Last night, I spent the evening at Common Grounds in Kauai, sitting under a large tent with nearly a hundred other people wearing flip-flops, T-shirts, and shorts while sharing dinner together. Common Grounds is a five-acre farm that serves only food grown on its own land. They call it “farm-to-table,” meaning everything is harvested fresh from the garden, often picked that very day.
The Spiritual Energy of Fresh Food
The quality of the food was amazing. It felt vibrant, and simply putting it in your mouth made you feel alive. In the Star of Light, we consider this type of food to be very spiritual because spirituality is the use of energy for health, happiness, and well-being. There is nothing quite like fresh, organic, raw foods because they possess a natural life-giving quality.
In our free books, we presented a table showing different foods and the energy they possess. At the top was marine phytoplankton, followed by live foods. At the bottom were dead, processed foods, with cooked foods somewhere in between.
Eating Straight From the Garden
We bring this up because eating directly from a garden is truly a unique experience and can feel deeply spiritual when done correctly. All of the food tasted alive, from the papaya to the salads. For dessert, we had pineapple, banana, and chocolate, all grown on the island.
Compare this to processed foods filled with chemicals that sit on grocery store shelves for weeks. Although the dinner included some meat, it came from island-raised animals. Many of the people attending were older adults, yet they looked happy, vibrant, and full of life. There was also no added sugar in the food. There seemed to be a glow among the people.
When we spoke with some of them, we discovered that many also practiced other healthy and spiritual activities such as yoga, ocean swimming, and simply enjoying a balanced lifestyle.
How Food Changes as We Age
When you are young, you often eat whatever you want whenever you want, fast food, pizza, fried foods, and sugary drinks. We rarely think about the quality of what we consume. Much of it is processed and lifeless food.
I remember working at McDonald’s when I was younger. We would make multiple hamburgers, eat fries, and drink milkshakes without thinking much about it. We also ate Kentucky Fried Chicken along with beer and other alcoholic drinks. At 77 years old now, I cannot imagine eating that way anymore.
As you get older, food has a dramatic effect on your well-being. Foods like that become difficult to digest and are clearly not healthy for the body. Where you shop for food each week also has a major impact on your health. We shop at Good Earth, farmers markets, and Whole Foods. While the cost may be slightly higher, we justify it because we feel better and likely avoid many future doctor bills.
Choosing Living Foods Every Day
When friends visit, they often comment on the quality of our salads and meals. Seasonings certainly help, but fresh fish and pasture-raised meats simply taste better.
When we do eat cooked foods, they are often soups, mung beans, and other healthy alternatives.
We are writing about this to encourage you to take a moment and evaluate what you eat. Many health problems can be reduced or avoided when you nourish your body with healthy, living foods.
