Understanding foods and fasting for your overall wellbeing & happiness

Our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing are completely connected. So, having the right diet will significantly help in every aspect of someone’s life.

For instance, deficiencies in nutrients and vitamins will affect not only how our skin and hair looks but also negatively impact our mood and energy levels. If we eat a poor diet or too much food and drink that’s not good for us unhealthy toxins will build up. We cannot possibly be at our best.

It’s also important how we eat. Sitting down and feeling relaxed is best, and then taking our time. Savour every bite, its taste, be mindful of what you are eating and drinking. Chew sufficiently. After finishing, stay right where you are for a while to allow the food to digest properly.

People struggling with mental health conditions such as depression, substance addiction, alcoholism, trauma, stress and anxiety, often lose their appetite. Or those with behavioural addictions to, for instance, exercise, work, gaming or of course food may neglect to eat well or even to eat at all.

It’s essential we eat healthily. By giving our bodies the healthiest diet, people will not only boost themselves physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually as well. From the inside out we can heal and stay healthy in all ways – and the word “healthy” derives from a word meaning “whole” and that is naturally what we need to be.

What are the most beneficial foods & drinks?

Seeds & nuts

They are fantastic sources of minerals, protein, vitamins, healthy fats and fibre-rich too.

Fibre-rich foods

Other fibre-rich foods include melon, broccoli, pears, carrots, pulses, cereals and wholegrain pastas. They are wonderful for our digestive health. This is very important to increase our absorption of essential nutrients and vitamins.

Yoghurt

Probiotic yoghurts keep the gastrointestinal system in a healthy condition. Consider kefir too. Greek yoghurt is great for helping to lower cholesterol. Choose unsweetened yoghurts for best results.

Fresh fruit

Quite simply the best food for giving the body a brilliant boost – the fresher the better. Of all fruits, berries are the best of all.

Fish

Packed with omega-3, which plays a key role in how our brain functions, the best choices are salmon, mackerel, trout, sardine, tuna, cod and herring.

Antioxidants

Eating foods rich in antioxidants gives an amazing boost to the immune system and rids the body of toxins. Antioxidants are substances that help to protect us from chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Dark chocolate, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are great sources.

Fresh vegetables 

These give us essential vitamins. Leafy greens are supreme as they’re packed with vitamins A, C, K plus calcium, potassium and iron.

Drinks

We need to drink six to eight glasses of fluid a day. Tea and coffee count, but many people find it helps to cut down or quit drinks containing caffeine. One reason is that they can negatively affect sleep. Smoothies and pure juices are fantastic healthy drinks, but they are sugary. Most of us know by now that it’s best for your health to completely avoid sugary fizzy drinks. That includes beer – and know too that past a certain amount of any alcohol you won’t be doing your physical or emotional wellbeing any good whatsoever. 

Those feelings that some people push down by drinking alcohol are frequently something to be looked at, as our feelings are always letting us know something we need to know. In my sessions they are the sort of thing I guide people to look into – as very often, that which you most need will be found where you least want to look.

Fasting for rapid positive results

In a physical sense, fasting allows us to lose weight if we need to do that. Also, although having self-esteem, self-confidence and self-love is an inside job, if we look better we are more likely to feel better inside. Fasting is also beneficial as it gives our digestive systems a rest.

As associated with Lent and with other religions such as with Ramadan and Yom Kippur, fasting is a greatly spiritual thing to do. Fasting fills us with gratitude. Most of us today in the West have food pretty much whenever we want, and can take it for granted. Going without for some time, whether that’s as part of a religion or through such as intermittent fasting, makes us really appreciate food. Food and drinks seem to have so much more flavour after a fast – every sip and bite is simply wonderful!

Then, it requires self-discipline. This is a great trait to have as if we can resist temptation we can resist landing ourselves in all sorts of trouble that will stop us from being our greatest ideal. Being our greatest ideal should always be the aim.

This is my new article for Soltalk magazine: http://www.soltalk.com/comment/april-2022/