"Whole Foods"; and preparing food from scratch

[Plenum]

I was reading a reddit comment thread a little while ago, and the claim was something along the lines of - "a hundred years ago, it was much more common for people to prepare things from scratch.  People cooked from whole foods.".

And because of the shift away from that, supermarkets are now filled with processed foods which contain a lot of sugar and salt.  The reason being, both sugar and salt are easy on the palate, and can make anything seem more tasty and edible.  But take away that sugar and salt, and that food would be much less appealing (the processed food, that is).

So I think it's great that supermarkets and factories present us with options.  

But it's also great to cook from scratch.  And starting with relatively unrefined/unprocessed ingredients.

Not everyone has the time or inclination, of course; but it's not as hard as one thinks - which was a barrier for me.

Anyway, just sharing a thought/angle on food; a rich source of catalyst, in so many way!  (nutrition, economics, government policy, agribusiness, time/convenience, and on and on).

/ /

also - not trying to demonize sugar/salt.  I think they're great in their own way.  But when I cook, I'm totally aware of how much salt (Celtic Sea Salt) that I am using.  Even if it is a large quantity.  With processed foods, one is in the dark - even if the label is right there.

it's like those vids where you see how much sugar is in one can of Soda.  It's not that sugar is *bad* - but people are confronted when they actually see just how much sugar is in there.  Again - sugar is not the enemy.  It's more about knowing what you are consuming, and being ok with it.  Knowledge is empowering, and understanding the full consequences of your choices (in terms of how much sugar you are consuming) is self-empowering.

[Eddie]

I raise a large garden and provide most of our vegetables and fruits for about half of the year. I do this for a number of reasons, but the spiritual component of this is high on the list.

[Stranger]

I dislike cooking because of the time it takes, but recently my diet has improved considerably when I purchased an electric grill. I can simply chop up some vegetables, put some oil and seasonings into a bowl, swirl them around in there and dump them on the grill, by themselves or with some vegetarian protein, then walk away. About 12-15 minutes later my food is ready. Because it heats both at the top and the bottom, no stirring is required and it takes way less time (e.g., compare to 40 minutes to 1 hour for oven-roasted vegetables). Because it's so easy and quick I can make a batch in the morning and put them in a thermos, so I'm saving money by not buying lunch too.

[Plenum]

hey, thanks for sharing your experiences Stranger.  That's really awesome!

@Eddie, growing one's own food has to be the next logical step, given what I've written already in the OP.

I know there are some advocates of being able to grow your own greens ... even living in an apartment, and having very very little balcony space, and maybe limited light.  But there are books on this!

Living on one's own land, with a large outdoor space is definitely the more optimal solution though.  Joy to those who have such circumstances  

[Zach]

I'm not much of a cook myself. I can cook and enjoy it but only when the setting is right. My current kitchen has an electric stove that only has the high setting working. I still cook things...I find though, for me, what works best is blending. Thats really the only way I will get any leafy greens. I usually mix Oats, Organic Peanut butter 3 kinds of fruit, spinach, kale or both. Its ends up being more like a liquid meal. I also add plant based protein powder and flax oil.

I still haven't found the perfect balance..I do want to eat more solid food I just need to find some new things to cook. My body has been asking for more of something lately I just don't know what it is yet.

Back to the main point- blending is a good easy way to get the benefit of whole foods without cooking, and its fast. I only just recently really starting to eat a lot of greens and I do notice a difference. They make my stomach feel good

[Bring4th_Austin]

This makes me wonder: what exactly qualifies as "processed" food? There are some obvious answers, I suppose - white bread with refined flour; things like Little Debbie cupcakes and such; probably canned goodslike Spaggheti-O's. But what exactly constitutes as "processed"? Google is not being very helpful, with very vague definitions, such as:

The definition of what constitutes a processed food can vary slightly, but it usually refers to foods that are packaged in boxes, cans or bags. These foods need to be processed extensively to be edible and are not found as is in nature. In addition to going through many complex processing steps, processed foods often contain additives, artificial flavorings and other chemical ingredients. Avoid processed foods and base your diet on whole food to get the most nutrition and maximize your health.

