Massage those greens!

My lunch today: wilted kale salad. Yum.

Time for something a bit less weighty than my last video post. Whew, that was intense! And no, I haven't figured out what to do yet. Keep sending positive thoughts!

Anyway, the past couple days I've been experimenting with my eating. I realized that eating rich foods such as dehydrated, nut-heavy dishes makes you want to eat more of them, almost like an addiction. The recording I made a few days ago discussed the feeling of primal hunger, but I think what I was feeling at that moment wasn't true hunger but a craving. And of course, the deeper spiritual hunger and need for connection was there as well; that is always present and perhaps what I really meant when referring to "primal hunger."

So, I've read a bit about this phenomenon of overeating, and I have a few conclusions: 1. Overeating may be a sign of mineral deficiency and eating nutrient-poor foods. 2. It can be an expression of some spiritual need for connection and belonging. 3. Overeating may be triggered by foods that are unnaturally sweet or concentrated, thus creating an addiction-like craving. 4. Most provacative/intriguing: overeating may just be a natural human behavior, since our bodies evolved in an environment of feast and famine. Perhaps the routine of eating throughout the day only triggers overeating by priming the body to think it is in a feast period and to eat as much as it can.

So, a multi-pronged approach to the above hypotheses would be: 1. Eat nutrient-dense foods and get lots of minerals. 2. Have more fun and love and spiritual nourishment in your life! 3. Decrease consumption of rich, addictive foods. 4. Balance periods of fasting and feasting more evenly--for me, this means less feasting and more fasting, and the most logical way to increase the amount of fasting is to extend the nighttime fast by not eating a few hours before bed and/or after waking. One approach would be, if you sleep for 8 hours, then don't eat for 2 hours after waking and 2 hours before bed, roughly--this means 12 hours or half of every day fasting.

I haven't been doing that to the letter, but I have been trying to hold off on eating for a couple hours in the morning and before bedtime. One thing I noticed: in the mornings, I can go longer than I thought without getting hungry, and when I hold off on eating, I don't eat as much later. So maybe there's something to it! Of course, I don't want to be too strict or draconian (or anti-fun) here. Perhaps the most important of all of these is the point on having more fun and love in your life. That is something worth cultivating!

Anyway, these ideas are all quite embryonic; I'm just experimenting, and I'm always open to feedback. On another note, something I recently discovered: massaged/wilted greens! Rather than just eat them straight in a salad, you massage and squeeze them with your hands (and a little oil and sea salt, or the salad dressing) to get them wilted. It means less chewing, easier digestion. And...it's fun! Who doesn't like to play with their food? I love discovering simple sensory pleasures like that. It seems my body has just come alive since being on raw foods. How amazing.

Rachel