more and more aware of your habits, you may want to take it a step further. Write down your food habits, moods, food cravings and other related details in a notebook. This will give you a history you can come back to in the future to see how you made great changes.
Above all try not to make food an obsession. It is an open window to your psyche, do not allow it to become a trap. Remember, this is meant to be a positive self-discovery not a judging session every time you think you've fallen short. Look at your eating habits as though you were a small child curious about what makes a flower grow. The child would look at every part of the flower and ask "What does this part of the flower do?". He would not judge the flower for being small, with too few leaves, and growing at a crooked angle. Curiosity not criticism.
If you are interested in suggestions on how to begin transitioning away from processed food and integrate more healthful foods, stay tuned. I will be posting an article soon.
I have found Therawdivas.com to have a great program to help identify cravings.
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Thanks,
Terran Trosclair
