God, bless to me my eye, — Highland New Year’s Blessing
Most of us see January on the calendar and immediately start evaluating our deficiencies. I didn’t eat better this year, I didn’t stop smoking, I didn’t start an exercise program. We are, at least temporarily, revved up to make changes with that great motivator, guilt, pushing us from behind. At the health food store where I work, the first weeks of the new year are busy with aisles of shoppers looking for ways to eradicate the damage done during the holidays. Focused and ready, they buy intestinal cleansers, fasting juices, even parasite-destroyer kits. But the wisest among them know that nature wants us warm and dry, and that some attempts to detoxify the system are too harsh for our winter climate. Without the whole foods that sustain our inner digestive fire, we lack the support we need on these cold, damp days. So the middle of winter isn’t a great time to start starving yourself in the name of rejuvenation. Juice fasts, especially, can be weakening when overused. Stripped of the fiber the fruit or vegetable originally contained, the high sugar content of most fresh juices creates an imbalance in the body that (in a nutshell) causes it to go looking for the minerals lost during juicing. I have to quote my first natural foods goddess, Anne Marie Colbin, from her book Food and Healing. "Our bodily system is designed to interact with other systems; in the case of food, these systems are natural, whole foods, as provided by the earth. When we ingest a single part of a system, mechanisms of adjustment and compensation must be activated to keep homeostatic balance...To metabolize refined sugar, [the body] draws the missing companion nutrients (needed as catalysts in the digestive process) from other sources." When we eat too many overly refined foods, the body, in its relentless quest for balance, will draw minerals from whatever source it locates in the body, be it food we’ve eaten or our own tissues. Over time, this (or any high-sugar diet) can so severely demineralize the body that immunity is compromised. Even the short-term effect is mixed: whatever boost we might receive from the sugar is quickly replaced by acidic body fluids, an overabundance of expansive yin energy, and a craving for salty foods. Eating this way doesn’t just overwhelm my hard-working organs and tissues; it’s hard on my psyche, too. I keep relearning the lesson that harmony comes from inner balance, not the seesaw of extremes. Complete raw food diets, too, are best left until spring (the traditional time for an all-out internal cleanse, coinciding with the new lunar year). While full of the enzymes necessary for survival, raw foods are simply too internally cooling to make up more than 10-15% of our food intake during this time. (The exception to this rule would be the person who is chronically overheated, overweight, or of stout constitution. These folks may do well with a larger percentage of raw fruits and vegetables.) Try instead to increase your intake of steamed seasonal vegetables. If the traditional New Year’s starvation diets are out, how do we begin to infuse our being with foods that heal our infirmities, lessen toxic buildup, and make us feel happy and energetic? Try a modified fast of reducing or eliminating, just for now, animal foods. Not only are there serious issues of hormone and steroid buildup when eating a lot of commercially grown beef, chicken, and pork, but these are foods we eat to build up our bodies, not give them a gentle cleansing. When regularly combined with dairy foods, the over-consumption of meat products contributes to cancer, heart disease, kidney and liver imbalances, and a host of other sad conditions. Most toxins are fat soluble, too, so eating high-fat foods of any kind will negate your renewal efforts by trapping the very elements you’re trying to reduce. There are legitimate uses for meat and dairy in the diet, but they are inappropriate when following most cleansing regimes. If, like me, you still have attachments to eating flesh foods, let it be for now. Maybe the temperature, gray sky, and short days are not a good time to try letting go of something you aren’t ready to release. We are eating for our physical and spiritual health, not to produce guilt and frustration! If you need meat, eggs, or dairy foods, bless the creature whose life was taken (either literally, or in a lifetime of service), acknowledge it, then eat with joy. You are a blessed creature, too. So what is the bulk of this modified diet made up of? At least half should be whole grains. Not processed cereals, breads, and pastas (enjoy them in moderation), but the many varieties of brown rice, millet, amaranth, and other grains that are widely available in organically grown form. These dense, filling foods are complex carbohydrates that break down into simple sugars once consumed. When I chew well, savoring the tastes and textures of the meal, I begin the transformation right in my own mouth with enzymes in my saliva, making digestion an easier process down the line. And