Positive Health Online

What is it about food that makes us want to realize its nutritional benefits? Why are we so enthralled in finding out what it can do for our health and why is it used as a medium to control our behaviour that, if unchecked, would mean we are undisciplined, lazy or malevolent? To answer these questions, food must first be seen as nourishment for the Soul. In this way we can begin to see it as food from the Gods sent to replenish our reserves that get depleted after numerous engagements with what we know as learning the 'Law'.

The Law as we 'know' it is based on the Truth, and those that seek it have the advantage of those who are able to discern which type of Truth they seek. In seeking the Truth, those who are predisposed to understanding their internal landscape will be better placed to be able to feed themselves according to that doctrine. So what is the understanding they are seeking and what relation to food does it entail in terms of learning how to focus on what's important for spiritual growth and development?

When checking how you feel about food, the first thing you might notice is how you feel in your tummy. This is the normal response, because essentially this is where the food you are about to eat will end up. But is this the most healthy response to hunger, and should we be thinking in terms of how it impacts our hearts instead? The Muslim tradition of fasting for 30 days has one thing in common with traditional fasting methods of other cultures; that is how they spend their energy on getting in tune with the inner peace of being in line with their intentions. By setting self-defined goals they manage their own emotions around temptation, fear and lack and are therefore in a position to manage their own relationship to food and eating. Why is this important and what does it have to do with the heart?

The heart is an organ in the body that dictates the amount of energy required for its daily needs. As such it has the ability to transform the food we eat into life-giving substances that enhance our being at the level of understanding its capacity to provide energy for living our life. So instead of thinking about food as a calorie laden substance, it is best to understand its nature and why it works to fuel our bodies instead.

The fuel our body absorbs on behalf of our energy system is mainly made up of carbon, atoms and proteins. It is this mixture of molecules that allow us to utilize what we eat and make it something we can turn into energy. When digesting a molecule, the stomach provides a medium in which the food can be processed and utilized by the body. It is in this system that the body understands the 'language' of the nutrients in order for it to translate the message of the molecule in other versions of itself to be used in the appropriate areas such as the muscles, kidneys and bloodstream.

After that, it will be synthesised into usable energy for which the heart is re-knowned to generate. So having used the body to interpret the meaning of food, the heart then 'knows' how to respond in order to focus more intently on what it needs to survive. So what has all this got to do with anything?

The reason we are focused on what we need to eat for health is that we understand the necessity for the body to receive what it needs to survive in the form of food. As explained, I have outlined the ways in which that happens. But that's not all we are concerned about in this scenario. The most prevalent use of food in the body is its ability to nourish the mind, the mind being that which drives the universal energies of life itself. In this world the food we eat is the embodiment of that force and therefore reflects the nature of the Universe itself. By utilizing that energy we provoke the very nature of our heart's energy system into realizing its own potential. Food is from nature. Nature is born of the earth and when we reposition the 'h' at the beginning of the word 'earth' it becomes 'h-eart'. So we can see that when we eat with the heart in mind, we really do nourish the Soul.