Vitality Foods  - March 2016 - Santa Fe

How to Feed Your Body, Mind and Spirit

By Valeria Alarcón

 

In the field of integrative nutrition there is a principle that looks at how we nurture our body, mind and spirit, this principle is called primary and secondary foods. We know that food addresses nutritional needs and it’s also approached as a medicinal source for health prevention. As you know not all food is created equal, there are fake foods that perpetuate disease and there's real food, unadulterated food that is the source of healing. The food we consume to support our health and vitality is known as secondary food. How we feed our lives is known as primary foods, how? Let me explain. 

 

Often, when people feel happy and fulfilled then food often becomes a second thought. Think about when you were a child, playing, having fun, completely enthralled in a game or a craft or as an adult having fun while working on an exciting project at work or at school. Your sense of fulfillment was perhaps at its highest, where you felt so good about yourself and what you were doing so much so that time just slipped away, so much so that you would forget to eat. When we are joyfully engaged with life that's when body, mind and spirit are thriving all at once, this is primary foods at its best!

 

Now in the contrary, when feeling sad, dissatisfied or lonely, people often turn to eating or other self-medicating outlets to fill a void, to sooth and nurture the self but at the end of day the feeling doesn't go away, it may even feel worse. Here's where we can take some time to look at the primary foods of life and assess where our body-mind-spirit is asking for attention, healing, support or growth. Here's a quick and fun exercise to begin that self-dialogue.

 

It’s called the circle of life, this quick and easy tool helps assess primary/secondary foods and see what needs attention. On a piece of paper, draw a circle and divide the circle as if you would a pie. Then assign your primary foods to each slice; for example it can include nutrition, relationships, career, family time, physical movement, travel, social life, creative outlets, fun and play, etc. Once you have completed your circle of life with all your primary foods, assign a dot to each section. If you are feeling pretty fulfilled in a specific area, mark a dot on that slice toward the circumference of the circle. In the contrary, if you are feeling unfulfilled, mark a dot towards the center of the circle on that slice. Then connect the dots and soon you’ll have a visual of your primary foods. Now take some time to reflect on what needs attention, what kind of support you’ll need in order to achieve more balance, fulfillment, or identify what may be in the way of what you desire. Keep a journal of what comes up each time you do your circle of life and create some action steps that are realistic and attainable.  

 

Nutrition is more than what we eat; it's about our relationship to self, our commitments to self, our self-love, self-respect, and self-care. When our internal landscape (relationship to self) is tended to and truly supported, then our lives and our health can truly thrive.

 

 Hearty-Granola

by Norma Diala

 

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups rolled oats

1 cup shelled pistachios or combination of other nuts

1 cup unsweetened coconut chips

⅓ cup pumpkin seeds

1 tsp salt (or less)

½ cup light brown sugar (or less)

1/4 cup maple syrup (or less)

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

¾ cup dried sour cherries or other dried fruit

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 300

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, pistachios, coconut, pumpkin seeds and salt.

In a small saucepan set over low heat, warm the sugar, syrup and olive oil until the sugar has just dissolved, add one tbsp of water, stir and melt, then remove from heat.

Fold liquids into the mixture of oats, making sure to coat the dry ingredients well.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper spread the granola evenly. Bake until dry and lightly golden, 35 to 40 minutes, stirring granola a few times along the way.

Remove granola from oven, and mix in the dried sour cherries.

Allow to cool to room temperature before transferring to a storage container.

Makes about 6 cups. Serve with high quality yogurt or coconut cream, enjoy!