I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper, We're a Pepper...

A few weeks ago, I went to a little program on meditation. The guy leading the program was really personable, and I enjoyed his guided meditation. After he'd concluded his presentation, he asked if there were any questions from the assembled group. Someone asked him about food and its effect on the mind. He acknowledged that food does indeed affect the mind, and he suggested consuming living foods that are simple. What interested me most about his response, though, was that he said (based on his background in Ayurveda) it takes three days for our bodies to convert what we eat into what we are...That is, three days from today, my body will be composed of what I ate today, a reflection of what I ate today. As I've been preparing for the cleanse, this image has actually inspired me. It's not that I'd never before heard that we are what we eat -- who hasn't heard that? I guess it is the clarity with which he described that it takes some time for the effects of the food we eat to make themselves evident at a cellular level. I think our culture teaches us primarily to think about food with respect to how it will make us look -- as in whether or not it will add fat to our bodies -- rather than how it will impact our health in the long run. Beginning to really focus on whether I am consuming healthy building blocks for the cells and tissues of my body makes eating an experience in self-care rather than a mindless activity.

And, fortunately for me, I will not be composed of fritos and bean dip in three days, but rather grapes and a really colorful raw salad!