This is a guest post by the wonderful holistic nutritionist, Teri Mosey. She has been a much valued contributor to fitness and wellbeing journals and media, especially in the US.
The
Food Chakra Connection
When most people think of food, the
conversation commonly goes towards calories, carbs or protein. What if a
different conversation arose and you asked how does food nourish all of me;
body, mind and soul?
Welcome to the world of holistic nutrition.
Holistic nutrition, practiced for thousands
of years, sees food as a healer, nurturer and way of life. Foods goes beyond
the calorie, having energetic characteristics that interact with your
bio-field; more specifically, the chakras. Chakras are vortexes of Universal energy
that run up and down your spine regulating your life force energy or qi. This
energy is what gives the gift of life. With that said, chakras are the link
between your energetic and physical beings, and the universal consciousness.
What does that mean? Each chakra vibrates
at a particular frequency that impacts specific biological processes. For
example, your heart chakra energy influences the health of your heart, lungs,
cardiac nerve plexuses and thymus gland. Each chakra has a level of
consciousness it reflects; with underlying universal life lessons. Your personal
journey, all that you are meant to experience and learn in this lifetime is
tucked into your biology!
A way to identify these lessons and discover
your true nature is through your relationship to food. The link between food
traits and chakras comes from sharing the same vibrational energies,
corresponding physiological systems and your behaviors around the act of
eating. Let’s look at the heart chakra; surrounded around the theme of love.
Universal life lessons in love can be experienced through gratitude,
acceptance, compassion and forgiveness; of yourself and others. These lessons
around love manifest in heart and lung illnesses, making food choices that
nourish the heart and strengthen the lungs at the forefront to foods for the
heart chakra.
Food and eating strategies to nourish the
flow of energy to the heart chakra begins with emphasizing a plant based
dietary pattern. Plants are loaded with phytonutrients; health promoting
compounds that assist the body’s self healing abilities while altering gene
expression. Begin by adding colorful root vegetables, legumes and the grain
quinoa to your dietary pattern. Two qualities that specifically vibrate with
the heart chakra energies are green color foods and the flavor bitter. So add
cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, rapini and bok choy
into your weekly meals. Add those bitter leafy greens like arugula, watercress
and lacinato kale to the mix. Daily! Instead of raw, place them under a little
heat, wilting them. This makes nutrients more bioavailable and keeps your
digestion happy. In recipe terms, explore a soba noodle soup, an adzuki bean
stew, roasted root vegetables, a wilted green salad or a grilled veggie quinoa
salad. The options are endless. Just keep in the plant family with a heavy
presence of greens! And while you’re at it; add a little pungent flavor to
these dishes, in the form of scallions, garlic or leeks. They help keep the
lungs clear!
Observe if you have an aversion to the
above mentioned foods; especially the bitter greens. That’s an underlying
message that your heart chakra is asking for your attention! Take a moment to
contemplate, “am I willing to live with an open heart?” It can even invite
contemplation on questions like, “Do I have underlying resentment? Or “Are the
majority of my decisions intellectual, keeping my heart out of the
conversation?”
While in the kitchen which can become your
space of active meditation, put on your favorite tunes and hum along as you
cook! Humming deepens your breath and lowers your heart rate; perfect
additional nourishment for the heart energies. Cooking a meal for yourself
shows self-love, share it with others and you are expanding the vibration!
The chakras become a bridge between your
soul and physical being, with an invitation to use your relationship to food as
a way to discover your most authentic self. What an amazing opportunity. Are you up for it?
Teri Mosey
Here's a VEGAN, heart chakra nourishing Spinach & Artichoke Pizza with garlic sauce. If that's not your cup of chai, have a Quinoa and Potato Crust pizza (also vegan!) You're welcome!