Ten Commandments
For Digesting Your Meals & Nourishing Your Soul
By Dr. Danielle Duperret, ND Ph.D

Should you eat vegetables or meat? Nothing before 11:00am or nothing after 11:00am? Fruits till noon, fruits alone or no fruit at all? Whatever the question, somebody will agree and somebody will not.

The world of nutrition is fraught with many contradictions…and so it should be. We are individuals, with individual needs.

When a survey was passed among well positioned people in the health and wellness movement, it showed that the “one size fits all” did not apply. Some drank wine, some did not. Some were vegan, some ate meat. Some took supplements, some did not. The only common denominator was that they all chose organic foods.

Specific nutritional needs do not stay steady. They vary according to the seasons of your life and the challenges you are facing.

After being diagnosed with skin cancer at age fifteen, I went through a regimen of surgeries. At eighteen, I sought an alternative. I studied nutrition and turned to an almost raw food diet with meat. For a season I became a raw vegan, then a vegetarian. The raw food diet would have killed me years later, if I had persisted in continuing it, when faced with another health challenge.

Do NOT take on an identity that could be harmful in the long run, such as, “I am vegan,” or “I am a vegetarian,” or “I am a meat and potato eater.” My motto is “I am healthy, happy and successful.” Anything that does not fit that bill needs to be examined and changed. The question is “What do I need to do at this time in my life to reach or stay at the peak of health?”

When foods are balanced to your unique chemistry, cravings will disappear. No more reaching out for one more cookie or one more chip!

Enjoy Life, enjoy Food, and follow the 10 simple steps below. Happy Eating!

1. EAT WITH AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Better yet, LIVE with an attitude of gratitude! A CEO wears a timing device which nudges him to think about something to be thankful for every 12 minutes! Be thankful for the food you eat. Imagine its nutrients are feeding and nourishing every cell of your body to give you the vitality and strength you need along the day.

2. ENJOY FOOD IN RELAXING ENVIRONMENT
Your metabolism does not function properly under stress. Digestion happens in the parasympathetic mode, i.e. in a relaxed mood. Eating “on the run”, while arguing or listening to the news, slows down your digestion and metabolism. If you want to nourish your body, enjoy pleasant music with natural or relaxing sounds. Let the problems of the day fade away. Share good news, humor and positive events.

3. CHEW YOUR FOOD WELL
The digestion of carbohydrates starts in the mouth, when the food is mixed with saliva. Smaller pieces of food are processed more easily by the stomach.

4. ORGANIC, SEASONAL and NUTRIENT DENSE IS OPTIMAL
Eating simple foods that are grown organically, mostly locally, and which are allowed to ripen naturally, provide the most benefits to the body. Check super foods (calorie poor and nutrient dense) at your local health food store. Learn about nourishing herbs and weeds.

5. EAT A VARIETY OF COLORS, TEXTURES, AND TASTES
This will provide you with the nutrients your body-mind needs, without having to juggle daily requirements. It will nourish the part of you that needs beauty and harmony. Prepare food in a way that delights your taste buds, your eyesight and your kinesthetic self: red, yellow, green, white; crunchy, smooth, soft, hard…be creative! In Ayurvedic Medicine, six tastes are recognized: Sweet, sour, bitter, salty, spicy, and pungent. In the US, sweet and salty are what we expect. We may overeat salty or sweet snacks, not realizing our body is still hungry, yearning for the full spectrum of tastes, colors and textures.

6. NOURISH YOUR ETHNIC/ANCESTRAL BACKGROUND
There is an ancestral program running within us. Whether emotional or physical, it cries for attention. Part of my ancestry is Greek, and I felt especially satisfied after eating some bread containing Kalamata olives, grown in Greece. Part of my background is Swiss and bread and cheese on a mountain top is very nourishing to me. What is your ancestry? Nourish that part, and notice what happens.

7. NOURISH THE CHILD WITHIN
Have fun! Go back to happy childhood memories or dreams (or if you don’t have any, imagine happy times). Allow yourself to be a kid. We have a lot of social obligations, yet research shows the importance of play time. Play…you will be less likely to stuff down food to fulfill a lack.

8. EMOTION = E-nergy in MOTION
Allow emotions to move. Process them. Stuffing them down with food leads to allergies. Observe them: are you angry, sad, frustrated? How is it to feel that way? Where is the feeling located in your body? What is it about? Observe, release…

9. NOURISH YOUR SOCIAL NEEDS
Food cannot take the place of hugs, physical contacts or the intimacy we crave. If you do not have a significant other, find a good massage therapist, treat yourself to a SPA, do some contact sports or find a circle of friends who like to hug. Meaningful social activities, where people work and play together, and where you are allowed to drop your mask, are important. Towns which have a community spirit have less health problems. Find your “community.”

10. NOURISH YOUR MIND AND SPIRIT
Not only do we need food for our physical body, we also need to feed our mind with uplifting, positive material. Set time aside each day to meditate on positive, motivational books or articles, or to listen to motivational speakers. Feed your spirit. If rituals such as taking communion, praying, breathing or meditating work for you, take the time to practice them. If walking in nature fulfills that need, go for it. Nothing can replace the peace provided by feeling connected to a Higher Power.

Dr. Danielle J. Duperret, ND/PhD is a holistic and natural health doctor with training in psychology, nutrition, energy medicine, biofeedback and spirituality. Located at the World Wellness Group Campus in Las Vegas, she offers private and group sessions, phone and internet consultations and more. Visit: www.DanielleDuperret.com .