Does the Energy in Food Matter?
Does the energy in food matter? Absolutely!
One thing that doesn’t get much attention in discussions of our food is how the animals we eat are raised and killed and the energy transmitted along with that.
In other words, what you eat affects more than just your diet.
Medical mystery or cutting edge science?
But first let me tell you about my friend Pete, who developed a sudden love of dark chocolate after receiving a heart transplant. It mystified his wife, but she heard similar stories in their heart transplant support group.
Unusual? Not at all. There are legions of anecdotal stories about organ transplant recipients taking on new interests and food cravings after their transplants:
- Will Wohl of Arizona developed a love of the music of Sade, who he had never heard of before his transplant. It turned out his donor was a big Sade fan.
- Jamie Sherman, also of Arizona, was never a fan of Mexican food until she received a new heart. She later learned her donor loved cheese enchiladas.
- Dottie O’Connor of Massachusetts suffered from cystic fibrosis all her life until receiving a lung transplant. Along with the new lungs came a profound feeling of being at home when she drives or flies near mountains. She later learned her donor was a mountain climber.
- Claire Sylvia of New England developed a taste for beer, chicken nuggets and motorcycles after her heart-lung transplant. She later learned her heart came from an 18-year old motorcycle enthusiast who loved chicken nuggets and beer.
Such stories abound and have been detailed in such books as A Change of Heart: A Memoir
Most doctors try to explain these phenomena as the organ recipients getting a new love of life. But many cutting edge researchers think there’s more to it, particularly given the accuracy of some of the memories accompanying the receipt of a new organ.
In The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles
University of Arizona researcher Gary Schwartz, Ph.D. explains this phenomenon as “cellular memory.” Since every cell in the body contains a complete set of genetic material, transplant patients often inherit DNA from their donors that determines how a person thinks, behaves and even eats.
In the words of Deepak Chopra, M.D. “cellular memory can outlive physical death.”
An animal living in confined conditions and being slaughtered cruelly is stressed. No wonder we meat eaters are, too.
Read on as I build my case.
The U.S. cattle industry
Very few people want to know how the meat we eat is raised and killed. In fact, I truly believe that if the public had any idea of the true living and slaughter conditions of our cattle, dairy cows and poultry, everyone would immediately become vegan. [note: a vegan is one who doesn’t eat meat or dairy].
While Temple Grandin has done a huge service to our cattle population by instigating more humane treatment of livestock, not all cattle producers follow her advice.
For those of you who think going Kosher is the answer, modern Kosher facilities are under great criticism for no longer ensuring a pain free death.
The dairy and meat products we eat are so processed, and the animals live under such unnatural conditions, that they cannot be compared to the food our ancestors ate.
The picture you see on your butter, cheese or milk carton of happy cows are not the cows your dairy products come from.
In fact, the research I did on dairy cows for this posts was so upsetting I won’t repeat it here. My commitment to my readers is to inspire and uplift, so I won’t use scare tactics. But neither will I ever eat dairy products again.
Many dairy producers have been cited for animal cruelty, yet they continue these practices because there is very little enforcement in place to deter them.
Those who have studied dairy cows in the worst conditions see hopelessness in their eyes, and some leading holistic practitioners claim hopelessness is one of the emotions that can promote cancer growth.
Those energies are then stored in the cows’ bodies and ingested by us. Do we want to be taking the energies of hopelessness, fear and terror into our own bodies? I certainly don’t.
This is not how our ancestors treated their livestock. And it is simply not how we should be treating sentient beings, which is what they are.
No word for “animal”
Native Americans are known for their respect for all living things, and the beautiful prayer, “We are all related.”
In fact, the language of the Native American Lakota [Sioux] Tribe does not even have a word for “animal.”
They have such respect for our four legged and feathered friends that they recognize each group as a respected nation in and of itself. There is a buffalo nation, horse nation, wolf nation, horse nation, eagle nation, dog nation, and so on. There are no “animals.”
A young hunter is taught how to take down an animal with an immediate kill and minimal pain. It is a great disgrace to do otherwise.
To me, this sets the standard for how we should be viewing and treating our four legged, swimming and feathered friends.
What you can do:
- Stop eating meat and dairy. There are plenty of other sources of protein, and I will list them in a future post.
- If you still want to eat meat and dairy, find local farms where the livestock is raised and slaughtered humanely. Yes, it may be more expensive, but, in the words of 11-year old Birke Baehr in his TED talk, “you can either pay the farmer, or pay the hospital.”
- Always say a prayer over meat or dairy products before you cook and eat it, apologizing for any pain the animal may have experienced while being raised and slaughtered. And pray for better condition for future animal nations.
- Support animal rights
- Think local: choose locally grown organic and free-range produce and meat
- Know your food – read labels
We, and the planet, cannot be whole and at peace until we are respecting the lives of all sentient beings.
[quote]“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Ghandi[/quote]
Molly Larkin is the co-author of the international best-seller “The Wind Is My Mother; The Life and Teachings of a Native American Shaman” and other books on health. She is passionate about helping people live life to their fullest potential through her classes, healing practice and blog at www.MollyLarkin.com
