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What's in My Food??

6/21/2021

There are so many words and images on our packaged food items that it can tend to confuse us or entice us. The front of packaged foods are the marketing heart of the food industry. Bold words like HEART HEALTHY, WHOLE GRAINS, ALL NATURAL, and NO ADDED SUGAR may not tell the whole story of what is in the product. To understand the whole story of what is in the food we need to turn the package over and read the back.

On the back we find the nutritional information and the ingredients list. In the ingredients list, the food companies must list the ingredients in the order which has the most to least. For example, if we have dates as the first ingredient in the list, there are more dates than anything else in the product. Does that mean we have a healthy low sugar option? Perhaps not. Dates are a naturally sweet fruit and even if the front of the box says NO SUGAR ADDED, ALL NATURAL, there will be a lot of natural sugar in the food. If one is monitoring their sugar intake overall, it may be something to note, especially if diabetic or on a wellness protocol that encourages one to lessen their overall sugar intake. In the nutrition list, there will be the portion recommended. That can be deceiving as well. Do we really eat a 1/3 cup of granola? I haven't met anyone who has. So the calorie and nutrition data is for smaller portions than folks really consume. Added sugars are listed, but it also shows total sugars, natural or not. Be mindful of that.

If you cannot pronounce the words on the ingredients list, it may be chemical, artificial, additives, and/or preservatives. With the world wide web in your hand, look up the item on your smart phone. Knowledge is power.

Be your best, dear readers.

Blessings,
KJ Landis

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Exponential Energy

6/14/2021

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I am studying a certification course for Vinyasa Yoga. During my hours of reading, lectures, and self inquiry, a lot of deep understanding of energy is seeping into me. The ancient texts reflect that the body moves in certain ways to conserve energy, expand energy, gain energy, and then to be still with our energy observed within ourselves. It is in the stillness that we can grow and assimilate all of the five senses of experience into our deepest selves. I call it my soul spot. Throughout the process of taking care of ourselves through movement and non-movement, we can then share energy.

Let us look at this from a plant perspective. When we grow a plant from a seed or observe plants in nature, it is obvious that plants seamlessly receive the sun's light energy, the water's replenishment, air, space to grow, and the earth's mineral nutrients. In nature, some plants take care of the other types of plants naturally. We find certain plants naturally growing together. They may provide shade, share information with their roots, and share water if one has too much or too little. In fact, using the underground fungal network, plants talk to each other. They can donate carbon to one another and even send warnings of chemical or insect invasion though the fungal "web." Do plants think with their ego? No. It is part of their DNA to care and share energy.

We can learn from nature and really take deep care of ourselves and others in the same way. Humans also need light energy from the sun, water, nutrients from the earth, air, and space to grow and to gain energy. Absorbing all we need is our birthright. When we take care of ourselves with movement, fuel, water, rest, and relationships, we gain energy. When we learn to move or sit in silence, we grow that energy even more.

When we serve others without resentment, we have more and more energy to give freely. When we take deep care of ourselves, we gain exponential energy to share even more. That is the work of love. How can a mother love her child so much that she just gave birth to and really doesn't even know all that well? That is the work of love. Then when a mother gives birth to her second child, the love grows exponentially, without even thinking of it, really. Where the energy goes, the love flows. That is exponential energy in action!

Blessings,
KJ Landis

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Unconditional Love

6/7/2021

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So many of us love and are loved by others. We usually seek idolization in a sense, meaning we want to be upheld with the utmost respect, care, consideration, kindness, and generosity of spirit. Can this be extended to unconditional love? What is unconditional love? Is it similar to universal love and compassion?

I may have some personal insight from recent events in my life. Last week our family adopted 2 kittens, aged 10 weeks old. They were a little shy for the first few minutes in the living room. Then they settled quite comfortably on my daughter's lap, where they relaxed for hours as she stroked them lovingly. Within a day we witnessed unconditional love. Even though the kittens play fight, and discover their fears and fearlessness, they love each other and us unconditionally. They accept us as we are. We also accept them with their messes, meows, and desires without any expectations. This is unconditional love.

We humans can learn so much from our animal kingdom. What if we treated everyone with the same demeanor with which we treat our beloved pets? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Is this the unconditional love we so desire? If we give and get this from our pets, what would our world look like if we extended the behavior towards all creatures, big and small?

Be loving, my friends.

In Gratitude,
KJ Landis

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What's in My Food??

Exponential Energy

Unconditional Love

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