A Groovy Guide to Eating for Optimum Wellness
By Lainie ‘Sevante’ Wulkan & Joanna Salerno
Who knew that food could take you on a magic carpet ride? Its power and purpose can affect your moods in ways not ventured quite like this. We’re gonna take you on a magical, mystery tour through the passion of food and music so you can not only rock out what you’re eating with ease, but enjoy the healthy ride along the way.
How many times have you heard the expressions “You are what you eat” or “You need to refuel your tank” or “Food is Medicine”? While all true, it’s learning to convert these simple words of wisdom from wanting to ‘eat to live’ rather than ‘live to eat’ and enjoying a consistent sense of well – being along the way.
With the plethora of eating choices out there from fast food to farm fresh, a world of chaos exists with many dietary choices, leaving one overwhelmed and confused on which road to go down. Coupled with the mass promotion of trending diets flooding our social media today from Paleo, Keto, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Gluten-Free, only to name a few, it’s no wonder that people are continuing to eat foods that aren’t good for their longevity. Could this be you? We get it. How can we expect to know everything that’s good for your anxiety, depression, happiness and joy when you ‘don’t know what you don’t know’ and the breadcrumbs aren’t clear on what path is best.
As creators of The Food Healing Oracle Deck® series (which is a bridging of Spirit & Science in a fun and powerful way to understand the deeper messages of food while answering life’s questions), we find that less is more and that Mother Nature has had the right idea all along – keep it simple, natural and delicious. Sounds boring? Maybe. But think about the tortoise and the hare. Are you looking to win the race on longevity, health and wellness or are you just living in the moment and flying by the seat of your pants? You may get there further and faster, but at what cost?
That’s about to change. Turn up the volume, sit back and cruise with us. It’s about to get hot in here!
‘HOT BLOODED’ – Check it and see… (Foreigner)
For those with a temper out there, raise your hand! We see you. “I’m seeing red! I’m so mad!” Sound familiar? You’re on fire. Red is the color associated with the fire element and foods that kick things up a notch – tomatoes, red peppers, chiles. Yet it’s also the color of strawberries, pomegranate and cherries which may bring out the passion, excitement, chemistry and sensuality in you. Wherever you are on the spectrum of things, think about using food as a new palette of discovery. If you want to have less anger, rage and jealousy, eat less red and more cooling combinations of foods.
If you want to spice things up, go red! Health wise, red will get you ahead nutritionally as these foods are THE BEST in nutrition for overall health. In our Food Healing Oracle Deck® language, Tomatoes is our ACTION card and you’re being asked to step up and step in for making the changes you want to see in your world.
‘JOY TO THE WORLD’ – All the Boys and Girls… (Three Dog Night)
We can’t live without joy in our world, right? Why would we anyway? Not the mood always easy to attain, especially if world events or personal challenges have got you down. But here’s a secret. You can eat your way to joy and we’re not suggesting run out and get a bag of gummy bears or a box of donuts (although tempting). We are lucky here in Florida as we are the land of fresh mangoes growing on our trees. Mangoes is our JOY card for both the obvious and subtle reasons. Mangoes are so delicious and satisfying. They bring a smile to all who enjoy their juicy taste. Mangoes also have similar terpenes to Cannabis, namely myrcene, which offer the anti-inflammatory, pain relief and relaxing affects. We recommend checking out Ethan Russo’s Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics to learn the vast world of cannabis foods, essential oils and more. The connection is real! Now that’s something to be joyful about!
We recommend checking out Ethan Russo’s Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics to learn the vast world of cannabis foods, essential oils and more. The connection is real! Now that’s something to be joyful about!
‘GIVE PEACE A CHANCE’ – All We Are Saying… (John Lennon & Yoko Ono)
John Lennon taught the world through his music that Peace is what we need for humanity to prosper. We can also instill peace into our food choices and meals. Consider creating a sense of stillness when you eat. It’s healthier for you and chances are you will eat slower, which aids digestion. Slow down and take it easy.
Put loving thoughts into your food prep (yes being mad or sad or anything but positive CAN transfer into the food you are making).
Olives is our PEACE card and we welcome you to hold out an olive branch of peace to someone else or even yourself and give up the war against eating the wrong foods. Choose the right foods and the corresponding moods will follow.
‘I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW’ – The Rain is Gone… (Johnny Nash)
As we mentioned earlier, those in the “reds” need cooling off. Think about watery foods to fan those flames. Sample foods with water elements are watermelons, cucumbers, honeydew and pineapple. Blueberry is our CLARITY card and represents the mental state of being. When you have confusion, it can cause frustration, leading you back to red.
