Sacred Lessons
On the new moon in late November, I completed another phase of my journey with Ancestral Foods. For an entire moon cycle, I only ate foods that would have been consumed by my ancestors. I avoided any processed foods, processed sugars, and ate a diet rich in animals fats and proteins. I cooked almost 100% of my meals throughout this time, and deepened my relationship with my kitchen. I worked with herbs and plants that spoke to me and researched the relationships between the remedies I chose.
Now, on the other side of this journey, I see no need to "go back" to how I ate before. I have no desire for chips, candies, or packaged foods, and only feel a stronger craving for the sacred foods of my people. Organ meats, raw dairy, sea foods, and wild vegetables. I feel a craving to hunt, to grow what I can, and to build my body with the most nutrient-dense food I can gather. Food has always been held sacred by people around the globe, and this leads me to my first lesson...
1. Food is Sacred.
Our ancestors understood the relationship between our organs, skin, spirits and the food we ate. They respected the reciprocal relationship between humans, animals, and earth and they spent their days honoring these ties. Food is meant to be eaten slowly, with awareness and mindfulness of its nourishing affect on the body. If we can adopt the understanding that food is sacred, we can completely shift our relationship with food.
2. Animal Foods are Necessary
As a recovering vegetarian and vegan, it was very challenging for me to reprogram my mind and accept that animal foods are not only healthy...but necessary. These foods - meat, dairy, organs, blood, and eggs - are the most sacred and healing foods available to us as humans. A diet high in animal foods, is the healthiest diet for humans.
3. Processed Sugar is Toxic
I knew processed sugar was toxic, but now I can feel the difference in my being. Processed sugar affects our body and mind in truly destructive ways. When we are constantly riding the sugar roller coaster we are unable to think, feel, or communicate with real clarity. It blocks our intuition and ability to make clear decisions. In addition, it causes depression that is very challenging to pull ourselves out of.
4. Nightshades are Toxic
See my last post for more information on why we should avoid nightshades.
5. Food is Medicine
Food has an almost homeopathic relationship to the human body. If we can learn to come into right relation with food, it can heal us. And no, this doesn't mean put turmeric on everything you eat! Simple, carefully selected, spice-free food is actually the most healing and digestible for the human body. If we can learn how to heal ourselves with natural foods, we will only need medicines for acute issues.
There are so many other lessons that I have gathered over the past month, but I will begin with these. If anyone adopts these simple lessons, you can begin to shift your relationship to food in a powerful and healing way.