The Spirit Food Diet

Here is an interesting and possibly a healthy concept and way of viewing how we eat and how to view our diets. This concept is found here: http://www.godweb.org/spiritualweightlossplan.htm#list


The Spirit Food List

To that end, I offer the following. Rather than dwelling on the food you should NOT be eating ... most of us already know about that ... it is far more useful to focus on the food that is both nutritious and good to eat, while not being loaded with unnecessary calories. I believe that the key here is not to approach weight loss as a matter of sacrificing all those tasty and toxic foods we tend to indulge in. Rather, a more promising approach, it seems to me, is to focus on all of those delicious foods that can and should be part of any plan for a long and healthy life. In this context, the carrot works far better than the stick ... literally.

The successful way to lose weight may in fact be the route that Columbus took in trying to find a route to the "New World" he was looking for. Sailing West to find a shorter route to the East. Since what you really need is a permanent change of those habits of the heart that contribute to your problem, and most diets are not permanent routes to a long and healthy life, let alone that deeper sense of self-worth that all of us desire, I am going to suggest setting out on a new path. Forget about dieting. Think about the quality of the food you are eating, and the qualities of character you'd like to nurture within yourself. They tend to go hand in hand.

It turns out that many of the foods that are recommended by dieticians and experts on nutrition, just happen to be those that are associated in the great spiritual traditions with positive qualities of character. I have explored the world's great religious and spiritual traditions, and find that a strong pattern emerges. People tend to associate various kinds of food with qualities of the spiritual or emotional life. This is not a matter of fad or fashion. Such associations have evolved over centuries and millennia as people experience the affects of the food they eat. What we eat has consequences for the body, of course, but diet also influences the soul. And it does so in specific ways.

Accordingly, I have taken a chart that catalogues the physical benefits derived from eating various sorts of food, and added a column listing the qualities of soul that are associated with these same foods in the world's great spiritual traditions. I've also created a printer friendly version of the chart so you can print it out and keep it with you .... especially on trips to the supermarket or neighborhood deli! I call it the "Spirit Food List."

My suggestion is simple. Think about the good and delicious foods on the list... and the benefits of eating more of them. Count calories if you want. Avoid carbs, fat, fast food and fatty meat to be sure. Try and stick with any reputable diet program, if you prefer. But also include the following spiritual practice. Before heading out to the supermarket, sit down for a few moments with the spirit food list and let your mind focus on the positive qualities associated with some of the foods on it. Try it right now. What do you see?

Apples are right there at the top of the list. Not only do apples provide various physical benefits ... protecting your heart, improving lung capacity ... those would be sufficient reason to include some delicious, juicy, tasty apples on your shopping list. Apples have been associated by millions upon millions of people who have pondered these things with health, peace, even immortality! "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." You've heard that many times; what we tend to forget is that this familiar saying is rooted in the wisdom traditions of the world's great religions, including Christianity. It's a wisdom confirmed by science to be sure, but it reflects the actual experience of real people eating real food. It is the nearly universal consensus of humankind that what is good for the body is also good for the soul. The chemicals in various foods that tend to calm the nerves also tend to soothe the soul.

Looking a bit further down the list, there's the avocado. Not as often found on a typical grocery shopping list, the avocado is equally valuable to the body as the apple. It tends lower cholesterol, while protecting the heart and smoothing the skin. There are strong physical benefits to be derived from avocados, to be sure. But in the world's great wisdom traditions, the avocado is associated with love and beauty. Not just the outer beauty that is skin deep, but the inner qualities of beauty that reflect a strength of soul. Further, a ripe avocado is delicious!
See what's happening here? You are not only going through a mechanical process of building a shopping list ... you are becoming attentive to the qualities of character and the aspects of your spiritual life that you'd like to enhance. You are beginning to associate eating good food with leading a good life. You are letting your imagination, your sense of touch, taste and smell become supports for a more powerful spiritual practice. You are weaving the practice of attending to the needs of the soul into your daily routines. You are bringing mind and body together in a new way to work in concert with each other ... building a stronger foundation for a longer and more fulfilling life. Try it. And let me know how the spirit diet works for you. I'll be adding to The Spirit List over the coming weeks and months, and your feedback will be helpful as I do so.
The Spirit Food List

