
{Why the war for your dinner plate is a war on your spirit: Part 2}
On my first blog post titled “Why the war for your dinner plate is a war on your spirit: Part 1” I created the foundation for this topic. First, I discussed what your spirituality is. Then I presented you with the food pyramid and how that little gem came about back in the 70’s. Again, there is an in-depth analysis you can read for yourself on how politics and money played a role in that evolution with more detail than my simple blog post can. The most in depth is Nina Tiecholz’s book The Big Fat Surprise. But for this post I want to delve into how food can alter your physical, emotional, energetic and your spiritual body. How does food have an effect on your body and what you eat more specifically can either enhance or curtail your access to your higher consciousness. And believe you me, it’s not what you think.
What does food have to do with your spirit?
Most written works, are written from one perspective and usually a bias can manifest through even written word. Having said that, I understand only what I know and do not pretend to know beyond that which is gained through my own experience. For it is only through first hand experience can we truly gain a deeper understanding of a particular subject. Having gone through a variety of experiences in the last 7 years since adopting a more animal based diet it has become quite apparent to me that what we eat directly affects our overall well-being. I have written about the numerous physical benefits but this time I would like to focus on something that perhaps is harder for us to digest, and not literally.
When we try to describe or even explain what “spirit” is we tend to hit a wall of prejudice based on our belief system. There are many aspects to what “spirit” can be in my personal opinion and most often then not, it is looked at from a religious perspective. The word “spirit” itself is derived from Latin “spiritus” meaning breath but can also be linked to the Greek “pneuma” which is breath or blow and in modern times has a direct relationship with the world “pneumonia”. Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the lungs and leads to breathing difficulties which can be deadly for some. With this basic knowledge of the word we can draw conclusions that breath is directly linked with our spirit. My previous blog post titled “Your breath is life” goes into more depth look at how breath impacts our lives. But for now, I will focus on how it’s not just your breath that affects your spirit but also your diet.
Since we can see the direct relationship between breath and spirit through the principles of etymology (the study of language and origins of words) we can perhaps dive a little deeper into how the spirit can be affected by our food. After all, in order for us to breathe we have to sustain life by eating. Because if we loose our breath, we loose life. So there is a direct correlation between our food and our breath which in turn will affect our spirit. And in the last 60 or so years, our food has definitely become a matter of public opinion which governments around the world have decided to dictate for all of its citizens. Again, another topic that we could go further into but for now I’d like to focus on what that food has been doing to us for decades.
The first and second graph below outlines the annual US meat consumption between 1910 and 2013 and the decline in the average animal based fat consumption, respectively. And lastly, the third graph shows the decline in our dietary fats versus the rise in vegetable oils and fats between 1909 and 2009.



As you can deduce for yourself, the above graphs show the slow decline in North American fat consumption since the early 1900’s. What we used to consume in terms of fats had changed from tallow, lard and butter to one of margarine and vegetable oils. In 1911 there was an explosion on the cooking front that tailored to mothers across the country that sold us on the idea of crisco. This miracle oil substitute was created by Proctor and Gamble who eventually led to create the American Heart Association in the 1960’s. Which coincidently promotes vegetable oils over animal fats. I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. However, this is where I believe the slow decline started in our overall health and wellbeing as a nation. With the introduction of seeds oils as engine lubricant became replacements for animal based fats.
The decline in metabolic health
Since the 1960’s and 1970’s, North Americans have had a slow increase in metabolic health issues all while simultaneously increasing their waist lines and miraculously increasing fitness industry profits. Now I’m no Einstein or Hawkins but somehow those don’t seem to add up. In this equation 1+2 = 4.


By taking a look again at the growth of the fitness industry and the rise in obesity none of this makes sense. What is also interesting to note is the fact that with the ever increasing rise in obesity we are seeing an exponential rise in metabolic and auto immune disease across the board. New categories of disease seem to be added to the ever growing list year after year and when we look around our communities we see nothing but poor health disguised as the new normal. In no way can I look at man with a 9 month pregnant belly as the new normal. I do not consent to this dialogue.
Metabolic health relates to issues that affect a persons ability to respond to food in a beneficial way that will prevent things like obesity, diabetes and heart disease. I cannot stress the importance of food when it comes to our overall health and metabolic health. What we have been consuming over the last 50-60 years has drastically altered our wellbeing in more areas then just weight gain and autoimmune disease. Not only have our plates been hijacked but I believe our spirituality as well. As spirit is closely linked to our breath and our breath allows us the ability to live.
Another interesting note I will touch on is the bodies ability to digest and process what we eat and how this also affects our entire endocrine system. The endocrine system is a vast and complex system that allows our bodies to secrete hormones that affect our metabolism, growth and reproduction as well as moods and stress amongst other things. This system houses the powerful pineal gland that I believe is the reason we have been hijacked by the food industry to suppress the knowledge that lays hidden here.
The Pineal Gland
This particular gland is a small pea sized conical mass of tissue that resembles a pine cone (hence the name) that sits behind the third ventricle of the brain. This tiny little gland secretes some of the most powerful hormones that play a vital role in your mood and sleep patterns. Also important to note, this is the only part of the brain that is not isolated from the body by the blood-brain barrier. Which means there is a robust supply of blood to this area from the posterior cerebral artery. Remember this little fact for later.

