by: Shannon McKeown, MS, LDN
“You are what you eat.” – American Proverb
This is the last truth segment in a series of four truths. It is my belief that the obesity epidemic will not be solved with low vibrational advice of counting calories as “Hungry Girl” does, or counting points like Weight Watchers employs, or eating pre-package (non-real food) like Nutri- System. When your consciousness has come into alignment with your God-Self and recognizes your body as a temple or the greatest gift you have ever been given; you will not look outside yourself for answers to your health/weight loss problems. Instead, you will claim your power and take ownership for creating your own conscious eating plan in conjunction with a credentialed nutrition professional, who believes in moderation and lays a groundwork for you to feel “free- er” than ever with your food relationship and food choices! In a state of higher consciousness you will enjoy the foods that Mother Nature provides and take the time it takes to make a plan and cook your food/meals, so that your body temple is honored and truly healthy.
Our descendents, the Neanderthals, had a relationship with food that was solely based on sustaining life and survival. After that period, our frontier ancestors had a relationship with food that was still survival based, but more intimately centered on nourishment, with a practice of gratitude for its access. Today, the pendulum has swung to the complete opposite of both of these relationships that our ancestors had with food.
Our food relationship can be as simple as answering these three questions: What do I eat? When do I eat? and How much do I eat? The more complex side of our food relationship lies with these three aspects of ourselves: our primal self, our socially conditioned or tribal mind self, and our spiritual self. When any one of these questions or aspects is misguided by the tribal mind or burdened by emotional wounds your health is being put at risk.
Just because an ideology or way of doing something is popular or mainstream doesn’t mean it is the best choice to make. Interestingly, though, part of the reason something becomes popular is because individuals within the tribal mind are not taking the time to determine what is right for them or they are not connected to the wisdom of their bodies. Instead, it is simpler to do what the rest of the tribal mind/society is doing. Unfortunately, when you approach your life unconsciously from both your spiritual self and your human self, your decisions are being made by default and NOT consciously. Going along with the tribal mind and eating a standard American diet may be the result of pressure by family or peers or just plain accepting social conditioning to do things the way they have always been.
It’s not easy to go against the grain….you may find people feel threatened when you make decisions and choices that are divergent from the ones everyone else makes. Furthermore, it’s easy to feel frustrated when you feel unsupported and misunderstood simply because you are elevating your mind, body, and soul from the tribal mind. But this is where connecting to Source and experiencing “Its” strength and love for your body temple will bring healing and a knowing that this new desire of conscious eating is your wholeness expressing.
When someone feels lost, they typically look for a map or guidance to figure out where they really are. There are many unconscious beings NOT in relationship with Source to the level of knowing their Oneness with Spirit and all things. Therefore they are wandering around in uncharted territories – just like Columbus wandered the oceans before finding America. Not knowing where you are puts you at risk of following the tribal mind because going along with the others leaves you less unsure and uneasy. Trust is a process of learning to feel your own way, rather than remain unconscious and wandering around, or following the tribal mind that has a conditioned path. You practice using your inner compass which builds trust that you know you are going the right way. Trust connects you to the universe and reminds you that no matter how lost you feel on this journey, your inner guidance always directs you to home and consciousness. It is through this very experience that you will learn to develop the ability to trust yourself and the universe and not be hypnotized by the tribal mind to influence your decisions and choices.
About the author
Shannon has both a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in foods and nutrition. She holds a state license as a professionally credentialed dietitian and nutritionist. Shannon utilizes a more natural and holistic nutritional model inspired from her employment with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, where she was drawn to the stories told by the medicine man about how the Seminoles were in tune with nature as their physician. This experience re-awakened her to a very old truth by Hippocrates: “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Armed with this new inspiration, Shannon did extensive research during her graduate studies regarding heart disease and the many natural, therapeutic benefits of foods, such as: citrus for cholesterol management; plants like aloe vera and spices like cinnamon that improve glucose control; and super fruits that reduce inflammation and build immunity – just to name a few.
(At the time of this publication, Shannon lived in Austin, Texas, but she has since moved our of our area. We wish her well!)