Love & Intention When Preparing Food

I have a feeling some of you are thinking "Oh geez, what's she talking about now?"  But I think others will know just what I'm getting at and will agree that while it may sound hokey, there's something powerful behind the words.  There's more to it than prep, cook, serve, eat.

With my personal journey back to health in working on healing my Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue (Adrenal Exhaustion - more from me on that in another post very soon).  I'm working on making a lot of nutritional changes as well as lifestyle changes.  One small thing I've started doing is putting love and intention into my food preparation.  What does that mean?

Let's use today's lunch as an example.  I was getting ready to make my usual - a salad with whatever I could find to throw in there.  I laid my ingredients out on the counter and looked at them.  I felt peace.  I knew that the food I was about to prepare is healthy, fresh, and free of ingredients that will cause me inflammation, digestive distress or added fatigue.  I washed the organic radishes and mini sweet peppers and placed them on the counter.  I opened the new container of organic greens and rinsed those as well.  As I chopped each item and added it to my bowl, I silently thanked the farmers who work so hard to grow their crops.  I thanked them for fighting to do what they feel is right, and for following the USDA protocol to certify their crops as organic.  I also thanked them for not dumping (too many or harmful) pesticides on their crops.  Then I thanked the farmers who have raised their chickens in more humane conditions, without using antibiotics or steroids.  I'm sure they've faced many obstacles in their careers, but they fight to be able to offer us these healthier chickens. 

Once I had everything in my bowl, I felt grateful for the colors I saw.  I thanked the sun for growing these foods and the soil for providing nutrients.  I knew that I was going to sit down and enjoy a bowl of food that would not only taste really good, but also give me fuel, energy, and would sustain me throughout the mid-afternoon.  I ate slowly and kept thinking about my intentions:  Eat to heal.  Eat to live.  Slow down and enjoy the food.  Feel the love that was put into making this food.  Remember the healing and healthful benefits of each of the ingredients in this food.

I don't think I would have felt grateful if I was rushing around, eating on the go or while multi-tasking, grabbing food from a fast food establishment.  Putting love and intention into my meal not only helped me to enjoy it more, but it helped me to slow down and remember why I need to make the nutritional changes necessary to heal.  I was mindful.   I was clear.

Try it next time you make a meal and see if you notice a difference in how you feel during and after eating.  Ask your family members to help you prepare the food.  Talk about the ingredients and what their health benefits are.  Ask your children questions and get them involved so they can also feel the power within creating the food.

Let me know if you feel a difference!