Cultivating Personal Power via Counseling, Emotional Acceptance & Raw Food

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Cultivating Personal Power via Counseling, Emotional Acceptance &

Nourishing Raw Foods

 

Increasing nurturing life experiences can help us get beyond

junk-comfort food eating & medication.

 

by David Klein

<dave at livingnutrition.com>

From the forthcoming Living Nutrition Magazine vol. 12

 

http://www.livingnutrition.com/articles/comfort.html

 

It's almost heartbreaking to witness what is happening at this time

in history. Our nation's people have been suffering emotional pains

like never before, hiding from their emotions, disconnecting from

themselves and life. In the wake of last fall's terrorist attacks

and the anthrax scares, Americans have been consuming record amounts

of mind and emotion-numbing junk comfort foods in an attempt to

cope. Anti-depressant and anxiety medication use has also been at an

all-time high.

 

Highly sensitive people and trauma survivors (sometimes one and the

same) typically feel the pressures of societal stress more than

others.

 

Those of us who struggle with stress eating are generally

self-medicating to cover painful, often terrifying, unresolved

emotions.

It is understandable to want to feel better, or detach from feeling

at

all, when we are hurting. However, food and medicines can never

solve

psychological-emotional issues. Nutritionally empty, toxic foods and

medicines only add to the body's stress load, and can lead to more

difficulties in coping with the next emotional crisis, as well as

perpetuating a state of numbness, causing one's health to decline

and

eventually crash.

 

Understanding and Accepting Emotions

 

We believe that on a path of growing consciousness, the goal is not

to

" deal with, " or shut down our emotions, but to accept them, allowing

them to come and go with a degree of detached self-awareness. This

is

true personal power. It takes a lot of courage, and can be extremely

difficult to face our painful emotions, rather than covering them

up;

however, in the long run, this can save us from the suffering and

expenses of illness.

 

Emotions are essential energetic aspects of our selves, giving us

valuable information and lending richness to our experiences. While

emotions are expressions of vitality, the thoughts and stories that

we

associate with them can keep us mired in turmoil and depression.

This is

where the use of psychology and somatics is valuable. With the help

of a skilled and trusted counselor who understands a somatic

(body-centered) approach, working with you on your health goals, and

with the eventual goal of practicing meditation or conscious

awareness,

it is possible to accept and eventually resolve the toughest

emotions,

and face life as it comes. This route sets us free to live

consciously

and healthfully in the flow of life. We have found that the more we

practice this path, the less frightening and consuming the emotions

become.

 

The Value of Skillful Counseling

 

Everyone needs support and love. A skilled counselor/therapist knows

how

to honor and respect their clients' own deep inner knowing of how to

follow their own healing path. The counselor's role is to support

clients in trusting their ability to connect with their innate

wisdom

which ultimately allows for complete, integrated healing. A good

counselor will also help clients invite an increasing number of

nurturing, self-loving experiences in their lives. Each person's

unique

ways of self-nurturing needs to be gently uncovered with honor and

respect. When working toward the goals of building conscious

awareness,

comfort with all emotions, and maintaining a self-nurturing

lifestyle, a

dedicated counselor can be an invaluable ally, and well worth the

investment.

 

Healthful Eating

 

Life on this planet, including the experience of eating, is meant to

be

pleasurable, satisfying and nurturing. Eating is also meant to be

consciousness expanding (not numbing). Food furnishes raw materials

for

vitality if the food is natural and raw, provided we eat to nourish

that

vitality rather than for emotional reasons. When we eat when we are

not

physically hungry, the food does not digest well and becomes an

energy

robber, stressing the body and leading to illness. When we need

emotional comfort it is important to identify the root causes of our

feelings. A good counselor and deep self-inquiries can help bring

self-nurturing into our awareness, thereby loosening the grip on any

tendencies toward eating for comfort or to disconnect from feeling.

 

When we are craving food, it is necessary to identify what the

senses

are calling for and choose the most nourishing foods that Mother

Nature

has to offer -- a positive step toward increasing our personal power.