Also interesting to note that the 2nd century Greek physician Galen was one of the first to believe that this gland was the valve for the flow of pneuma. Remember that word? So he speculated that the pineal gland allowed for movement of breath or “spirit”. Although this is what you can find on google, I think it’s important to go even further back as there were others before the Greeks that believed the pineal gland to be an important part of our spirituality which was connected directly to our breath.
The Yogis and Breath
According to the oldest texts available, the Yogis of India practiced breath work 4,000 years ago and knew the inner workings on their bodies before the technological advancement of X-rays or MRI machines. Even before the Greeks learned anatomy of the human body, these Yogis were able to attune to the subtlest of levels of awareness and attain higher levels of consciousness. They were highly in tune with nature and their spirituality. They also knew that it was through experiential development that they were able to reach those higher levels of awareness that in many cases involved the practice of pranayama. The practice of breathing is a science of introspection versus a science of tangible experimentation. It was also through this extensive practice of inner experimentation that the Yogis were also able to map out the Chakra system.

This system outlines the subtle energy centres that move energy throughout the body but also act as transformers to receive and store cosmic prana, our life force. According to the Charka system, one of these energy centres is located exactly where the pineal gland sits, at the Ajna Chakra. This particular chakra is also knows as the eye of Shiva, the third eye or the eye of intuition. It is the convergent point where, through breathing, one can learn to bring life force energy into this centre and activate their pineal gland. Did Galen, the 2nd century Greek physician not state that he believed the pineal gland to be a valve for the flow of pneuma?
The Pineal Gland and Food Connection
So what about the food connection? How does food affect the pineal gland? Since we know that what we consume has a direct affect on our bodies it’s safe to say that food also affects the endocrine system which in turn affects the pineal gland. Remember how I mentioned earlier about the little fact the pineal gland being the only part of the brain that is not isolated from the body? That the flow of blood is robust in this area and that it crosses the blood-brain barrier? This is where I believe food is closely related to having the most profound affect on our connection to opening of the third eye. That intuition that has been hijacked by the powers that be and control everything from what we eat, to what we watch and even what we buy. Get those tin foil hats ready cause I’m about to blow even my own mind!
Blood. It is the source of life in our bodies in conjunction with our breath. Our blood supplies our bodies with the upmost of nutrients and information ranging from fighting of disease to rebuilding tissues and protecting us from foreign invaders and of course delivery of oxygen. Our blood flows through our veins, arteries and capillaries at an estimated 3 feet per second. One blood cell can travel throughout your entire body in one minute. Keeping this is mind, we can conclude that the delivery of blood to all cells of the body happens at a very fast paced speed and increases with cardiovascular input ie. when one exercises and increases the rate of breath and blood flow. Now since we know blood is vital to life and that the pineal gland has a robust supply of it one can conclude that the healthier the blood the more nutrients the pineal gland would receive. And the healthier the blood the healthier the body.
There are theories that state that the pineal gland can calcify over time but no known cause of this has ever been proven. That is, there is no clear evidence that the pineal gland can calcify due to any other reasons beyond age, metabolic health and chronic disease. And once again, we are faced with metabolic health and chronic disease as the potential cause of a calcified pineal gland. So how can one prevent calcification of the pineal gland? Since the theories point to metabolic health and chronic disease the obvious solution is fixing your metabolic health and curtailing chronic disease from starting. And since food is linked to our metabolic health directly this is a good place to start.
What to eat then?
As you may have guessed based on previous posts I strongly encourage people to eat more meat and animal based foods as opposed to the standard American diet that is extremely high in carbohydrates and processed foods. Having experienced life as a vegetarian and now a high protein carnivore based diet my experiences have shaped my view points around this subject. You can read all about that journey here. So on a personal level, I have experienced both and can with certainty say that meat is essential to my overall health and wellbeing. But for those who need a more sound and logical explanation I present the following perspective. And it’s all about the blood.
Insulin. It is the driver of all metabolic health in our bodies. It regulates sugar in our blood and acts like a gatekeeper for our overall tissue health. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by your pancreas that stabilizes your blood sugars. Whenever you eat (and this is dependant more heavily on WHAT you eat as carbohydrates elevate insulin more then fats and proteins do) your pancreas will secrete insulin to signal your body for the incoming glucose (what all carbohydrates gets broken down into once ingested). The insulin in this case will trigger your cells to uptake more glucose from the bloodstream to be used for fuel. The long held belief by many physicians and dietitian’s is that glucose is the preferred source of fuel for the body. However, glucose that is being ingested through your diet will always be used first as the main fuel source but fat is always stored for later use by the body. So whenever you eat a diet that is rich in carbohydrates and fat (which most of todays pre packaged and ultra processed foods are high in) your body will secret insulin as a response to this food and will take the glucose (carbohydrates first) to be taken as fuel and will store the fat as fat. In the case of your muscle cells this fat will be stored in the form of glycogen, in the liver (in the form of glycogen or fat) or simply as fat in fat cells.
So what happens to insulin if too much glucose (carbohydrates) are being ingested? You can end up with insulin resistance. In the US alone, 40% of adult males and females (between 18-44) are insulin resistant, and that number seems to be rising (along with the rate of obesity and metabolic health issues, insulin resistance being one of them). So what is insulin resistance? The more insulin you secrete (as a response to high glucose in blood), the more likely it is that your cells and tissues will become resistant to that insulin. Simply meaning, it will take more and more insulin to do the same glucose disposal job which is keeping your blood sugars under control. The hemoglobin A1c test, also known as glycated hemoglobin, glycosylated hemoglobin, HbA1c, or simply A1c, is used to measure a person’s level of glucose control. An A1C score below 5.7% is the normal range. An A1C score between 5.7% and 6.4% signifies pre-diabetes. And an A1C score of 6.5% or higher is a diabetic state.

