The food industry is probably one of the most thriving trades since most people agree that we all need to eat in order to survive. Cooking food can be considered a hobby or a necessity. Regardless, we all spend a lot of time preparing and eating food. Those who mostly go out to eat spend just as much time as those who cook. Instead of preparation time, they spend their time waiting.
In our global world we have an almost infinite variety of foods from all over the earth to choose from. In big cities we can find dishes from every region of the globe. Furthermore, there are thousands of recipes to try. Thanks to the creativity of the cook’s mind, there promises to be more to come.
Personally, I love to cook and I love to eat. Having fed a family of five for many years, sometimes for picky kids, I did not always enjoy cooking. Nevertheless, I still find trying out new ingredients and new combinations of foods a rewarding activity, whether I cook for my guests or only for myself.
Spending time and sharing a common activity such as eating with friends or family is a social act. Talking about a dish and how it is liked or maybe disliked gives us a feeling of belonging. Discussing food or the weather seems to break down all boundaries, regardless of culture or nationality.
Since becoming vegan ten years ago, the connection between food and health has become a personal interest. Since I could not eat everything anymore without having severe health issues, I had to become more aware of what I was feeding myself. My body forced me to observe the reaction I had to different methods of preparing and cooking food. Leaving out or adding ingredients, changing the combination or letting go completely of certain types of foods has taught me to create my own diet. It now consists of plant based food, no animal protein whatsoever and if ever possible free of soy products and a little bit of gluten. Eating this way has restored and balanced my digestive system.
By observing my eating habits I have also come across several books that describe how it is possible to eat from the inside out instead of the outside in. In other words, feeding on light. Jasmuheen, the Australian pioneer in this field, has proven this theory for more than twenty years. I personally know others who eat close to nothing. In addition, my personal experience of darkroom (see my story “Journey Through The Dark”) has convinced me that what is really nourishing us is the light in the food and not the physical matter itself. Researchers and scientists alike have started to come to the same conclusion. P.A. Straubinger’s movie, “In The Beginning There Was Light”, Dr. Michael Werner’s book in German, “Leben durch Lichtnahrung”, as well as the new book by Dr. Jacob Israel Liberman, “Luminous Life” discuss the same topic and have hailed similar results.
Although this is still a highly controversial topic, the fact is that there are more and more people who have heard of the possibility of feeding on light. At the very least, with a growing number of people having food-related health issues, it may be time to rethink our eating habits.
Scientist Dr. Michael Werner writes in his book, mentioned above, that as soon as the food is in our system the problems start. Sometimes I fully agree. Our organs have such a big job to do. They have to sort out all the useful from the unusable stuff and transport it through the different channels until most of it is discarded as waste. We should be in awe of our body, this wonderful chemical machinery. It is time that we appreciate it more and start to consciously think about the type of fuel we feed it.
At times I find watching people eat pretty disgusting. The way they shuffle through their menu shows me what kind of relationship they have with their food. Some stand on a street corner and talk while they put food in their mouth. Others, even while sitting at a nice table in a restaurant, eat so hastily and greedily you’d think they would starve if they didn’t take another bite. However, looking at them they seem to be well nourished with their rounded tummies.
I think food is more than just an act of feeding our body. Food represents much more. Psychologically, food serves many of our needs. How many of us have eaten out of frustration, boredom or loneliness without being physically hungry? I have found that if I can distinguish the four different bodies within me, the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual and determine which one really needs to be nourished, my intake of physical food is substantially reduced.
I conclude that “food” does not equal “nourishment”. If I learn to discern what in me is really hungry and for what reason, then perhaps, I can enjoy a delicious dinner and digest it properly. In this way, maybe, the paradox of nourishment and food will be resolved.