I don’t know about you, but I never liked diets. We all know that people who follow healthy diets tend to lead longer, healthier lives, but I felt hemmed in by them. The moment I looked at menu plans, I would begin to crave exactly the foods I wasn’t supposed to eat. Luckily, I like things that are healthy for me, and so I pretty much stuck to food combining, because at least it gave me the freedom to eat what I wanted to eat from within a limited structure.
Then came cancer. A deep melanoma, right on my face. Me? Cancer? I thought I was eating the right things, doing the right things—after all, I’ve been doing yoga now for over 25 years—so I must be healthy. Suddenly my quest to live a healthier life became supercharged. I recognized that when I saw the imbalance in the world, it was a reflection of the imbalance within me. I changed my eating habits and radically improved the quality of my life. I began to feel the impact different foods have on my body. Created lifelong habits that built my mental and physical health. As my taste buds changed, I began to crave more raw food. I could taste more, feel more, enjoy eating food that is not only delicious but good for me, too. And most importantly of all, when I look in the mirror every morning and see the long scar running down one side of my face, I have a gentle reminder to face myself. Thanks to cancer, I have found a newer way, a gentler way, of being with myself, and with others, and with the world.
Homeo what?
This is where homeostasis comes in. Homeostasis, from the Greek words for “same” and “steady”, is the ability to maintain a stable internal state no matter what is happening outside of you. Living in homeostasis is based upon the fundamental principal that there is the root cause of illnesses and shows you how to avoid it. It cuts through the confusion caused by the multitudes of diets on the market. It can help cure food addictions, bulimia, anorexia, and other eating disorders and challenges.
That is homeostasis. It is a lifelong practice that, once understood, can create a radical change in your overall health. Far beyond the labels of vegan, vegetarian or meat-based, this approach teaches how to select the right vegetables and fruits to buy, which food to order in restaurants, how to cook for optimal nutritional benefits, and offers a multitude of delicious recipes that will elevate the tastebuds to enjoy the best cuisine of your life. Changing your relationship to food changes your life.
But don’t get me wrong. I love food. I love preparing it, I love forging for it, I love serving it to friends, and most of all, I love eating it. So for me, the sweet spot is to find a creative way to cook in a healthy way.
So here’s something I’m doing. About once a week I make a healing broth. Not only do I know it is strengthening my immune system, it is warm, comforting and I can sip cups of it throughout the day to get an extra boost of vitamins on a cold winter day. It’s better than drinking a cup of coffee. Here’s the recipe:
Medical Medium Healing Broth
1 whole 1 sweet potato or 4 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 handful parsley
2 onions
1 cup shiitake mushrooms
2 tomatoes
1 bulb garlic
1 inch fresh ginger root
1 inch fresh turmeric root
1 red chili (I like it spicy)
Since everything I use is organic, I don’t peel anything (including the garlic and the onions in their skins). I roughly chop it and put everything in a large pot with water to simmer for about an hour. I then strain it, throw the vegetable mush away (you can keep it if you want, but then this becomes a soup rather than a broth that heals). Enjoy!