Conscious Cooking and Healthy Living

The most important aspect of preparing and cooking food is the quality of energy you put into it. That quality will be reflected in the food itself, and in how you feel after eating it. Even though each food has its own innate qualities, the consciousness and intention you put into the cooking and eating of food can help you infuse it with more spiritual upliftment.

Physical food supplies the body with energy, and good thoughts supply the mind with peace and harmony.

A positive attitude while preparing food is an important ingredient to add to your cooking. View your kitchen as a sacred space and keep it clean and orderly. You might even create a little “kitchen altar,” including a photo of the loved ones for whom you are cooking.

Try to lift your consciousness before beginning to cook, and keep yourself uplifted as you cook. Think of higher consciousness flowing through you into the food. You might want to do specific things to lift your consciousness, such as beginning your cooking with a prayer, and consciously cultivating uplifting qualities such as calmness, love, gratitude, and focused attention on each part of the cooking process. Uplifting music, chanting, and the repetition of positive affirmations can help you.

You can use positive affirmations before you start cooking, while you cook, and before you eat the meal to help you stay uplifted. In this book we’ve included suggestions of affirmations to use during each season, to help bring balance and calmness.

Be creative in your cooking, and be patient with yourself as you change your diet. Enjoy the process.

Conscious Eating

“Once you learn to eat right foods and think right thoughts, your body and mind, purified by this energy, will take on the beauty of Spirit.” —Paramhansa Yogananda

Remember: Food is a part of Spirit. We want increasingly to experience food as a channel of life force, an avenue through which God is building and maintaining the physical body. If we approach eating in the right way, it will help us draw more life force from the food.

First of all, eat only when you are hungry. Learn to distinguish between true hunger and the need to fill a void caused by emotional upset, stress, or boredom.

Create a dining area that is pleasant and uplifting. Relax a few moments after cooking the meal, so you can bring more energy to enjoying the food. Bless your food, thanking the Divine for providing it, and asking that the food may serve to build God’s temple of the body.

Eat when you are calm and can concentrate on drawing energy from the food. It’s good to eat in a quiet environment, undistracted by television or reading. Treat your meal with love and respect. Be conscious about enjoying the food. The more you eat with enjoyment, the more vitality you will draw from the food. Chew your food well, until it is of even consistency, before swallowing.

When you eat in such a way, you will be less likely to overeat. In any event, try to stop eating when you feel just three-quarters full. You should feel comfortable after a meal, as if you still have room in your stomach.

Then sit quietly for a few minutes to let your food begin to digest. If you eat too much or too quickly, accept yourself with good humor and understanding. See your progress as directional.

Excerpted from The Healing Kitchen by Diksha Mccord.

For more information or to purchase The Healing Kitchen, please click HERE.