One of my go-to quick and easy meals is prepared soup, usually organic. It comes in little boxes rather than cans, not sure why exactly. It usually contains lots of whole ingredients. I go for things full of veggies, beans, lentils, or sometimes just chunky tomato bisque. Based on the ingredient and nutritional information, it seems this stuff isn't that bad, except for the high sodium. I will sometimes get the low sodium versions if available, and then add my own non-processed salt. They typically have a rather short ingredient list with stuff that I recognize.

My staple meal consists of steamed veggies, brown rice, and lentils all mixed into a carrot cashew ginger soup with curry (the soup being store-bought).

All of the above things come in boxes or bags (veggies are frozen - shown to retain more nutrition than fresh stuff in the produce isle, because that stuff sits around for a while), but I wouldn't consider anything there processed, except perhaps the carrot soup, but that ingredient list is incredibly basic.

So what do we consider processed food? What would the typical person eat regularly that is processed?

[Jade]

I think I know what carrot cashew ginger soup you are talking about... and I love it! It's a camping staple for us for sure especially.

I think of anything as prepackaged as processed, really. So yes, even the soup is processed food. It's minimally processed which is good, but I try to limit buying anything in a package that isn't bulk packaging. Like, canned beans are more processed than dried beans, but still less processed than soup.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, dried beans, grains, and nuts are what I would consider the basic limit of "nonprocessed". I think of even frozen vegetables as more processed than fresh - though, as you say, with a reason to preserve nutrients. So, I would define anything that furthers a step of the cooking or preservation process from a food's natural state as processed.

Brown rice + lentils + veggies is my #1 go to meal, too. Instead of steamed, I usually sautée the veggies in olive oil with fresh garlic. This + salt and pepper is usually enough "flavor". My favorite at the moment is kale. But I love the brown rice/lentils combo because I can put both in the same pot and cook them for 45 mins. Sautéing the veggies takes maybe 10 mins, most of the time is spent chopping garlic. But I would eat this every day.

I eat processed foods for sure too, don't get me wrong. I think the problem with them comes with every step that the food is processed, the more removed you are from preparing it. When the end result is prepared by menial employees and machines, the vibrationally quality of the food pales in comparison to something made from scratch, let alone from something that started as a seed in your garden. I think it's important to imbue the food with love every step of the way. Of course, blessing it before eating it is important and raises its vibrations, but there's nothing like love at every step of the way. That's the real benefit of preparing one's food. You can get more than just nutritional nourishment (which itself is higher the less processed the food is, typically).

Austin - have you ever tried making your own soup? Make a giant batch and divide it up in the freezer for use later - might be worth a shot!

[Plenum]

Hi Austin,

I am probably thinking that something like Kid's Breakfast Cereals would be a good example of something highly processed.  I don't know what you have in the States, but things like Rice Bubbles, Fruit Loops, or Frosted Flakes would be empty carbs (cereals) adorned with sugar.  

As to whether just because something has been processed and prepared for easier consumption degrades the inherent worth in the food, that can't really be said with absoluteness.

At the end of the day, different companies have different values guiding their choices of products; and that governs everything from how they source their basic ingredients (what kind of contracts they have with the farmers and suppliers), to what kind of care the factories show in processing, and what kind of marketing they do (would they survive through word-of-mouth alone, minus tricky or tempting ads).

That doesn't really answer your question of what constitutes 'processed'; and there are more positive-oriented companies (family run perhaps), as well as so-called 'corporate blood suckers'.

Maybe the OP was really directed towards where one's food comes from, and a cognizance of what's been done to it.

I think it's something I've chosen to be willingly blind to in the past.

