We've all heard the old adage "You are what you eat" but how often do we really stop and think about what we are fueling our body with? It is so easy to grab the nearest snack, and fill up on junk to fill our hunger without really being conscious of what effect that food is having on our body.
It wasn't until I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease in the form of cancer that I began to make the connection between the food I was eating and the way I felt. I wasn't aware that some of the foods I was eating were putting me at risk of developing serious chronic disease. Okay, so I knew that eating half a pack of Hob Nobs certainly wasn't the best thing I could be eating but hey, I figured the rest of my diet was pretty good! That was, until I converted to a raw food diet and lifestyle over night in an attempt to give my body the nutritional support it needed to heal itself.
I grew up in a household where each meal would consist of a piece of chicken, fish or red meat, combined with potato and a few token cooked vegetables but the emphasis was most definitely on the animal protein sitting on my plate. As I started cleaning up my diet, eating more plants and less animals, I started to realise that I had been eating unconsciously my whole life. I had been on auto-pilot; buying and eating the foods I had grown up with and assumed were "healthy". But despite my diet being "healthy", I wasn't experiencing true health. I felt lethargic, foggy-brained, frumpy and frustrated. I was out of tune with myself and often found myself thinking, "There has to be more to life than this?!"
Now armed with the knowledge that my body requires an anti-inflammatory, alkaline environment to thrive, I eat consciously. Eating consciously is about choosing which foods are going to benefit you most in each and every moment. By getting back to nature and attuning yourself with nature's cycles, and the wisdom this brings; you give yourself the best possible environment for getting better and staying well. Not only have I upgraded my health by eating consciously but I have upgraded my life. My mind feels clearer and I have more energy and feel happier than ever before. And I finally feel in tune with myself and my innate wisdom.
Here are my top tips on tapping into your body's wisdom;
1 - Stay hydrated -- if the body has its 'dehydration alert' turned on, it will be unable to work effectively at a cellular level, falling out of rhythm with the Universe's movements making it harder for you to receive its wisdom.
2 - Listen to your body -- when you reach into the fridge, check in with yourself to make sure it's really a hunger pang that you are experiencing, not thirst.
3 - Ask yourself what your body really needs to flourish; your body will tell you all you need to know but be honest with yourself.
4 - When eating, just concentrate on that, and that alone. Take time to appreciate the flavours, the textures, and how it is making you feel while eating it, and how you feel afterwards.
5 - Eat with the seasons -- when buying produce, consider its origin and whether it is natural for it to be available to buy. Chances are that if you are shopping in a supermarket, you will have access to many different fruits and vegetables that have flown halfway across the world. By eating foods grown and sourced locally you increase your chances of eating something nutritionally superior to that of its far-flung counterpart. Don't forget, you also vote with your dollar -- so be
sure to keep that in mind.
6 - Eat more plants, less animals -- animal protein is dark, dense and contracting. By reducing or eliminating animal protein, you can expect to feel lighter in your body.
7 - Whether you are coasting along the Healthy Highway, parked up on the grass verge, or slumped in a ditch waiting for the rescue team to haul you out, there's something you can do now, today. Go and drink a pint of water, make a green juice or simply make a promise to yourself to flood your body with oxygen once a week with a green smoothie. All it takes is an intention to eat consciously; from there it takes baby steps each and every day to get back on the Healthy Highway.