apples	health, immortality, peace	Protects your heart	prevents constipation	Blocks diarrhea	Improves lung capacity	Cushions joints
apricots	optimism, love	Combats cancer	Controls blood pressure	Saves your eyesight	Shields against Alzheimer's	Slows aging process
artichokes	inner life	Aids digestion	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Guards against liver disease
avocados	love, beauty	Battles diabetes	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin
bananas	wisdom and inner strength	Protects your heart	Quiets a cough	Strengthens bones	Controls blood pressure	Blocks diarrhea
beans	reconciliation, release from anxiety	Prevents constipation	Helps hemorrhoids	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Stabilizes blood sugar
beets	love	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones	Protects your heart	Aids weight loss
blueberries	youthfulness, zest, inner security	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Boosts memory	Prevents constipation
broccoli	foresight	Strengthens bones	Saves eyesight	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure
cabbage	happiness and hope	Combats cancer	Prevents constipation	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Helps hemorrhoids
cantaloupe	wholeness, harmony	Saves eyesight	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Supports immune system
carrots	abundance	Saves eyesight	Protects your heart	Prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Promotes weight loss
cauliflower	spiritual nourishment, purity	Protects against Prostate Cancer	Combats Breast Cancer	Strengthens bones	Banishes bruises	Guards against heart disease
cherries	honesty, truthfulness, insight	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Ends insomnia	Slows aging process	Shields against Alzheimer's
chestnuts	success, prosperity	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
chili peppers	fidelity, inspiration	Aids digestion	Soothes sore throat	Clears sinuses	Combats Cancer	Boosts immune system
figs	discernment, fulfillment, prosperity	Promotes weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
fish	spirituality, energy	Protects your heart	Boosts memory	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Supports immune system
flax	prosperity, discernment	Aids digestion	Battles diabetes	Protects your heart	Improves mental health	Boosts immune system
garlic	practicality, protection from danger	Lowers cholesterol	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	kills bacteria	Fights fungus
grapefruit	wholeness, harmony	Protects against heart attacks	Promotes Weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol
grapes	repentance and renewal	saves eyesight	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Enhances blood flow	Protects your heart
green tea	courage, inner strength	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Helps stops strokes	Promotes Weight loss	Kills bacteria
honey	abundance and grace	Heals wounds	Aids digestion	Guards against ulcers	Increases energy	Fights allergies
lemons	release from anger and rage	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
limes	perseverance	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
mangoes	fertility, productivity	Combats cancer	Boosts memory	Regulates thyroid	aids digestion	Shields against Alzheimer's
mushrooms	imagination	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Kills bacteria	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
oats	inner peace	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	prevents constipation	Smoothes skin
olive oil	comfort	Protects your heart	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	Smoothes skin
onions	introspection	Reduce risk of heart attack	Combats cancer	Kills bacteria	Lowers cholesterol	Fights fungus
oranges	blessing or good fortune	Supports immune systems	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Straightens respiration
peaches	abundant life	prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes	aids digestion	Helps hemorrhoids
peanuts	truthfulness, curiosity	Protects against heart disease	Promotes Weight loss	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol
pineapple	hospitality, warmth, charm	Strengthens bones	Relieves colds	Aids digestion	Dissolves warts	Blocks diarrhea
prunes	nimbleness of heart and mind	Slows aging process	prevents constipation	boosts memory	Lowers cholesterol	Protects against heart disease
rice	hope, security	Protects your heart	Battles diabetes	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes
strawberries	sensuality, satisfaction in matters of the heart	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	boosts memory	Calms stress
sweet potatoes	harmony with loved ones	Saves your eyesight	Lifts mood	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
tomatoes	domestic happiness, harmony	Protects prostate	Combats cancer	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart
walnuts	intelligence, diligence	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	boosts memory	Lifts mood	Protects against heart disease
water	cleansing of the soul	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Conquers kidney stones	Smoothes skin
watermelon	love or relaxation	Protects prostate	Promotes Weight loss	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure
wheat germ	abundance	Combats Colon Cancer	prevents constipation	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	improves digestion
wheat bran	success	Combats Colon Cancer	prevents constipation	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	improves digestion
yogurt	adaptability, flexibility of mind and heart	Guards against ulcers	Strengthens bones	Lowers cholesterol	Supports immune systems	Aids digestion

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