/ /

I think - as Jade also mentioned - there is a relative balance to all this too.  One could take this to extreme levels and refuse to eat anything that one hasn't grown and cooked oneself!!

[Jade]

I think the threshhold for me when something becomes "too processed" is when we get to additives - artificial flavors and colors are definite nos. "Natural flavors" is barely better (it just means it was originally derived from something that grew on the planet and not completely made in a laboratory, but still a weird chemical), and it's often animal derived so I avoid that one, too. Any other weird things that I don't recognize get avoided - esp here in America where they try to trick you with labels. Obviously a delicious organic vegetable soup might have a laundry list of ingredients, but if they are all recognizable vegetables, I say go for it. The other weird things I watch out for - soy lecithin, for one. It's a byproduct of the soy production process that blends the shells into a thickening agent that's more shelf stable than say, egg. But, since it's the outer part of the bean, you are getting the bulk of all the pesticides if the product itself isn't organic/non-gmo. Same with things like maltodextrin/dextrose - derived from corn, also thickeners/sweeteners, if from conventional corn, can be really, really gross.

It's definitely about being aware and doing research to learn about these things. Most of the additives are to make food taste "better" or at least more intense, so that when people eat "non-processed" foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, they taste plain or bitter. Artificial sweeteners are so much more intense than sugar, that the people who consume them have their tongues become desensitized to sweet, so they get addicted and consume tons more sugar - the sad part being that if you eat artificial sugar, it won't be often that a delicious ripe fruit would even be sweet enough for you to enjoy.

[Eddie]

hey, thanks for sharing your experiences Stranger.  That's really awesome!

@Eddie, growing one's own food has to be the next logical step, given what I've written already in the OP.

I know there are some advocates of being able to grow your own greens ... even living in an apartment, and having very very little balcony space, and maybe limited light.  But there are books on this!

Living on one's own land, with a large outdoor space is definitely the more optimal solution though.  Joy to those who have such circumstances  

Peppers from our garden, this summer:



Tomato tart, with tomato and basil from our garden:

[Eddie]

We have two gardens, an upper and a lower.  Here is a partial (mostly obscured by fruit trees) view of the upper garden, taken from our deck:



More stuff from the garden:



We get a big flood of vegetables in mid-summer:

[Eddie]

A view of our fruit trees and the upper garden:



The lower garden is beyond the large ash trees in the background. It's not visible in the photo.

Edit: in the right background, you can see our back garage. Our long-range plans include putting a chicken-coop under the row of hackberry trees to the near right of the garage, and maybe a rabbit hutch. We want to be as self-sufficient in food production as possible. This also enables to control the quality of what we eat.

[Zach]

With all the people who obsess over eating organic, vegan or raw (me included at times), I found it interesting, and this goes to your point Plenum about 'how bad are processed foods really', that Ra said it is well that Carla continue eating her occasional desserts for the positive mental effect it has on her. It makes me think about the connection between the intent behind eating and the nourishment we receive. For example:

Someone who is angry all the time, judgmental and cranky, but eats an all organic vegan diet.

Vs

Someone who is happy, loving, and inspiring who eats really lots of processed junk.

Rhetorical question: whose healthier?

Surely there is a somewhat objective truth to the nature of "healthy and unhealthy" but I think thought/intent plays a much bigger role that often considered. There are so many elements that contribute to ones health and diet is just one (important) part of it all.

[Jade]

There is a fallacy in your statements, Zach, and it's that someone who eats vegan/raw/organic doesn't eat food that could be consider "junk". I bake cakes, even make vegan versions of snacks (Twix, rice crispie treats). The grocery store even has non-GMO sour gummy worms that they color with turmeric and beets, I eat those a lot too. The dollar store actually has a lot of "vegan" processed snacks (because it's cheaper to not use animal products). And really, the foods that uplift my heart and spirit the most are usually fresh, ripe fruits.

Also, Ra's comment about the "occasional" dessert was just that, occasional - and even then, he got into specificity, telling her that she should have fruit juice instead of a cookie, and actually, other times, tells her that she should refrain from dessert, and even gives her a specific schedule when it's okay to eat to consume sweets. Ra does not say this is for her mental well being, but due to a complex addiction to sugars because Carla consumed them too much.

102.5 Questioner: What foods should the instrument eliminate from her diet in order to alleviate these painful attacks?

Ra: I am Ra. The information gained from the one known as Bob is that which is to be recommended. Further, all foodstuffs are to be cooked so that those things which are ingested be soft and easily macerated. There is a complex addiction, due to long-standing eating habits, to your sugars. It is to be recommended that, therefore, this sugar be given in its more concentrated form in your time of late afternoon, as you term it, with the ingestion of the sugared libation approximately one to two of your hours after the evening meal. It is further suggested that, since this instrument has been using sugars for carbohydrates, that a small amount of carbohydrate, low in sugar, be ingested approximately one to two of your hours before the sleeping period.

106.17 Questioner: Now, summarizing what we can do for the instrument: through praise and thanksgiving and harmony we can… Is that all that we can do other than advising her to drink a considerable amount of liquid and moving her into a better atmosphere. Am I correct on that?

Ra: I am Ra. We examine the statement and find two items missing, one important relative to the other. The chief addition is the grasping of the entity’s nature. The less important is, for little it may seem to be, perhaps helpful; that is, the entity absorbs much medication and finds it useful to feed itself when these substances are ingested. The substitution of substances such as fruit juice for the cookie is recommended, and, further, the ingestion of substances containing sucrose which are not liquid is not recommended within four of your hours before the sleeping period

[Zach]

There is a fallacy in your statements, Zach, and it's that someone who eats vegan/raw/organic doesn't eat food that could be consider "junk". I bake cakes, even make vegan versions of snacks (Twix, rice crispie treats). The grocery store even has non-GMO sour gummy worms that they color with turmeric and beets, I eat those a lot too. The dollar store actually has a lot of "vegan" processed snacks (because it's cheaper to not use animal products). And really, the foods that uplift my heart and spirit the most are usually fresh, ripe fruits.

Also, Ra's comment about the "occasional" dessert was just that, occasional - and even then, he got into specificity, telling her that she should have fruit juice instead of a cookie, and actually, other times, tells her that she should refrain from dessert, and even gives her a specific schedule when it's okay to eat to consume sweets. Ra does not say this is for her mental well being, but due to a complex addiction to sugars because Carla consumed them too much.

102.5 Questioner: What foods should the instrument eliminate from her diet in order to alleviate these painful attacks?

Ra: I am Ra. The information gained from the one known as Bob is that which is to be recommended. Further, all foodstuffs are to be cooked so that those things which are ingested be soft and easily macerated. There is a complex addiction, due to long-standing eating habits, to your sugars. It is to be recommended that, therefore, this sugar be given in its more concentrated form in your time of late afternoon, as you term it, with the ingestion of the sugared libation approximately one to two of your hours after the evening meal. It is further suggested that, since this instrument has been using sugars for carbohydrates, that a small amount of carbohydrate, low in sugar, be ingested approximately one to two of your hours before the sleeping period.

106.17 Questioner: Now, summarizing what we can do for the instrument: through praise and thanksgiving and harmony we can… Is that all that we can do other than advising her to drink a considerable amount of liquid and moving her into a better atmosphere. Am I correct on that?

Ra: I am Ra. We examine the statement and find two items missing, one important relative to the other. The chief addition is the grasping of the entity’s nature. The less important is, for little it may seem to be, perhaps helpful; that is, the entity absorbs much medication and finds it useful to feed itself when these substances are ingested. The substitution of substances such as fruit juice for the cookie is recommended, and, further, the ingestion of substances containing sucrose which are not liquid is not recommended within four of your hours before the sleeping period

I wasn't very clear. That was just an extreme example for the sake of trying to get a point across; the connection between the mind and what we eat and how our attitude extends to the physical and has effect on our health. A little off topic but it came to mind to share.

I myself eat mostly "vegan"  but I will still eat foods I consider "less pure". Im with you about the ripe fruits btw...I could live on tree ripe mango . I have seen the power of purifying the body, thats why I continue to eat the way I do. This topic just made me think of how eating healthy and being healthy as in- inner balancing are two different things. Yet often eating healthy will be an extension of seeking inner balance and eating healthy can help someone be a clearer channel. But how much does it contribute to inner balancing? It just got me thinking is all.

"18.4 Questioner: Are there any foods that are helpful or harmful that the instrument might eat?

Ra: I am Ra. This instrument has body complex distortion towards ill health in the distortion direction corrected best by ingestion of the foodstuffs of your grains and your vegetables, as you call them. However, this is extremely unimportant when regarded as an aid with equality to other aids such as attitude which this instrument has in abundance. It, however, aids the vital energies of this instrument, with less distortion towards ill health, to ingest foodstuffs in the above manner with occasional ingestion of what you call your meats, due to the instrument’s need to lessen the distortion towards low vital energy."

I feel that eating healthy is important...It has changed my life in a positive way. It just also made me think of people who don't eat well but are well due to their way of being, such as my grandmother who is in her 90's and has a very positive and prayerful attitude towards life and is physically very mobile.

I thought I read somewhere Ra commenting on Carla having occasional dessert being a joyful experience for her therefore being appropriate for her mental configuration. Im paraphrasing of course. I couldn't find anything so my bad if I mis-remembered that.

[Jade]

You do bring up a good point, Zach, and it is true. But we can't ignore the fact that Carla, like many others, was having health problems that were aggravated by her diet. It's really important for people who have a sickly body complex to know that dedication to conscious eating habits can alleviate symptoms - I was very, very sickly before I changed my diet, and now I'm literally never sick. I guess that's why I'm so passionate about it.

The situation you present is a bit extreme, that one would become so ascetic with their food that they lose all pleasure in consuming it. I don't think that's even possible, really - hunger will make a sock taste good. Food is almost pure pleasure all the time. Now don't get me wrong, I know people use food and their intake levels to torture themselves, or have psychosomatic repulsions, but I think for the most part people enjoy the act of eating.

Our society is very spoiled with our food choices, we can almost literally eat anything we want whenever we want. It's really important to just be mostly conscious, and if Ra says somewhere that Carla should eat dessert, he also says that she should have the "fruit juice instead of the cookie" - a big bowl of berries could be an awesome dessert. But Carla had a "complex addiction" and needed sweets - and, again, as food gets more processed, it gets more additives like sweeteners that desensitize us to natural levels of sweetness in foods.

I think what you're doing is ideal, eating mostly whole foods but having treats. Of course asceticism and extreme control over the self and denial of pleasure is not the ideal. But respecting the body complex with real food is important. Advocating that one could eat whatever they want and still be healthy is fine, too, but for those who do not have naturally healthy body complexes, attention to diet can alleviate many symptoms.

[outerheaven]

My definition of processed food is anything that has had the life taken out of it to make it "storable." The food is first killed, so that it does not die later, but its living appearance is left intact. Basically most foods you will find outside the produce aisle.

Healthy plants grown in healthy soil naturally ward off pests. Plants grown in dead soils pumped full of commercial fertilizers look lush and healthy, but are actually quite imbalanced and even sick -- much in the same way we are -- and are much more susceptible to pests, disease, etc. This leads to even more chemical treatment and pesticide spraying.

Meanwhile, chemical fertilizers destroys your living soil, and thus the topsoil erodes and washes away when it rains. What we have done to our land would almost be comical if not so short-sighted and backwards. Thankfully, nature intends to quickly fix it, if people only learn how to work in harmony with the land -- instead of always taking taking taking from the land and never giving back.

It's quite simple to me: don't eat anything dead. Start a garden and learn to compost. Eat living foods. Yes, it's easier and cheaper to eat "dead" -- that's why the government subsidizes those foods, to encourage that lifestyle. But you're also making yourself unwell. Go figure, if everyone ate properly, you would see a resurgence of a local economy that would threaten the control scheme and we wouldn't all be working 9-5 office jobs for the benefit of giant corporations, etc.

[Infinite Unity]

I was reading a reddit comment thread a little while ago, and the claim was something along the lines of - "a hundred years ago, it was much more common for people to prepare things from scratch.  People cooked from whole foods.".

And because of the shift away from that, supermarkets are now filled with processed foods which contain a lot of sugar and salt.  The reason being, both sugar and salt are easy on the palate, and can make anything seem more tasty and edible.  But take away that sugar and salt, and that food would be much less appealing (the processed food, that is).

So I think it's great that supermarkets and factories present us with options.  

But it's also great to cook from scratch.  And starting with relatively unrefined/unprocessed ingredients.

Not everyone has the time or inclination, of course; but it's not as hard as one thinks - which was a barrier for me.

Anyway, just sharing a thought/angle on food; a rich source of catalyst, in so many way!  (nutrition, economics, government policy, agribusiness, time/convenience, and on and on).

/ /

also - not trying to demonize sugar/salt.  I think they're great in their own way.  But when I cook, I'm totally aware of how much salt (Celtic Sea Salt) that I am using.  Even if it is a large quantity.  With processed foods, one is in the dark - even if the label is right there.

it's like those vids where you see how much sugar is in one can of Soda.  It's not that sugar is *bad* - but people are confronted when they actually see just how much sugar is in there.  Again - sugar is not the enemy.  It's more about knowing what you are consuming, and being ok with it.  Knowledge is empowering, and understanding the full consequences of your choices (in terms of how much sugar you are consuming) is self-empowering.

I use to regard diet as rather unimportant, and that was very foolish. I am completely alleviated of that opinion these days. Diet, is beyond priority, it is extremely important. I do try and eat as much raw food as, is sustainable for my current life circumstances. Currently working on amping up homesteading, and really the Pinnacle of that goal. Is to become completely self sufficient as possible. I desire to grow/produce every single ounce of my own food. Beyond that I'm growing a future world seed. Make no mistake, your diet and others, is of extreme importance.


When and if you make it to 4th activated on this side. A noticeable difference will be an extreme rise in the growth of plants etc.. It will come bursting forth. You will have thought mother nature resting, compared to this vigorous growth. I also believe Earth's climate will shift to a different cycle of seasons. The extreme cold not being there anymore.

[stem_of_life]

Love this thread. Thank you to the OP who started it. Yes cooking from scratch is ideal in a general sense, but this in and of itself does not solve the lack of nutrients issue since that has more to do with soils being depleted. The only way to get around that these days is to supplement, ideally with whole, wild-crafted foods!

Wild crafted foods are grown in forests and untouched wild lands so they are grown in healthy, robust soil and hence have higher nutrient profiles. I eat very many of these with every meal, but my favorite by far is Pine Pollen. It is literally one of the most nutrient dense substances on the planet and is like a whole body tune up. You can see the amazing nutrients it contains here: https://www.consciouslifestylestore.com/...ne-pollen/ This is actually the one I take as well. Anyways, my secret is to eat whole foods AND supplement with these superfoods that supply added nutrition. I feel *amazing* every day.

Yes it is important to not eat processed foods but don't ever forget that soil health is also equally important!!

Steven

[flofrog]

thank you for this thread too, and everyone and welcome stem_of_life

If I stay somewhere at friends who are relying on processed foods, omg it is hilarious how my body feels different,
but then I tell him [ my body ] see how lucky you are to live with me ? lol