by
Paul
BenhaimAfter his enlightenment, Buddha saw a bed of lotuses –
water plants – as a simile for the human race. He saw some plants
were sunk in the mud, some were half way to the surface, others
had risen above the water and stood with open petals. It is a
beautiful Buddhist vision clarifying all the transition stages we
move through, just as you are about to be offered a vision of the
many transaction stages in relation to the food cycle.
Food cannot be described only in terms of nutrition. The
perfect diet can never make us completely healthy. the diet
primarily affects our physical body, but also our mental and
spiritual bodies. Optimum nutrition is only reached when a
complete system is undertaken: meditation, exercise, breathing
and an idea of loving kindness must all be incorporated into our
daily lives to benefit our whole being. Prolonging a healthy life
must also include the basics of clean, hygienic living.
Habits
I was brought up being told to eat until I was totally full – ‘have
some more’ my mum used to say. For so long I believed the more
you are, the more beneficial it was for you. It was not until after
recovering limited fasts actually gave me more energy. The more
simple foods I ate whilst recovering with a shrunken stomach led
to a speedy recovery. It was when returning to my mother who fed
me up to become strong and healthy that I started to notice that
large meals slowed me down again. Comments such as ‘you will
waste away’ and ‘be thankful we are able to eat so much food’
added to my feelings of guilt and confusion.
Ignore anything you read or hear. Listening to your body is
number one priority. Make life easy. Use knowledge to overcome
ignorance. Go with your unsuppressed feelings. Listen to nature
calling. Live life to the full!