“The only true nourishment that lasts a lifetime comes from within.”
-Deepak Chopra, The Soul of Leadership
Are you worried about eating habits impacting health for you and your family?
You are right to be concerned. No single habit affects our health so quickly as what we consume on a daily basis. Yet access to nutrition facts and even to affordable, good quality food does not guarantee that we will eat well. Even in the information age, with double incomes per household, more of us than ever before are suffering from obesity and related illness.
The state of need is a loss of balance. So if our bodies are provided for, and our minds well-informed, what is missing from the equation? Chopra’s quote invites us to look inward to the spirit, and I can share my own, slightly different experience of how that enlightenment can happen.
For me, looking outward to Nature enabled me at age 30 to overcome a crisis in work and health. I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat well due to stress. Then a transit strike forced me to walk 25 minutes to work every morning and back at night. To my surprise, I felt less hungry and more energetic. I was able to give up the coffee and sugary treats I’d relied upon to get me through the day.
When the strike was over, I kept walking. I added a noon outing to clear my head and find healthy salads nearby. I explored the neighbourhood, not just for tastes, but for other close pleasures (plant scents, sunny alcoves) that would make me enjoy my noon meal and feel less needy for food.
In sum, the transit strike provided me with a lasting insight and a sustainable approach to healthy eating on the job. The key? How we eat is just as important what we eat. Here’s a point-by-point summary of what works for me.
- Use exercise to wake your brain instead of sugar or caffeine. This will make it possible for you to:
- Get enough sleep and only eat when calm.
- Keep well-hydrated (avoid the sugar cravings that come from thirst).
- Get up and move as often as you can during the day (let your circulation nourish you naturally).
- Don’t use chemical appetite suppressants. Simply and naturally, cleanse your palate with salt, gum, toothpaste after every meal.
- Don’t let taste be your only pleasure focus.
Nature's Path 