The practice of yoga and meditation has also encouraged me to reflect on my dietary choices and how these affect my spiritual, mental and physical health. To me, diet and yoga are very much integrated and form part of a holistic outlook on health and wellness. Over the last few years, my family and I have become more sedentary and staying in one place has allowed us to build our soil and grow an abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables. Gardening and growing food is more than just a hobby but a way of life. I strive to incorporate at least eight fruits and vegetables a day into our diet.
We’re producing about 50% of our vegetables on our quarter acre section, and hope to increase this to 100% of our vegetable intake by next year. We integrate herbs into our meals, eat seasonally as much as possible, and are 100% organic. When we nurture our food from seed and harvest our produce right before we eat it, I feel a sense of harmony and peacefulness with my food. The sustenance from food when we grow it naturally ourselves cannot be underestimated. Not only is quality of food important, but also freshness of food.
Food that is grown in nutrient rich soils are healthier and more nutrient dense than store bought food. The importance of a healthy, organic diet for children/teens, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with health concerns, high levels of stress, the elderly, and athletes cannot be underestimated. Agro-chemicals and pesticides are not only toxic to our bodies, but also have a negative impact on the land, micro-organisms in the soil, and beneficial bugs and insects, including bees.
Finally, water is the most important part of good nutrition. We’re lucky to be able to source our water from a spring not far from our house. As we learned from research done by Dr. Masaru Emoto, water can take on a life of it's own. This Japanese researcher and author observed crystals of water from various sources, including tap water, river water, and lake water. Emoto found that the water frozen formed beautiful crystal formations from rivers and lakes in pristine environments. However, the beautiful crystals were not found in tap water or from polluted rivers or lakes. Dr. Emoto also observed the crystals of frozen water in other situations, including while praying and playing different types of music. Some researchers question the validity of Dr. Emoto's studes, but regardless, our bodies are made up of about 60% water.