Eating for Radiant Health

by Susan Smith Jones, Ph.D. 

Our lives are made up of millions of choices. Moment to moment, we are always choosing. What we are consists of the sum of our choices: what we think, what we imagine, how we react, what we eat, what we say, what we feel and what we expect. It’s time to take back the responsibility for our own lives and start using the power that is ours to create what we want—a healthy, fit body and a fulfilling, joyful, peaceful life. 

Let’s explore more closely the importance of our day-to-day food choices and the need to reprogram and retrain our senses to release self-limiting beliefs and habits. Your primary goal is to get to the point where you are eating the highest quality plant foods — with the greatest portion of your diet raw, living foods.

Although it’s important to choose healthy foods, don’t become a fanatic about what you eat. It’s what you choose to eat on a daily basis that makes the difference, not the occasional lapse. Worrying about every little piece of food that goes into your mouth is far more harmful in the long run than infrequent splurges.

Learn to think in terms of whole foods. It’s when you begin cutting, cooking, and processing foods that your system gets into trouble. Whenever you are able, eat your foods whole, just the way nature made them, complete with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, natural sugars, fibers, and water, in the right proportions for efficient use by your body. Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, sprouts, nuts and seeds carefully selected and prepared to suit your particular needs and desires are ideal foods for the vibrantly alive body. 

You may feel that it’s too difficult to switch all at once to a new nutritional program. That’s a common reaction and that’s okay. You can break in gradually, if you wish, switching first to foods that appeal to you the most and gradually adding the others. In fact it may take a while for your digestive system to become accustomed to handling these new, whole, living foods. 

Your mind may have some negative programming about your eating habits that will trip you up if you aren’t careful. The mind will always choose immediate gratification over long-term satisfaction. The mind doesn’t care if you achieve your long-term goal for a fit, lean, healthy body. The mind wants you to feel good right now. It’s important to realize that the mind isn’t necessarily your friend. You must sometimes detach from it to achieve your long-term goals. 

Whether for food or something else, the difficulty in resisting sensory desire comes from the force of conditioning. Every time we are negatively conditioned, we lose a little of our freedom and our capacity to choose. So begin by becoming aware of what you are eating. Eating at the table, at mealtimes and only when you are hungry, helps because you can more fully focus your attention on your food. When our attention is divided, we eat compulsively rather than from hunger. Automatic eating occurs frequently in front of the television set or at a movie theater, parties or sports events. 

The entire process of eating needs to be given your full attention to get the maximum benefits. Be conscious of the hunger you feel before you eat; how the food looks and smells as you prepare it, serve it, and eat it; how the table setting looks; how the food tastes; the texture of the food; your chewing; your breathing; and how you feel while you are eating. Finally, after all this, be aware of and grateful for the feelings of lightness and high energy derived from the meal and the easy elimination of the food after it’s digested. It’s embracing this attitude about meals that enables you to appreciate simple, wholesome foods and to eat less, feeling completely satisfied. Paying attention helps to develop the capacity to enjoy the simplest foods and to be truly healthy. 

Begin the retraining of your senses by eliminating things that injure your body. We put in all kinds of things that nutritionists and plain common sense tell us impair the body’s smooth functioning, just because they taste pleasant. We need to reestablish that the determinant of what we eat should be our body’s needs, not merely the appeal of the senses. I have found that meditating for a few minutes before each meal is a powerful tool that fosters choosing foods that promote health and harmony. 

It does seem taste buds change and adapt when we alter our eating habits. The whole wheat bread that tasted heavy and grainy a few months ago may taste chewy and favorable this month. Feeling better and looking marvelous will soon compensate for the loss of dubious taste thrills of the past, such as fried chicken, white bread, ice cream, candy, and

potato chips. You’ll find yourself looking forward to more healthful pleasures — the taste of ripe papaya, luscious strawberries, blueberries, ripe pineapple, sweet juicy grapes, a crisp garden salad, brown rice or quinoa with steamed vegetables and sweet potatoes smothering in sautéed onions, broccoli and mushrooms.

As I mentioned above, even though you may not be eager to overhaul your entire food program, at least start by adding more raw, organic fruits and vegetables to your diet. I recommend the following program to my clients and friends. Make at least 50 percent of your diet raw each and every day. On Mondays, eat raw foods all day until dinner, and on Thursdays, raw foods all day including dinner. This simple program will assist you to bring more living foods into your diet by spacing them out over the week. You’ll feel lighter and more energetic immediately, simply from eating more uncooked foods. 

Simple steps for success:

Here are some guidelines I use with my clients and friends that can make a profound difference and foster success in your food choices and new lifestyle. 

Start strong. Pick a day to begin your new program and make the start date a special date. The first day of your new program sets the tone for the next few months. The days before your program starts, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepare. Do whatever you need to do to clean out your kitchen of unhealthy products. Create a monthly calendar you can place on your refrigerator door where each day you will list your physical activities and all the ways you’ve loved yourself. For example, you might write that you walked for 30 minutes, meditated for 15 minutes, and ate 3 pieces of fruit. Seeing the squares filled in provides you with a mirror of how well you’re taking care of yourself. 

Eat your morning meal. Embracing each day with a strong, positive start makes it easier to make healthier choices throughout the day. People who eat a healthy breakfast generally feel less hungry throughout the day. 

Feel your hunger. Try to snack only when you’re hungry, not when you’re bored or depressed or tired or anything but hungry. 

Go light. When you feel hungry and you don’t have much time, opt for low-calorie bites that are quick and nourishing, such as carrot or celery sticks or other fresh vegetables or fresh fruit. 

Eat what you like. There are so many delicious healthy foods to choose from, there’s simply no reason to eat foods you don’t like.  So make wise, healthy choices from the foods you really like. 

Slow down. Eat slowly enough to give your body time to release the enzymes that tell your brain when you’ve had all you need. Inhaling food instead of eating consciously and deliberately causes indigestion and gas. Chew your foods well. Half of digestion takes place in your mouth. 

Don’t give up. Falling off your health program once or twice does not mean the effort is hopeless. Simply acknowledge that you didn’t eat wisely and get back on the program. 

Reward yourself. Treat yourself with a massage, a movie, or a new piece of clothing for each week that you maintain your health program, achieve goals, or maintain weight.