Autumn Whole foods Revelation - December 2011

... an Exploration

By Raina Dawn Lutz

Buckminster Fuller was once asked "What is fire?" In a nutshell, he said:

"If you were to watch a log burning in the fireplace, the fire you see is the suns' radiation unwinding. The suns' flame winds through the sky and through photosynthesis is absorbed by the tree. The tree grows and for every year of its life, a growth ring forms showing a years' worth of absorbing the suns' flame. When the tree gets chopped down to a log and burned in the fire place, you are witnessing the suns' flame coming back. It is the circle of life."

The food you consume, if whole, stores the flame of the sun. The stronger your bodies biological terrain, the more capacity you have to extract the suns' flame in your vibrant health and energy. Can you feel the strong power of the sun in the energy you expel? If you eat living foods, you will transfer stronger energy into your own life.

Our food has its own energy field, as we looked into last month. If we can accept this notion, we see that our link with the external environment is food – it parallels us with that larger system. We need to eat whole foods because they keep us whole. It is natural to eat whole foods; it is normal and is needed biologically, spiritually and psychologically. If we eat fragmented food, we live a fragmented life. A life filled with seemingly tedious chores, never ending work and a feeling of never really being fulfilled. That dull unhappiness that sits in your mind that the Buddha spoke of - that pain we’ve all experienced. Whole foods fill us to the core, to our souls. Whole foods give us feelings of joy, peace and a fullness. Living foods make us feel alive. They were bubbling (at one point) – alive - and are transformative. Our food should be transformative so that we can be transformative in our daily life.

When we witness the flames as in the fireplace or a campfire, we witness the circle of life. Maybe this is why you can stare at the campfire all night; it is so mesmerizing to us. When we impart food upon our bodies, we also take part in the circle of life. The circle of life is an interesting concept. I was asked on the last night of my writing this article: “What if plants were conscious enough to know that we were going to eat them – would they be sad?” I think - not if they were intelligent beings - as they very much are. We learn to accept when the elderly pass on, because it is the circle of life. Are they always sad to leave us? Maybe, but I’d say there’s a surrendering because it is part of the timeless biological cycle of life and death, a return to the earth to let us compost and give back.

If you have followed my blog at all, or read my November article  "Food and Energy" on OK In Health eMagazine, that included my “lactic acid revelation!” then you may have guessed that I am currently in the midst of a bubbling, alive kitchen full of fermenting goodies. In my last article my revelation went on to speak about how the circulation of life in fermented foods is energy transferred from the container it is in - into our bodies – it circulates in the container, it circulates in our bodies - it gets blood circulating, aids digestion. All this talk of fire and whole foods and life brings me back to my ferments: fermentation is life – its microorganisms digesting and changing and altering chemistry. Just as in the ground, fermentation describes the process of microorganisms digesting dead animal and plant tissue into elements that will nourish the soil and plants. Do you see the great connection? The process and biology is improving the health and being of the soil and the plants. The biology of our food should be improving our bodies’ health and being.

I will leave you with a quote from the early microbiologist Jacob Lippman:

 “Microorganisms are the connecting link between the world of living and world of the dead. They are the great scavengers in trusted with restoring to circulation the carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, sulphur and other elements held fast in the dead bodies of plants and animals. Without them, dead bodies would accumulate, and the kingdom of living would be replaced by the kingdom of the dead.”

Eat alive, feel alive and thrive! And enjoy your autumn fireplaces!

Raina Dawn's Bio: Raina Dawn's Bio: Raina Dawn Lutz grew up in Osoyoos, B.C. and attended the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. She is currently living and practicing in Penticton, B.C. and is completing the CAHN-Pro Apprenticeship under the direction of her mentor, Lisa Kilgour. She graduated from CSNN (Canadian School of Natural Nutrition) in early 2011 with a diploma in Holistic Nutrition and has spent her time writing articles for various publishments as well as a blog, working in a yoga studio and living, breathing, talking (and eating!) food. For more information on nutritional consultations and her online long-distance consultations please contact Raina Lutz, RHN by visiting - Raina Dawn Lutz Website - Email