Originally published May 11 2011
The Benefits of Conscious Eating: Integrate Mind, Body and Spirit
by Allison Biggar
(NaturalNews) In a nation where obesity numbers are skyrocketing and cancer rates are higher than ever before, more people are enjoying the benefits of a plant-based diet. Often referred to as "conscious eating," benefits of a plant-based diet include disease prevention, increased spirituality, and a reduction of one`s carbon footprint. The growing trend of more health and environmentally conscious consumers will continue to drive the preference for plant-based food.
Through his words and actions, Ghandi sought to show us the health and spiritual benefits of plant-based eating. Yet the potency of his message has only resonated with a wider population in recent years in response to an alarming rise in chronic lifestyle diseases- led by diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Competing with advertising from the food and diet industry, the importance of a plant-based diet in promoting overall health was often lost in the media din.
Confronting a heath epidemic, consumers are now searching for more credible sources for health information than the media can offer. Facing rising health costs, doctors are under more pressure to educate their patients about healthy lifestyle habits, according to Michael Pollan, author of Food Rules, which was inspired by doctors who wanted a nutrition manual to give to their patients.
Pollan`s own investigative journalism and influence on conscious eating has become widespread: "After spending several years trying to answer the supposedly incredibly complicated question of how we should eat in order to be maximally healthy, I discovered the answer was shockingly simple. Eat real food, not too much of it, and more plants than meat." In his latest book, Pollan continues to espouse all-natural living over consumerism. Some of the rules include #11, "Avoid foods you see advertised on television," and #19, "If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don`t."
Eating consciously is about knowing where your food comes from and choosing to abstain from eating food that was not produced consciously. Mass-produced food neither benefits our bodies nor our environment, and the more we become aware of this, the more the world will begin to shift to a more beneficial food system- and the skyrocketing number of obesity and diseases will start moving in the opposite direction.
Conscious eating is also an individual choice to cultivate a humanitarian worldview, as well as engage in personal reflection, according to Kathy Freston, author of Quantum Wellness, a term coined by the author to describe the integration of mind, body, and spirit. "Conscious eating means simply this: remaining awake and aware of how food gets to our plate- and then choosing what we eat according to our values," says Freston.
Actress turned activist Alicia Silverstone is a strong advocate of a plant-based, non-Twinkie laden diet. In The Kind Diet, Silverstone describes her journey from a typical western diet to a macrobiotic, vegan one. Silverstone says that by eating a varied, plant-based diet, "you will strengthen your immune system, beautify your skin, increase your energy and reduce your risk (significantly) of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, allergies, asthma, and almost every other disease."
A more environmentally aware consumer is an equally powerful force behind conscious eating. A plant-based diet is less harmful to the planet as it does not use as much water, fuel, or other resources; in fact, in actually helps the soil, water, and our atmosphere to become healthier. We cannot foresee the future, but we can make responsible decisions for ourselves and future generations by choosing to eat in ways that truly benefit our mind, body and spirit.
Freston, Kathy. Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness. New York: Weinstein Books, 2008
Pollan, Michael. Food Rules: An Eater`s Manifesto. New York: Penguin Press, 2009
Silverstone, Alicia. The Kind Diet. Philadelphia: Rodale Press, 2009.
About the author
Allison Biggar is a writer and filmmaker who believes in using the media to empower people to make a difference.
Allison is directing a documentary on people who have cured themselves of disease naturally without drugs, surgery, chemotherapy or radiation.
You can visit her Natural Health web site at www.holisticvoice.org.
Allison also recently released "The Vitality Diet"-
This informative, reader-friendly diet book to changing your diet is jam-packed with knowledge, secrets, stories and answers that will motivate you like no other diet book has. Author Allison Biggar offers a heartrending first-hand account of a personal transformation that will make you think differently about your health and your relationship to food. Whether you are seeking to recover holistically from a serious disease, or just looking to shed a few pounds, The Vitality Diet is an invaluable blueprint for constructing a brand new lifestyle based on eating right and becoming whole again.
To buy "The Vitality Diet," book please visit www.thenaturalchick.com
To donate to Holistic Voice and help fund a documentary on healing naturally from disease please visit www.holisticvoice.org
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