How to achieve feeling at Peace

Peace, food, drink

Peace: freedom from disturbance; tranquility.

Life can be a rollercoaster of emotions; ups and downs, fun times and sad times. Sometimes you can feel absolutely overwhelmed by what you are facing in your life. This is when you would eagerly welcome a state of peace. Implementing lifestyle and nutritional changes may help you return to that peaceful state so that both your body and mind may find the feeling of peace once again.

When you are not at peace, then you will most likely be stressed. Peace may be obtained when all of your body systems are not overwhelmed by the strain of emotional stress which allows your emotions to be in balance and peaceful. According to traditional Chinese medicine five element theory when all the elements (wood, fire, earth, metal and water), and all the emotions relating to these five elements (anger, joy/sadness, worry/over-thinking, grief/melancholy and fear) are in flow and balanced, then peace is restored.

Becoming ‘stuck’ in any emotion may make it challenging to find solutions to the problem that triggered the emotional reaction in the first place. For example, have you ever tried having a rational conversation with someone when they are overwhelmed with worry, overthinking, fear or anger? It’s very challenging, if not impossible!

You most probably know the adage, prevention is better than cure. When integrating traditional Chinese medicine ideas with western nutritional advice, in relation to dealing with the physiological changes that occur when you are under stress, such as increased cortisol release and elevated levels of C-reactive protein (C-RP), you may then be able to the find balance even during a stress-induced state and find peace.

Support your journey towards peace with the pro•m•emo essence ‘Peace’. Find out more.

The following 14 general dietary and lifestyle recommendations may offer you the support you need as you journey towards your goal of achieving a state of peace.

14 general dietary recommendations to consider implementing in your life:

1. Clean Water – maintaining adequate hydration with clean drinking water is essential for life[i],[ii]
2. Organic Green Tea – green tea assists in reducing C-RP, a byproduct of the stress/cortisol response that causes inflammation[iii]. As green tea may be highly sprayed with petrochemicals during its processing and manufacturing process we recommend choosing an organic option
3. Fruits & Vegetables – ensure you have 2 serves of fresh seasonal fruit and 5 serves of vegetables (biodynamic or organic where possible) every day[iv]. Aim for a variety of colours, as this offers you a broad spectrum of phytonutrients. Having an adequate supply of fruits and vegetables may be beneficial to your overall health[v],[vi]
4. Proteins[vii] and Dairy[viii] – ensure you are consuming a variety of high quality proteins from either an animal source (lean meats, skinless chicken, fish, low fat dairy products) or from non-animal sources (beans, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, tempeh and spirulina; as well as fermented dairy products such as yogurt)
5. Good Fats – ensure you are using fats that are considered to improve health, such as monounsaturated oils (olive oil), saturated oils (coconut oil)[ix], or omega-3 fatty acids[x] (salmon, sardines, halibut or anchovies). Avoid the bad fats, such as trans fatty acids, which are found in most processed and fried foods!
6. Aim for Low Glycaemic Index (GI) Carbohydrates – low GI foods reduce blood sugar spikes and improves mood, therefore impacting beneficially on your overall health and wellbeing[xi]. Consume low GI carbohydrate foods such as oats, millet, basmati rice, sweet potato and soya based breads. Interestingly, if you reduce your good fat intake and replace it with carbohydrates, particularly those with a high GI, it becomes a recipe for poor health![xii]
7. Have a Variety of Flavors – from a Chinese diet therapy perspective, a balanced diet includes choosing foods from the five different food tastes; bitter, sweet, sour, pungent and salty[xiii]
8. Hot, Warm & Cold, Cool Foods – from a Chinese diet therapy perspective, a balanced diet also includes selecting foods from the four different food natures that is; Hot and Warm, such as chili, spicy foods, ginger, onion or garlic, and Cold and cool foods, such as raw vegetables and most fruits[xiv]
9. Bitter Foods Before Meals – from a western herbal perspective, consuming bitter foods before meals may stimulate digestive enzymes and improve digestion[xv],[xvi]
10. Fermented Foods – incorporating fermented foods into your food choices is extremely beneficial as they are a source of probiotics, which may provide antimicrobial effects, support the immune system and promote healing to stimulate overall health and wellbeing[xvii]. They include sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso, kombucha, kefir, pickles etc
11. Eating Habits – ensure you eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner. Take time to cook and prepare your food, and then take time to eat your food, making sure you chew your food adequately and enjoy the process with family, friends or work colleagues. Eat regularly and avoid skipping meals or being distracted by iphones, ipads, TV, or any other thing that distracts you from your focus of eating
12. Planning – it’s important to plan your meals so that you are not wondering what to eat next. This means you are more likely to make healthier food choices
13. pro·m·emo Elixir Diet Tips – we recommend choosing to implement the pro•m•emo Calm, Harmony, Carefree, Relief and Love, food, drink dietary and nutritional tips.
14. Minimize – excessive intake of biscuits, cakes, pastries, fries, burgers, sugary foods, alcohol, soft drinks, fruit juices and fast foods in general

Peace, food, drink summed up

Eat some …

• Organic fruits and vegetables
• High quality proteins and dairy
• Good fats (olive oil, coconut oil and omega 3 fatty acids)
• Low GI foods (oats, millet, basmati rice, sweet potato and soya based breads)
• A variety of the 5 flavours (sweet, salty, sour, pungent and bitter)
• A variety of Hot, Warm & Cold, Cool foods
• Bitter foods before meals (rocket and mustard greens)
• Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, yoghurt, leben, tempeh and natto)

Drink some …

• Pure water
• Organic green tea
• Fermented beverages (kombucha, kefir and lassi)
• Lemon juice in water

Eat, drink, be happy, healthy and at peace!

We hope you enjoyed reading our peace blog and that you may find the above recommendations helpful for you.

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Receive a little help on your journey towards peace with the pro•m•emo PEACE elixir.

The PEACE essence may assist with processing all of your emotions, especially if you are feeling mixed emotions at the time, are suffering from emotional overwhelm or are looking for ways on how to process emotion-induced stress.

Footnotes

[i] Kleiner, S 1999, Water: An Essential But Overlooked Nutrient, American Dietetic Association, vol 99, Issue 2, Pages 200–206

[ii] Albert, B et al 2014, Essential Cell Biology, Fourth Edition, Garland Science, USA

https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Cg4WAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR4&dq=purified+water+essential+for+life&ots=ydaPaG48OZ&sig=p5OT52cFcFSZw48Fzpy6mLvDWtI#v=onepage&q&f=false

[iii] Bogdanski, P., et al. Green tea extract reduces blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, and oxidative stress and improves parameters associated with insulin resistance in obese, hypertensive patients. Nutr Res. 32(6):421-427, 2012.

[iv] http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/

[v] Järvi, A 2016, Increased intake of fruits and vegetables in overweight subjects: effects on body weight, body composition, metabolic risk factors and dietary intake, British Journal of Nutrition,Volume 115, Issue 10, pp. 1760-1768

[vi] Rodriguez-Casado, A 2014, The Health Potential of Fruits and Vegetables Phytochemicals: Notable Examples, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, Volume 56, 2016 – Issue 7

[vii] https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/lean-meat-and-poultry-fish-eggs-tofu-nuts-and-seeds-and

[viii] https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/five-food-groups/milk-yoghurt-cheese-andor-their-alternatives-mostly-reduced-fat

[ix] Lawrence G.D. Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations in the Context of Scientific Evidence Advances in Nutrition May 2013 Vol. 4: 294-302, 2013

[x] Swanson D, Block R Mousa S A Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA: Health Benefits Throughout Life Advances in Nutrition January 2012 Vol. 3: 1-7, 2012

[xi] Breymeyer, K et al 2016, Subjective mood and energy levels of healthy weight and overweight/obese healthy adults on high-and low-glycemic load experimental diets, Appetite, Volume 107, 1 December 2016, Pages 253–259

[xii] Lawrence G.D. Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations in the Context of Scientific Evidence Advances in Nutrition May 2013 Vol. 4: 294-302, 2013

[xiii] Leggett D A guide to the energetics of food based on the traditions of Chinese medicine wall chart White Pine Printers Inc 2005

[xiv] Leggett D A guide to the energetics of food based on the traditions of Chinese medicine wall chart White Pine Printers Inc 2005

[xv] Mills S, Bone K. Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. 2000. London: Churchill Livingstone

[xvi] Yarnell, Eric. Phytochemistry and Pharmacy for Practitioners of Botanical Medicine. Wenatchee, WA: Healing Mountain Publishing, Inc. 2003

[xvii] Afifah Mattusin, NB et al 2016 Fermented foods in Asia as a source of potential probiotics: Properties and beneficial effects, Scientia Bruneiana A Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, vol 15

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