I once stayed with a friend for a couple of months who never really learned how to cook before. She was perfectly adept at pushing a few buttons on the microwave to heat up a frozen burrito, but that was about it. I took it upon myself to open her eyes to the wonders of cooking…and eating.
Sometimes we have a tendency to think of cooking as a chore that we simply don’t have time for. So, we wait in line at the local fast-food place or we plop something pre-made, from the frozen food section that is filled with non-food chemicals, into the microwave, in order to have an instant meal. Unfortunately, every time we do that, we are not honoring our temple that is our body.
If we remember the adage, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is we might recognize that when we take short-cuts in our food preparation we are not doing our bodies any good. I have discussed repeatedly in previous posts the addictive quality of non-organic foods. I have also mentioned how detrimental these foods are for us. What I have not discussed before is how a microwave changes the structure of our foods.
Many of us are already familiar with Dr. Masaru Emoto’s work on the molecular structure of water. In his tests, he reports on how positive words placed on a glass, such as Love, Peace, Mother Teresa and so on, all induce the water to have an inspiring crystalline snow-flake shape at the molecular level. On the other hand, when negative words, such as hate, war and Hitler were placed on a glass of water, the water appeared to be like a dark and murky wasteland.
As in Emoto’s water tests, microwave ovens corrupt the structure of food, creating a negative reaction. If we were to look under a microscope, we would see that the microwave-heated food looks like a genetic wasteland at the molecular level, as well. Additionally, microwaves utilize radiation to heat up the food. That means that the radiation is now in the food that is being consumed. The remedy of course, is to use conventional means, like the good old stove and oven to heat up our meals.
Microwaves are not the only issue here. It is our relationship with food in general that is the problem. I suppose I count my lucky stars when I think back to when I was ten years old. It was then when my mother decided it was time to banish all the bleached-floured breads from the house. No more Wonder bread for me. For as much as I complained at the time, I quickly grew to love power foods.
As an adult, I still liked to eat well, but I always seemed to eat out for most of my meals. I ordered a healthy salad for lunch, but I couldn’t be bothered with shredding the lettuce myself. However, the tides turned dramatically in the last several years as the Universe guided me to begin cooking for myself. At first, I was resentful that I didn’t have the money to spend on going out for a meal, but over time I came to explore the act of cooking as a meditation—and indeed it is.
I began experimenting with freshly cut herbs, spices and other flavor enhancers such as leeks and garlic. Additionally, it seemed to me that every item I was utilizing to create a perfectly balanced meal had a powerful color. Since color has an energetic resonance, it occurred to me that as I added each item, it correlated with the Divine in some way—most commonly by being the same color as an individual chakra of mine. Chakras (pronounced shaw-kruhz) are energetic wheels within our bodies that help to maintain balance, each having a particular color.
So, as I gazed at the red from the strawberry I realized it matched my first chakra; the orange color from my juice corresponded with my second chakra; the banana to my third; the avocado to my fourth; the blueberries to my fifth, and so on. For anything that was a part of the beige family, I began thinking of it as the color of dirt and therefore, Mother Earth. Furthermore, anything black became the color of Yin energy. In other words, beige, brown and black, symbolized the Divine Feminine for me. While anything white, such as salt, I recognized as Yang energy, or the Divine Masculine energy.
I shared my new viewpoint with my friend as I taught her how to chop, dice and spice her food. Also, I added to our lesson plan, something that my mother taught me long ago. I shared with her how to present her food in a beautiful way. Initially, I gave her a few tips on how to accomplish this feat, but in the end, she took it upon herself to show off her own artistry—and that was a good thing! Her inner Picasso came out in full force, when one evening she created an absolutely gorgeous salad that looked like a combination of a radiant sun and a precious flower. I have eaten in many restaurants over the course of my life and I have never seen such a lovely spectacle. It was simply exquisite.
The truth is, it doesn’t take much longer to create an aesthetically pleasing meal and it certainly makes the cooking experience more fun and the dining experience more tantalizing for the eye. When I see a beautifully prepared plate, I want to savor each moment, recognizing all the aspects of every bite. When our meals appeal to our senses, we want to consume it. My friend, who rarely ate any kind of fruit or vegetable, now craves them on a regular basis.
Looking at my food in a different way had another advantage. I also took note of the gratitude I felt. When I chop my carrots and celery sticks, I thank the food for coming into my life to nourish my body and therefore my Spirit. I share my gratitude with the bees and other pollinators, who pollinate the plants so that the fruit and vegetables can become manifest. I thank the farmers who work the land, the truck drivers who deliver it to the stores, the staff at the supermarket who sells it to me, the Universe who provides the money so that I can purchase it, and finally I thank myself for preparing it.
In other words, I moved from absolutely dreading to cook, to shifting my way of thinking altogether. Preparing food has become a Sacred Ceremony for me where I honor the Divine in all things.
We often think that sacred acts are limited to when we meditate or go to a religious building to pray, but in truth all of life is sacred—including our cooking and our eating. When we gobble up our food as quickly as humanly possible, we are not honoring all the Beings that contributed to our meal. When we relish each moment as the Divine inspiration that it is, we begin to have a positive connection with our food.
Moreover, we have an opportunity to not give into the whims of corporate farming practices that suggests that we absorb not only sugar-filled, but fatty and greasy foods that have little nutritional value and that are truly toxic for us. When we recognize that we have a symbiotic relationship with all things, which includes what we put into our bodies, we will not only look better, we will be healthier in mind, body and Spirit.
Let’s face it, our diet has an enormous impact on us, not only on how we look, but how we feel. In the two-month time period that I stayed with my friend she went from being a size 16 to a 10, without any exercise, simply by eating the right kinds of foods and by paying tribute to them. Now, a year and a half later, she is still creating in her kitchen and looking great as she does so.
We spend an ample amount of our time eating, why not do so in a celebratory manner. Each and every one of our bodies deserves only the best.
Thank you for reading about my Organic Bliss.
*Please note: the original version of this entry was posted on my monthly e-Newsletter for the month of May, 2012. It has been updated for this blog.
