If weight loss was as simple as basic arithmetic, calories would be the only information that you needed.
Nutrition is full of layers upon layers from the human aspect to understandings of energy transfer throughout the universe. If fat loss was as simple as calories in vs calories out, humans wouldn’t be facing the unprecedented obesity epidemic of 2020s.
Obesity itself isn’t even the problem. What lies beneath obesity and excess can also be found in normal weight people as well. The problems are:
- Metabolic disease including diabetes etc.
- Inflammatory processes dangerously overactive for a period of years. (dysfunction and eventual scarring)
- Toxic relationships with food and a highly detached and simultaneously capitalistic (exploitative) food supply chain.
You need guidance in order to delay instant gratification and to gain protection from succumbing to the temptations of excess.
Learning how to have a healthy relationship with food is not an isolated activity that one can simply switch on from day to day. It is important to look at food as more than just energy.
I am very interested in the essence of that which we consume. Perhaps you would benefit from a broader definition of energy than just a measure of heat or work done within a period of time.
Because we have our energy needs met, we need to look at food in two ways: as a source of wisdom/information and a source of material to create our cells.
We have an amazing capacity to access the wisdom of food. I’ll give you some examples:
- Cooking to make nutrients more bioavailable
- Cooking to reduce anti-nutrients such as the lectins on kidney beans (never eat raw kidney beans)
- Cooking to kill / deactivate potential pathogens
- Fermentation methods to increase the biological value of food (bacteria such as lactobacilli in sauerkraut)
- Fermentation to increase enzyme activity (catalysts for biological processes)
- Fermentation to deactivate natural plant defenses and/or toxins
- And more…
Of course there are many foods that are perfect raw such as avocado or blueberries.
We also have great methods of food preservation in our refrigeration units, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE TO NOT PLAN AHEAD.
One day, you will realize your own natural intuition about food. Until then, you need a plan, framework, or some sort of guiding knowledge to help you make progress through your mistakes.
Here are my own personal reasons to have a spiritual component in my nutrition.
1. At the beginning of the universe, there was darkness and there was light.
If we are to believe the Big Bang theory, then every person likely shares a star as a common ancestor. To say that we came from the stars is basically factual knowledge in astrophysics and quantum mechanics.
In essence, nutrition has far more depth and layers than science can ever show. My goal is to illuminate some of these darker areas in our understanding so that we can make progress forward instead of dying from disease of modern times.
2. Light nourishes us, but it can also burn us, therefore a balance must be sought after.
Energy balance obviously is the key to healthy weight. It is important to accept the offerings of nourishment while also protecting yourself from that which causes disease.
I’ll give you a practical example of protection within nutrition:
Red meat is carcinogenic, but if you eat kimchi with garlic along with it, it is possible to protect yourself from the cancer causing chemicals.
3. Don’t just eat for yourself: Eat for your future generation, eat for your ancestors who never had the opportunity to indulge, and eat for the people around you.
Eating for the future generation is about reducing the risk of intergenerational trauma and helping your children reach their potential. High quality foods containing a variety of antioxidants will help your sperm or eggs maintain integrity.
Eating for your ancestors is honoring the long and arduous journey to get here. And what I mean by here is that we live in an environment of relative food security. In fact, most of us have abundance and excess. Be thankful for these offerings.
Eating for the people around you is about setting a great example and inspiring others. It’s okay to have weak moments because your vulnerabilities should be seen as an advantage. At the same time, when you are capable of strength through healthy nutrition, it will be like a cloud of inspiration that gently sprinkles purity of motivation on those around you.
4. The human spirit may be pure, but without nourishment of the physical body, the output can become corrupt.
In one of my favorite home school classes, we watched Star Wars. The lesson at the end is that while an entity is seemingly pure evil, there is still good inside everybody.
My theory on why so many powerful people have become corrupt is that they lack nourishment. Of course the nourishment they lack could be in the form of emotions or other ways. Just think though, if you are constantly eating processed food, then you will constantly have high inflammation, and then over time parts of your body will begin to degrade, rot, or scar.
I believe many corrupt people have experienced scarring in parts of their brains or nerves from a lifetime of poor nourishment (or anti-nourishment like refined sugar, alcohol, etc). Some of these people will be the crazies you see on the street, while others will be the crazies that you read about in the history books (Hitler comes to mind).
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that deep down, even the spirit of Hitler still had light within.
Nutrition is one very important way that we can protect ourselves from evil forces. Don’t become a Hitler. Eat your vegetables.
5. Everything is interconnected AND the universe is accelerating.
The universe is accelerating, meaning that galaxies are moving away from each other at a faster rate and in some cases maybe moving towards eachother at a faster pace. I see this as a metaphor for humanity and the acceleration of technology.
We are moving faster towards something. Will you sit back, eat junk, and accept your fate?
Or will you take a stand for yourself and fulfill your destiny?
I hope this nourishes your spirit in some way so that you can gain daily motivation towards nutritional enlightenment.