Food and Constitution

 A quick note on food, eating, diets and how those have an effect upon us depending upon our unique, individual constitutions. We are all human with the same basic food needs. Absolutely. But we don't all have the same ways of processing the foods we ingest based upon many variables including genetics, history, geography (place where we live - hot/cold, wet/dry, etc., has a significant impact upon how our bodies respond to foods), and so much more (not to mention karmic impacts from past lives or, if you don't believe in reincarnation, simply cause and effect from your own life interacting with people and the world around you) . This is a lifetime of study that most people never have the opportunity to study and explore. Which is why we fall into what works for other people or what the establishment says is best. Where does that leave most folks? 

Listen to your own body. What is it telling you? How do you feel after eating a certain way for a while? There is no 'one size fits all' -- everyone is a unique individual. Every single diet out there -- and I do mean all of them -- can cite studies and anecdotal evidence that it cures or resolves an illness, dis-ease, etc. And I believe them ... for those individuals, that approach was right for them. What they don't tell you is that for many other people, the diet or lifestyle or habits of eating did NOT work and, in fact, often created other problems because they ignored the first signs that something just wasn't right. They felt they must be doing something 'wrong' because, hey, it was working for all those other people. But they aren't those people, they are uniquely themselves.

So, again. Where do you feel led? What makes the most sense to you? How does your body feel? How are your food choices sitting with you not just physically but mentally and spiritually? Ayurveda teaches us that everything we ingest -- be it food, location, entertainment, the very lives experienced by the beings we eat, etc. -- is going to have an effect upon us, either in the present or in the future.

Lastly, you can do everything right and still end up suffering in some way, simply because life is unpredictable. Listening to your body and following as healthy and holistic a lifestyle as possible is what I refer to as 'hedging your bets' -- and, for most people, that approach can make a huge difference, one that brings confidence, joy, and peace. 

Do I know it all? Nope. (And beware anyone who says with certainty that 'this is the best and only way.') I simply share here the results of my own training and certification in various health care modalities combined with my own two decades of focused study and holistic health consultancy since leaving a 9 to 5 job in corporate work. Which is why I always come back to ...

Live well, listen to your own body/mind/soul, and follow your own path.