Food Energy: Is Your Food Really Dead?

I was over at a friend’s house one evening for dinner and the topic of food preparation came up. It was noted how much of our food is “processed” these days. Someone made a comment regarding the energy of food, and we all took notice. Fresh fruits and vegetables are considered to have vital energy; there is vitality to the taste, more importantly, the nutrients. The same cannot be said for processed food, which not only strips the vitamins and minerals, but often the “vital energy” of the food itself. Take instant potatoes as an example. While these certainly contain calories, the vital energy is gone. Dead food! The same can be said for nearly all processed and packaged foods. The term often used is “empty calories.” Fresh foods are nutrient dense and energy rich. It is for this reason why nutrition experts suggest to only shop around the perimeter of the grocery store. The shelf life of fresh foods and veggies isn’t very long, because the vital energy doesn’t linger. Conversely, processed foods can have a very long shelf life; weeks, months, even years in some cases. Dead food! These days we place more attention on the convenience of food, and taste (fat, salt and sugar) rather than on the energetic qualities of food—to our own detriment. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that as the quality of food decreases in our country, the incidence of chronic diseases increases. At what point does convenience undermine one’s health? In the words of Ben Franklin, don’t be “penny wise and pound foolish.”

• Stress Tip For The Day:
When you shop for food, do you shop primarily for convenience? How much of the food that you buy is processed foods, junk foods, comfort foods? How many meals do you “prepare” rather than nuke in a microwave? Perhaps the real question is: How dead is your food? How empty are the calories you are eating? These are important questions to ask yourself when you consider your own health habits. Tonight (and perhaps as often as you can) make a meal from scratch! Join the slow food movemen— from preparation to eating. Invest in your health!

• Links/Books Worth Noting:
For more information please check out these links:

http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=81

http://www.goodhealthinfo.net/food_and_energy.htm

• Quote for the Day:
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.”— Julia Child

Photo of the Day:
A photo of fresh potatoes. I learned years ago that potatoes are the number one veggie eaten in America… as French fries in fast food joints. There are so many other ways to enjoy potatoes. Give it a try!

Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 10 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (6E). He can be reached through his website:www.brianlukeseaward.net

© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.

Brian Luke Seaward

Author Brian Luke Seaward

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