instead of spiking my blood sugar within minutes of consumption, grains satisfy me at a deep level, releasing their goodness over time and lessening my cravings for extreme foods. I have grown to love a breakfast of steaming, toasted buckwheat groats for their rich flavor and warming nature, especially with a thick cabbage gravy over the top and a garnet yam on the side. While the yam is cooking, heat a little high-quality oil in the skillet and sauté a cup of cabbage and a bit of onion. Add a small handful or two of organic flour and stir over medium heat until dry. Slowly add 1 cup of vegetable stock or hot water, stirring constantly until thick. Add a little miso (a fermented food made from soy, barley, or other source) and you’ll enhance the flavor and make the meal even easier to digest. Ladle the gravy over a cup of buckwheat and make a mental note to thank me. It’s that good! Also known as kasha, buckwheat is actually a hardy seed that grows in cold weather, further proof that nature provides for us in all climes and seasons. It really sticks to the ribs on a cold Northwest morning. Of course, you can eat it for dinner if you prefer. If you haven’t already, try quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), fast becoming the most popular specialty grain in America for good reason. Besides its unique, mildly nutty flavor and its versatility as an entrée or side dish, quinoa has the highest protein content of any grain. In a recent cooking class given by award-winning author/chef Rebecca Wood (her book The Splendid Grain won both the James Beard and the Julia Child Cookbook Awards) offered what must surely be one of the all-time best quinoa main dish recipes. I have prepared it many times, always to the delight of my company: Bring to a boil 2 cups of quinoa; 2 cups of water; a tablespoon of butter, ghee, or oil (optional); and a pinch of salt. Try to use quinoa that has soaked in pure water overnight (on the kitchen counter is fine). Lower heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. To this, add a diced carrot, 2 stalks of chopped celery, one diced red bell pepper, a small bunch of chopped Italian parsley or cilantro, 1 chopped avocado, and 2 diced scallions. Toss everything together and dress with 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and ¼ cup ume plum vinegar. Let the mixture rest for ten minutes, then serve on a bed of lettuce. If you need it, add a little cheese, nuts, or grated egg to the top, but try it first — you won’t miss anything. The dressing works well on many other vegetables, too, including lightly steamed asparagus. Yum! We can’t overlook beans as a wonderful warming food during this cold season, but as they are building foods, they should probably be kept to a minimum if you are attempting a modified cleanse. We’ll devote more space to beans and their contribution to a whole foods diet in the near future, but for now remember that, if you are eating to cleanse, keep your bean consumption to a minimum. If you are not in the habit of eating beans and are just now introducing them into your diet, start slowly; they are not immediately fully digestible. Add them in small amounts every few days for the first several months. If you read my last article, you know that I recommend greens in some form all during the year. They are particularly essential during these winter months for many reasons, not the least of which is that greens represent captured sunlight and deliver to us precisely what we are denied as the new year begins. I am always amazed to consider that the molecular structure of chlorophyll is extremely similar to hemoglobin, with the primary difference being that the center of a molecule of chlorophyll is magnesium and the center of the human blood molecule is iron. A vast difference, to be sure, but so nearly the same as to suggest that dark, leafy green vegetables can build our blood unusually well, and studies performed as far back as 1936 confirm this. Their calcium content alone makes them a must-have for coffee drinkers and others who consume foods that leach calcium. What, you didn’t know about the calcium robbers? That’s a story for another time. For now, think greens, and learn to love ’em! Just as outside the ground is hard and unworkable, I find myself stiffened by cold and inactivity. But as I add another sweater and stir my soup pot, I am anything but dormant. Like the plants, I’m gathering my inner reserves for the mad budding frenzy of spring. I’ll save my radical cleansing for then. Happy New Year! |
There is no doubt in my mind that eating whole, organically grown foods uplifts my thoughts, my speech, and my vibratory emanations, and that, conversely, as these functions are raised to higher levels, I more positively affect my surroundings. In my own life, sharing food with my family and friends fosters our love for one another and our respect for the natural world. I am honored to share my thoughts on food and eating with you all, and offer these words to help us make the most of the New Beginning energy that surrounds us now.