Based on the importance of insulin I would argue that having a rich and healthy blood supply will not just affect your waistline but also your mental health. As mentioned earlier about your pineal gland and the fact that is the only part of your brain not isolated from the body by the blood-brain barrier poses an interesting observation. That perhaps, what we consume will in fact have a direct affect on our endocrine system and our overall well being. And perhaps by and large, the push for more cheap and fast alternative food sources (by and large by our ever loving government officials and authorities), is to perhaps hinder and slow down an individuals ability to discern the world around them. And if I may be so bold, to even curtail their desire to become aware of more subtle energetic bodies within themselves. For if you are always struggling with chronic disease, your life will always be preoccupied with getting healthy. But if you’re already healthy and not addicted to your food then you can sit and become attuned to those energetic forces with ease. Thus opening up that third eye and tuning in to tune everything else out.
Final Thoughts
The overall state of our well being lies in our food. And if you were to take a look around and see what most people have in their grocery carts at the grocery store, it’s not food. If what you consume has to have an ingredients list, you are buying a product. A product that has been created to keep you buying more and more because you’re never fully satisfied. After the initial pleasure wears off, the viscous cycle of always chasing the next „high” is just around the next meal. If you spent most of your time thinking about food and what you „want”, you are an addict. And that is where the food industry wants to keep you. Addicted to your food. Addicted to your screens. Addicted to your vices. Addicted to everything but the most obvious of observations. You are a costumer. You help perpetuate the cycle of buying more and more as your waistline grows more and more. It may sound dramatic to most, but for those who are truly interested in getting off the hamster wheel of survival, may you find the courage to step outside the box and see a different world. One where you can start to see the illusions that have been placed over our eyes. Our food is the gateway to our spiritual essence. We are in the end humans having a human experience, but wouldn’t you want to have one free of disease and daily pain? Wouldn’t you want to experience the joys of seeing the world and all it’s beauty with your own eyes versus through someone else’s through a screen? To witness the change of seasons from your own window versus a hospital bed?
In the end, it is the quality of life that most of us strive for. To find some meaning and purpose in our day to day. Many of us in today’s modern society struggle with this on top of dealing with chronic disease. This is turn, I believe makes it ever harder to find meaning and purpose. When you are always focused on a disease of the mind, body or even spirit, you miss out on life. You spend most of your time trying to get better. To fix this. When your body no longer thrives but lives in survival mode, so does your mind and spirit. This is why I believe in the end, what you eat, you become. Don’t be cheap, easy and riddled with dis-ease. If you don’t want to eat a carnivore diet, don’t. But do make an effort to get rid of the highly processed „products” that have consumed your day to day life. If it has an ingredients list, and if you can’t hunt it or grow it, it’s not food.
One quarter of what you eat keeps you alive, the other three quarters keeps your doctor alive
Old ancient Egyptian proverb