Superfood

We have a dysfunctional relationship with food. We see it as a source of pleasure, a source of comfort, or a source of guilt. We use it to numb our feelings, to celebrate our victories, and to punish our bodies. We have forgotten that food is not just fuel; it is information. Every bite you take is a message you are sending to your cells, to your DNA, to your consciousness. The practice of eating a “Superfood” is not about following the latest health trend or about achieving a perfect diet. It is about consciously choosing to ingest the highest vibrational information available. It is about recognizing that your body is a sacred temple, and the food you eat is the offering you place on the altar.

The Three Gunas: An Ayurvedic Perspective

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of life, teaches that all of nature, including the food we eat, is composed of three fundamental qualities, or *gunas*: *sattva*, *rajas*, and *tamas*. Tamasic foods are heavy, dense, and lifeless, like processed foods, alcohol, and old leftovers. They create dullness and inertia in the mind and body. Rajasic foods are stimulating and agitating, like caffeine, spicy foods, and onions. They create restlessness and emotional turmoil. Sattvic foods are pure, light, and life-giving, like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and nuts. They create clarity, peace, and spiritual awareness.

The Bhagavad Gita (17:8) says, “Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.”

A “superfood,” from this perspective, is a food that is exceptionally high in sattva. It is a food that is bursting with *prana*, or life-force energy. When you eat a superfood, you are not just consuming vitamins and minerals; you are consuming consciousness. You are literally eating light. This light purifies your nervous system, clarifies your mind, and makes your body a more sensitive and receptive instrument for spiritual experience. To eat a sattvic diet is to make your body a temple, a place where the divine can reside.

The Body as a Laboratory: A Taoist View

Taoism is a deeply embodied spiritual path. The body is not seen as an obstacle to enlightenment, but as the very laboratory in which the elixir of immortality is created. The Taoist masters were meticulous observers of nature, and they understood that the food we eat has a deep effect on our energetic and spiritual well-being. They developed a complex system of dietary therapy based on the principles of yin and yang, the five elements, and the energetic properties of different foods.

The Taoist sage, Sung Ssu-miao, wrote, “The superior physician prevents sickness. The mediocre physician attends to impending sickness. The inferior physician treats actual sickness.”

To eat superfoods, from a Taoist perspective, is to be a superior physician. It is to proactively cultivate a state of vibrant health and energetic balance. It is to understand that food is medicine. Certain foods, like goji berries, reishi mushrooms, and ginseng, were revered by the Taoists as “superior herbs” that could nourish the “three treasures”: *jing* (essence), *qi* (life-force energy), and *shen* (spirit). To consume these foods was not just to nourish the body, but to nourish the soul. It was a way of aligning oneself with the healing and regenerative power of the Tao.

A Real-Life Example: The Junk Food Junkie

I once worked with a young man who was a classic junk food junkie. He lived on a diet of fast food, soda, and processed snacks. He was overweight, lethargic, and suffered from chronic depression. He came to me for spiritual guidance, but I told him that the most spiritual thing he could do was to change his diet. He was skeptical, but he was also desperate.

I didn’t put him on a strict or complicated diet. I simply asked him to add one superfood to his diet each day: a green smoothie. He started blending up spinach, kale, a banana, and some almond milk every morning. At first, he didn’t notice much of a difference. But after a few weeks, something began to shift. He had more energy. His mood began to lift. He started to crave healthier foods. The green smoothie was not just giving him nutrients; it was giving him information. It was sending a message of life, of vibrancy, of self-love to his cells. That simple, daily act of nourishment was the beginning of a deep transformation. He didn’t just lose weight; he lost the heavy, dense, and toxic consciousness that had been weighing him down.

This card is an invitation to become a conscious consumer. It is a call to recognize that every meal is a choice, a sacred act. You are not just feeding your body; you are feeding your soul. What information are you choosing to ingest? Is it the dead, processed, and fear-based information of the industrial food system? Or is it the living, vibrant, and love-infused information of the earth? You are what you eat. Choose wisely.

How to Embody This Teaching

This is a practice of mindful eating, a way to transform the act of eating from a mindless habit into a sacred ritual.

1. **Choose one meal a day** to practice mindful eating. It could be your breakfast, your lunch, or even a single snack. 2. **Before you eat, take a moment to pause.** Look at your food. Contemplate its journey to your plate. Think about the sun, the soil, the water, and the many hands that were involved in bringing this food to you. Offer a silent prayer of gratitude. 3. **As you eat, engage all of your senses.** Notice the colors, the textures, the smells of your food. Chew slowly. Savor each bite. Try to identify the different flavors. 4. **Pay attention to how the food feels in your body.** Does it feel light and energizing? Does it feel heavy and dull? Listen to your body’s wisdom. It will tell you what it needs. 5. **When you are finished, take another moment to pause.** Offer a silent prayer of thanks for the nourishment you have received.

This practice will not only improve your digestion and help you make healthier food choices; it will also transform your relationship with food. It will turn every meal into an opportunity for mindfulness, for gratitude, and for a deep and intimate connection with the web of life.

When This Card Appears

When the Superfood card appears, it is a sign that you need to pay attention to what you are feeding yourself, on all levels. This may be a literal call to improve your diet, to cut out the junk food, and to incorporate more vibrant, life-giving foods. But it is also a metaphorical call to examine what you are feeding your mind and your soul. What kind of information are you consuming? Are you feeding yourself a diet of fear, negativity, and gossip? Or are you feeding yourself a diet of beauty, inspiration, and wisdom?

The Superfood card is a reminder that you are a whole-body being. Your body, your mind, and your spirit are not separate. What you do to one, you do to all. This is a time to purify your temple. Clean up your diet, clean up your media consumption, clean up your relationships. Choose to ingest only the highest quality information, the “superfoods” of the physical, mental, and spiritual realms. As you do, you will find that your energy, your clarity, and your connection to the divine will all be supercharged.