Nutritional Thinking: How It Affects the Food You Eat

More than 20 years ago I was making my way carefully along a gourmet buffet line at a conference I was attending. Choosing foods that met “proper” dietary guidelines was proving difficult. Gourmet cooking relies heavily on wheat and dairy for breading and sauces. Both had been on my “no-no” list for years.

As I approached the dessert section at the end of the line I was eyeing the health-enhancing fresh fruit choices. Blocking access to them was a good friend who I knew to also be very cautious about his diet. Surprisingly, his plate was filled to the brim with many of the foods that failed the “healthy test.”

I kept my critical judgments to myself.

Suddenly, he swung around to hand me a large wine glass filled with chocolate mousse topped with whipped cream and chocolate bits. “Have one of these — they are incredible!”

“No thanks” I replied. “Dairy does bad things to me–especially when it also contains sugar.”

He smiled and volunteered “Well, it is too good to pass up, so let me fix that for you.” Then his expression softened as his right hand circled closely above the dessert, palm turned down, in a tight clockwise direction for 4 or 5 rotations.

Extending it out to me again, he claimed “Okay, now it’s good for you.” “It won’t cause you any problems.”

I was aware that my friend was “special.”  In past encounters he had demonstrated behaviors and abilities that could seemingly be explained as “psychic” (or, less likely, “magic”). Even so, hand-circling a chocolate mousse and declaring it “good food” seemed way over the top of believable.

But, he was my friend. He was offering me a gift, of sorts, and my mother had taught me to graciously accept gifts from friends. Besides, the mousse did look delicious.

I thought “What the hell? A couple of nights without sleep and a box or two of tissues, and it will be fine.” I smiled and accepted the mousse.

It was absolutely, without question, the best mousse I had ever had!

I braced myself in expectation of the stuffiness and sinus congestion I knew was coming soon. Surprisingly, I continued to breathe freely the remainder of the evening.

That night, while preparing for bed, a new box of tissues and a book were placed on the nightstand in preparation for the inevitable “can’t breathe–may as well sit up and read.”

But, they were not needed. My next significant awareness was “It’s morning!” I slept through the night, and I feel great!  Whaaat??“

I couldn’t think of a time throughout my life when dairy had not stuffed up my nose and congested my lungs. Maybe the dude IS magic …

Now on to another story. One with a MUCH different outcome.

A fellow Toastmaster always became angry while reading the menu of the Italian restaurant where we held our meetings.

“There is nothing fit to eat in this place!” he would bellow before each meeting. The waitress patiently waiting to take his order would cringe.

“Everything on this menu will give you a heart attack! I am so sick of only being able to order the salad! I’ll have the damned salad, but leave off the cheese and pepperoni! That stuff will kill you!

He would incessantly chide all the members about our food choices. He extolled the virtues of the foods that he and his wife ate at home. He revealed that he actually hated the way he had to eat, but that it was the only way to be healthy. He let us know that we were all fools for choosing foods that we enjoyed instead of choosing for “health.”

After a few months of this, he died. Massive heart attack. Happened while he was eating a “healthy” meal that he hated.

– – –

“Thoughts are things!” You have heard this before, of course. The question is, do you accept it as being true?

It certainly seems to be.

More than just causing acidic or alkaline responses in our bodies, which is verifiable through pH testing, thoughts seem to also have the ability to change the very nature of food.

I have witnessed other transformations which are more dramatic, less believable than the chocolate mousse. I won’t challenge your rational mind with them. Not now, anyway.

If this idea intrigues you, I suggest that you playfully experiment with it. Here are some suggestions:

• Without recommending that you ever digress from a healthy dies, when you do, put any thoughts of how it might be harmful completely out of your mind and bless it as though you possessed the power of Creation.
• When well-intended friends and relatives suggest that things you are eating or are about to eat will “be the death of you” or are in any other way harmful, do a mental “CANCEL — CLEAR” before continuing. Recognize that they are operating on old data, and they don’t know what you know.
• Always be grateful and appreciative for every food and beverage you put in your body. If you cannot do this, throw it away. Don’t even feed it to the dog. Our thoughts can poison food not only for us, but also for others.
• Dr. Regan Golob suggests that, if we are feeling wonderful and appreciative, we can handle moderate amounts of almost anything. If we are NOT feeling wonderful and appreciative, it is better to not eat anything at that time.
• Make mealtime a quiet, peaceful time. No arguments. No criticism. No stressful TV shows
• Harmoniously blessing* our food seems to add digestibility and nutritional value. Always take the time, clear your mind and be sincere.

Nutritional thinking seems to add flavor, improve digestion, and it may even contribute to appropriate weight management. It costs nothing, takes only a few seconds and can potentially improve your health and longevity. It also can be the “secret ingredient” to the best danged chocolate mousse you may ever have!

 

(*Whatever “blessing” means to you …)