10 Superfoods for the Soul
by Liz Jansen
Holistic nutrition is derived not only from the food you eat, but also from community, meditation, wisdom, sensuality, and play. A healthy diet now paves the way for a healthy future. Not only do you feel better, but it can prevent illnesses that hold you back from your potential—and your dreams.
You feed your motorcycle only the highest quality ingredients. Why do anything less for yourself?
Excerpt from Life Lessons from Motorcycles; 75 Tips for Thriving Through Holistic Nutrition.
Superfoods are derived from a variety of sources, each one required for its unique properties. Whether we’re talking motorcycles or human beings, the right mix of nutrients is required to keep you in top shape.
Motorcycles require gasoline, air, and motor oil to keep their engines running. Some require coolant, and all need brake fluid. Each material is required in specific quantities, and there’s no substituting one for another. Likewise, body, mind, and spirit require specific ingredients to stay healthy and vibrant.
- Adventure. Pushing past your limits to learn something new, try something different, and meet new people feeds your spirit, boosts your confidence, and makes you feel good about yourself. It doesn’t have to be grandiose. It just needs to be right—and a stretch—for you.
- Relationships. Even those of you who love to be alone are communal beings. Vibrant relationships with partners, family, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances are essential for a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Most important of all, however, is the relationship you have with yourself. Take time to nourish it.
- Spirit time. This is the essence of who you are, of your connection to others, to Spirit, and to your source of power. So often it gets neglected because of work and other commitments, yet staying in touch with who you are is the key to inner joy and fulfillment.
- Food for body. Your body needs the correct ratio of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Periodically assess your diet to ensure you’re getting what you need from it, adding high-quality supplements to address deficiencies. As a relatively new vegetarian, diligent about a balanced diet (or so I thought), I was shocked to realize how little protein I was actually receiving. Protein supplements corrected that and made me feel a whole lot better.
- Food for mind. Not only is a healthy diet good for your body, it’s good for your mind. Engaging in a variety of activities that use different brain functions helps keep your mind active and sharp.
- Exercise. Regular exercise helps control your weight, wards off illness, reduces stress, improves your mood, and increases your energy level.
- Time with nature. I can’t help but feel connected to myself and a greater power when I spend time in nature. Whether it’s a walk through the woods or a motorcycle ride in the mountains, there’s just no substitute for nature when it comes to nourishment for your spirit.
- Sense of worth. Everyone needs a sense of purpose and the knowledge that they’re contributing to a cause greater than themselves. Work, volunteer activities, or simply extending kindness to a stranger are ways you can do this. Again, it doesn’t have to be grandiose. Small acts of kindness go a long way toward making the world a better place. What is your legacy?
- Play. Laughter and play are just plain fun! They keep us young in spirit, keep us energized, reduce tension, improve our physical and mental health, and create a positive environment.
Customization. While not exactly an ingredient, it’s important to recognize that we each have different dietary needs and preferences. Furthermore, new research is being published about what’s best for us and how much we need. Stay informed to stay healthy over the long run.
Are you getting the super foods you need to flourish? If not, there’s no time like the present to change your diet and get started. Feed your being the right ingredients and keep your engines running!
Purchase the entire ebook Life Lessons from Motorcycles; 75 Tips for Thriving Through Holistic Nutrition available for any e-reader. $2.99.
photo credit: Raw food Chili con Cacao via photopin (license)
[ois skin=”3″]
Author, writer, and student Liz Jansen combines her artistic mediums to create stories that inspire readers to embark on their own journey of self-discovery.