Carrots

Set up a small sampling of carrots in a bowl. It can be one whole carrot, or a few baby carrots, shreds, cooked or raw.

Pick it up, or take one with a fork. Think about how it was once under the earth, and how it was cleaned and prepared on its way to your plate. If raw, feel the crunch followed by the sweet flavor of it. If cooked, enjoy the juice that easily flows from the slightly chewy bite.

The beta-carotene in this serving can actually help reduce your risk of sunburn, as well as numerous other boosts to  your health. As you enjoy the sensation of the carrot, try to imagine the way your body will respond to the nutrients. No need to dwell too much on the specifics - just the notion of this food as a gift your body receives with appreciation.

Meditation on Apples

(It's hard to find time to keep this up... so I'm going to continue forward with the idea that it's OK for it to be disorganized as long as I'm throwing something on the page. It's not too hard to just write about individual food items.)

As you take an apple, and wash it in preparation to eat it, remind yourself of the blessing of clean water. Hold the apple in your hand and get a sense of its weight. Cut it into slices if you'd prefer, or just bite into it. Enjoy the crisp burst of sweet-sour juice in your mouth (depending what type of apple, it may be more sweet or more sour). All of the pleasantness of this experience will also provide you with vitamin C, vitamin B-6 and plenty of fiber.

Think about where the apple came from. Growing on a tree, outside in sunlight and rain. The tree is pollinated by bees or other insects. Think about the time it took to grow, and the work picking, packaging and transporting this to you. Sometimes (mis)associated with "temptation", it should be re-understood as the pure gift that it is.

Avocados

In addition to talking about each day, I'm also going to add random thoughts on different food items. Here's one on the avocado:

Like many fruits, this food probably came from somewhere far away. The avocado is not as sweet, but has a lovely texture and mild flavor, and gives your body healthy and sustainable fats. It's also very high in potassium, fiber, and vitamin B-6. Taste how filling it is, how it sustains your body and keeps your energy up over a long time. Say thank you for the sun, water, earth and air. Thank you for the work of humans who have toiled and transported this food to you. And thanks for the experience of being nurtured and sustained by powers beyond yourself.

Day 12: Non-wheat grains

More carbs! This time, it's an opportunity to try new things. Oats, buckwheat, quinoa, etc.

I held off on wheat & flour because there are SO many processed foods available with these in it that it takes away from the spirit of voluntary limitation that this is about. A side effect of that limitation is that it's easier to understand what it's like to have a serious allergy to something like wheat gluten. (The diet until now also doesn't have dairy or meat in it.)

On the other hand, it's helpful to consider how many foods are available even without meat, dairy or wheat. It's also good to note how many sources of protein can be found in the "allowed" foods so far.

Quinoa, in particular, is a great source of protein and other nutrients. It's not a actually a grain per se, but in terms of how it's used in cuisine, it might as well be thought of that way. It's a great food to add to a healthy, varied diet

"Eating Dessert First"

I totally get the sentiment behind the quote: "Life's short. Eat dessert first". In some contexts, it's totally in line with the idea of gratitude for food, because it encourages truly enjoying and relishing food. "Let yourself be immersed in the moment of eating!" In that sense, I will always agree.

On the other hand, I had an experience today where I ate some dessert first (because I had agreed to take my son out for frozen yogurt, and it had gotten close to dinner time). Turns out I was not actually in the mood for it. So the flip side is to remember that you don't HAVE to eat dessert at all to enjoy and appreciate what you eat. Sometimes what your body is asking for are actually things that are good for you, and it's important to be aware.

As much as it wasn't particularly healthy for me to eat that yogurt, I'm not letting myself feel guilty about it. It WAS pretty tasty, though my body was definitely sending signals that sounded like "meh". Maybe I will remember next time that it's OK for my son to have some without me, and that I don't actually need to "eat dessert first", unless I know I'll really enjoy it.

Day 11: Berries

Berries seem like a good follow-up to nuts. There are so many types of berries, it's a good opportunity to expand your horizons beyond the usual strawberry, raspberry and blueberry. The deep colors of berries are associated with their antioxidant power.

One thing that's kind of interesting about many of the fruits we eat is the way that they have naturally evolved over time due to human influence. This isn't the same as genetic modification or even intentional breeding, but a totally unintentional selection process. For hundreds of thousands of years, early humans ate the fruit that most appealed to them, and spread the seeds far and wide. Other animals played a role in this too.

I've talked about thanking the sun, the water and the earth for the food we eat. Those are big, concrete things that we can see every day. But the idea of "how food evolves", the way that life pushes forth, changes and adapts is also a good reason for gratitude. It's just as factual as the sun. Life force allows us to be and continues to sustain us. There is nothing we've done to deserve this, and we are inextricably part of it all.

Deep thoughts to go with each tender, sweet-sour raspberry!