Eat blueberries for a balanced mindset and for physical eye health too. Blueberries don’t look like eyeballs for nothing! (See Eat Right for Your Sight) In fact, many foods that Mother Nature offers are clear indicators of the body parts or organs that they support best. Red Bell Peppers and tomatoes look like hearts, walnuts look like brains, carrots also look like eyes and celery stalks look like bones (plus they’re filled with silica which are excellent for bones.)
“GO ASK ALICE”- And you just had some kind of Mushroom… (Jefferson Airplane)
Talk about mood altering, Mushrooms is our MAGIC card in The Food Healing Oracle Deck® and we now know that the magic in psilocybin can help us heal from trauma, depression, panic attacks and the like. Did you know that mushrooms, the kind you have with your steak or in your stir-fry can also help your immune system to fight all kinds of viruses and other health challenges? There are various kinds of mushrooms including reishi, shitake, maitake, oyster, and Lions Mane that are known to be good for everything from inflammation to Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, to name just a few. Who hasn’t looked at a mushroom in all their different varieties and noticed how outer worldly they look? In Irish folklore, the fairies would come to dance under the shade of the mushroom. They represent the power in the world that is abundant and yet largely unseen. Our favorite fungi guru (renowned mycologist) is Paul Stamets. If you really want to go down the mushroom trail, read Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact.
THE JOKER – I really love your peaches wanna shake your tree (Steve Miller Band)
Your health is no joke…. Peaches is our POSITIVITY card, giving you a choice to feed your bodies with foods that make you feel good about yourselves or not. It’s the one thing you have total control over.
Do you eat an entire meat lovers pizza and wash it down with a large cola or do you have a slice with a salad and allow yourselves the opportunity to feel positive that you are doing the best for your bodies while still enjoying the tastes of what you love?
While man does not live on peaches alone, juicy and seasonal fruits can help you in your digestion. Believe us. When your gut is happy, so are you. In fact, the gut is known as your “second brain” and is the barometer of how you want to feel in your body and ultimately with your mood.
ALL GOOD THINGS- “Come to an end” (Nelly Furtado)
Food, water, oxygen are the essential ingredients to living a life on planet earth. The air that we breathe and the water we drink, along with the food we eat are what sustains us. It is the common denominator among all living beings and most of what the majority of us take for granted. But just for a bit of a wake up, what if we had to go and hunt for our food or take long treks to find water. Would we be more mindful of what we put in our bodies? Imagine no fast-food drive thru, no food deliveries, not even any grocery stores. We would be totally dependent on what we could find growing on the trees and bushes and what clean water sources would be available to us. Fortunately, especially in most of the world we don’t have to even consider these things. So, just give it some thought as to what would make you feel the absolute best in mind, body and spirit and eat the foods that are going to raise your vibration and help you feel like the high vibe person you are meant to be.
NOTE: This blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. While there is promising research currently evaluating soursop and other similar products, we are sharing collective wisdom researched thus far.
Some of these links may garner an affiliate commission which does not change the price to you.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Lainie “Sevante” Wulkan & Joanna Salerno are the Authors of The Food Healing Oracle Deck® – Nourishing Wisdom from Mother Earth, Vol 1 & Second Helpings, Vol II and SMOOTHIES – Nourishing Wisdom Beyond the Blend! The books and card set each contain 60 fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts and spices. Both books contain healing wisdom messages and nutritional information about each food while also using food metaphorically and esoterically to answer life’s questions including what foods your body is craving emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually. They teach many online courses and offer a Reader’s Certification program to learn the deeper meanings of foods from the decks in detail while helping to develop the student’s own intuition. Both energy healers and intuitives with advanced food healing trainings.
To learn more, please visit CenterForIntuitiveFoodTherapy.com
References & Recommendations:
Center For Intuitive Food Therapy – https://centerforintuitivefoodtherapy.com/
Handbook of Cannabis Therapeutics by Ethan Russo – https://amzn.to/3uWgnTg
Eat Right for Your Sight – By three time James Beard Nominee, Jennifer Trainer Thompson and Dr. Johanna M Seddon, is a professor of ophthalmology at University of Massachusetts Medical School and the director of Retina as well as the director of the Macular Degeneration Center of Excellence in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester – https://amzn.to/3hz02ka
Paul Staments – https://amzn.to/3WaJOwM Fantastic Fungi: Expanding Consciousness, Alternative Healing, Environmental Impact. – https://amzn.to/3G0BPwv