 

Providing All of the Essentials of Health

 

It is important to identify and reduce the stress in our lives,

taking

the time for nurturing activities, relaxation, fun, sunshine,

exercise,

fulfilling human connection, physical touch, bodywork, personal

growth,

and getting extra sleep to restore and keep our nerve energy at a

vigorous level. It is not possible to handle stress if we are over

tired. Sleep is Nature's great restorer.

 

Recognizing the basic human need for these life-giving elements is

the

first step. When it seems difficult to muster the energy to include

them, enlisting a dedicated, loving support system can be a

wonderful

step towards this ideal. Here's to health, happiness and peace for

us

all.

 

 

Nourishing Raw Foods

 

While making the transition to total self-love and self-nurturing, a

good goal is to gradually increase the proportion of whole, fresh,

organic living and raw foods in your diet. With this in mind, a good

guideline to follow is to always include a portion of raw foods

(e.g.,

salad) every time you eat cooked food.

 

The following vegan foods contain the millions of broad spectrum

nutrients needed to completely satisfy our dietary needs for

creating

and maintaining peak mental-emotional-physical function, supporting

personal power. Organically-grown plant foods are naturally high in

minerals for strengthening the nervous system and enzymes which feed

our

vitality. Raw, fresh fatty fruits, nuts and seeds are rich in

vitamins

and proteins which also support our nervous systems. As an extra-

special

delight of Creation, tropical fruits are rich in the hormonal

proteins

which function as precursors to neurotransmitters, soothing our

nervous

system, naturally elevating our mood, and enhancing our mental

powers.

 

What kinds of tastes are your senses calling for? Light refreshment,

sweet ecstasy, salty/minerals, or creamy/fatty? Tune in to your

body's

cravings, observe the color, texture and fragrance of the food you

are

instinctively drawn to, and consciously eat until satisfied,

remaining

alert to your body's responses. The natural foods which you find

most

attractive and satisfying are the most nourishing ones for your body

at

that time. Remember, the simpler the meal the better the results.

 

Watery, Refreshing Fruits & Plants

cucumber, lettuce, celery, celery root

 

Sweet Fibrous Plant-Fruits and Roots

corn, bell pepper (sweet red, yellow and orange), corn (sweet fresh),

sweet pea, carrot (sweet fresh), jicama, beet, Jerusalem artichoke

 

Sweet-Watery Fruits

Of Vines: grape, kiwi, melons: watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew,

sharlyn

 

Of Trees: cherry, apricot, peach, plum, pear, apple, fig, apple,

cherimoya, sapodillo, mamea, mango, date, papaya, persimmon, banana,

sapote, nectarine, mulberry, orange, tangerine, mandarin, satsuma,

grapefruit, pomegranate

Of Bushes: pineapple, guava, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry,

blackberry, loganberry

 

Sweet Concentrated Fruits

raisin, dried date, dried fig

 

Salty Fruits, Plaants & Roots

tomato, bok choy, kale, celery, zucchini, squash, cabbage, broccoli,

cauliflower, sea vegetables (thoroughly rinsed), sprouted sunflower

seed

greens, kohl-rabi, turnip

 

Fatty Fruits, Nuts & Seeds

Fruits: avocado, durian, carob, olives (unsalted, or soaked and

desalted)

Nuts (fresh raw, or germinated): walnut, almond, macadamia, pecan,

pistachio, pine, young soft (non-starchy) coconut

Seeds (fresh raw, or germinated): sunflower, squash, pumpkin, flax

 

FOOD COMBINING GUIDELINES FOR OPTIMAL DIGESTION & STRONG NERVE

FUNCTION

 

Eat watery, refreshing fruits and plants alone or with any other

type of

food except melon.

Eat sweet fibrous plant-fruits, and roots alone or with watery,

refreshing fruits and plants.

Eat sweet fruits (except melon which should not be combined with any

other food) alone or with lettuce, celery or cucumber.

Eat salty fruits, plants & roots alone or with watery, refreshing

fruits

& plants.

Eat fats alone (one kind per meal) or with watery, refreshing fruits

&

plants.

 

JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets