Early on in the spring season it is crucial to identify the things that are most likely to prevent you from maintaining momentum. This is because the yang energy is rising as we move into summer, and the habits, and foundations we set now will set the tone for the rest of the year. The foundation we lay will be the foundation we lay for 2015. Now is the time to set or reestablish the habits, and practices, which keep you most solid and operating at your peak, or “highest self.”
Your body is a lot like a cyborg from the future. It automatically understands when it needs fuel, when to poop/pee, how to maintain exact temperature range, when menstruation should take place, or not take place. It knows the miracle of pregnancy and childbirth. The heart continues to beat and the lungs are breathing even while you sleep. Essentially your body is set up so that you succeed, the rest is entirely up to you!
Look at the lifestyle practices, foods, deficits and behaviors in your life that are the underlying causes of imbalance. Many people view cravings as weakness, but really they are important messages meant to assist you in balance. When you experience a craving, non-judgmentally ask yourself what does my body want and why?
The eight primary causes of nutritional imbalance loss are:
1. Water.
Lack of water can send the message that you are thirsty and on the verge of dehydration. Dehydration can manifest as a mild hunger which can result in eating foods you normally wouldn’t. The first thing to do when you get an unhealthy food craving is to drink a full glass of water. Excess water can also cause unhealthy cravings because of the tendency to urinate out minerals, electrolytes and nutrients. Be sure that your water intake is well balanced and that you always add a pinch of high quality sea salt to your water in order to maintain the highest integrity of hydration. Water is yin in nature, as we age we become drier, and our bodies show it with wrinkles, dryer skin, and difficulty going to the bathroom. Regular water intake is fundamental in supplementing the yin energy, and ensuring healthy aging, and probably the most overlooked cause of losing momentum and falling out of balance.
2. Lack of soultrients (soul food).
Being dissatisfied with a relationship or having an inappropriate exercise routine (too much, too little or the wrong type), being bored, stressed, uninspired by a job, or lacking a spiritual practice may all cause emotional eating or self destructive habits. Impulsive eating/harmful habits can be used as a substitute for entertainment or to fill the void of insufficient soul food.
3. Nutritional yin/yang disharmony.
Certain foods have more yin qualities (expansive/cooling) while other foods have more yang qualities (contractive/heating). Eating foods that are either extremely yin or extremely yang causes cravings in order to maintain balance. For example, eating a diet too rich in sugar (yin) may cause a craving for salt (yang). Eating too many raw foods (yin) may cause cravings for extremely cooked (dehydrated) foods or vise versa. The emotional component is that foods such as dairy enable boundaries from people and for the individual to feel loved and cared for. People with a lack of sweetness in their life have a tendency to crave sweets. In fact, there is even a classical Chinese formula used by Chinese doctors in ancient China, called Gan Mai Da Zao Tang, which contained the 3 ingredients, licorice root, red date, and wheat. This was reserved for usually the mother of the family who after a difficult life of labor, care taking, and raising children experienced emotional breakdowns due to the difficulty of life during this time. The amount of sweet foods available back then was so limited that these three items probably had the equivalent in satisfaction as eating a bowel of ice cream! Thus, this food based formula was categorized as a formula which nourishes the heart and calms the shen. Based on this above example it is clear that we have been using the yin and yang like properties of food to balance our bodies, and minds for thousands of years.
4. Inside coming out.
Often times, loss of balance can come from foods that we have recently eaten, foods eaten by our ancestors, or foods from our childhood. A clever way to satisfy these cravings is to eat a healthier version of one’s ancestral or childhood foods. Another is to recognize that we crave what is in our blood stream. For the more addictive type personalities it may be easier to entirely avoid certain foods, and substances all together than it is to moderate it.
5. Seasons.
The body craves foods that balance the elements of the season. In the spring, people crave detoxifying foods like leafy greens or citrus foods. In the summer, people crave cooling foods like fruit, raw foods, lighter meats, and ice cream, and in the fall people crave grounding foods like squash, onions and nuts. During winter, many crave heat-producing foods such as meat, oil and fat. Being aware of this natural cycle of change and slightly adjusting the direction of your ship rather than clinging to fad diets, and modern misconceptions of healthy eating is a wise way to counteract any disharmony brought about from eating foods which do not correlate with the season.
6. Lack of nutrients.
If the body has inadequate nutrients, it will produce odd cravings. For example, inadequate mineral levels produce salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition produces cravings for non-nutritional forms of energy, like caffeine. Getting a good B vitamin complex, vitamin d3, quality omega 3 through purified fish oils, enough leafy greens and/or green powders, trace minerals, and not consuming foods which inhibit absorption and assimilation of other nutrients are all powerful factors in the creation of lost momentum.
7. Hormones.
When women experience menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels may cause unique cravings. Men who are deficient of testosterone and who have unhealthy levels of exoestrogens may also be stuck in a dietary loop of craving the very foods and things which are causing the hormonal imbalance in the first place. Exoestrogens cause an excess accumulation of body fat around the lower abdomen as well as interrupt sex drive, ambition, and emotional health like depression. Avoid plastics for drinking containers at all costs or use higher quality BPA free bottles. Stay away from household chemicals such as air fresheners, scented wall plug-ins, perfumes, unnatural dish soap, hand soap, and personal care products. Source fresh spring water or use a filter that filters fluoride, estrogens, and heavy metals such as a Berkey gravity filter. One way to ensure you are not picking up harmful exoestrogens is to take an estrogen blocker. It is also beneficial to do at least one estrogen detox a year, primarily after winter as the more time we spend inside the more we accumulate the estrogens which fumigate from apartment buildings, plastic, leather and from cars and furniture. We supply a quality Estrogen Detox formula as we believe it really does make quite the quite difference. You can pick that up right here:
8. Low blood Sugar.
You have been handling things at work, school or a social engagement and you forget to feed yourself. This happens all the time and many people just operate from this place out of habit. Think about and plan meals, snacks and things you can eat to keep your blood sugar stable so that you don’t just eat whatever is put in front of you because you’re starving. Notice the connection of needing to eat heavier foods when dealing with people versus eating lighter foods in a more relaxing environment. Notice how it is necessary to eat differently when you are in the midst of the chaos of a major city versus how one can eat less when in the center of nature away from responsibilities. Become a master of energy and awareness, and how differing environments, settings, and life responsibilities require different types of energetic nutrients. Notice how fad diets speak to eating one way at all times and it does not always realistically reflect the energetic needs of an individual, nor the changing factors in their environment.
9. De-evolution.
When things are going extremely well, self-sabotage happens. This is usually because change is discomforting, and we resort back to what is familiar when we have been in a place of new growth for a period of time. By acknowledging this pattern we are able to be free of it. Find healthier gifts and treats to give yourself as a reward for your courage and consistency in choosing growth in everyday life. The less we cling to the past the less suffering we create and the sooner we can be of better service to ourselves and others. Thus, evolution is not just for your sake but the sake of others. It is important to confront our self-destructive tendencies, habits, and neurosis with a non-judgmental and proactive attitude so that we can create lasting change. By doing this we are lessening the amount of things which cause us to lose momentum and coming more deeply into our power.
Hopefully this has been a beneficial read for you, I look forward to connecting soon!
Thanks,
Brandon