Food as Art

If you ever take a moment to look around you will start to notice just how beautiful that in which Mother Nature has already provided us with. Towering trees, beautiful blue skies, bubbly clouds, moist rain, sky scraper mountains, plush gardens and meadows, sparkling oceans and lakes, colorful flowers, warm sunshine... the list goes on. Among all that beauty are the things that we use to feed ourselves and allow ourselves to flourish. Fresh fruits hanging from a tree, vegetables emerging from the soil, grains waving in the windy fields, animals grazing on the gorgeous mountainside, and the bounty that comes from the depths of the ocean.

The interesting thing is that even if we notice just how beautiful and wonderful these things are when they are in their natural setting, for some reason we tend to not give them a second thought once they hit a farmers market, supermarket, or even our own tables.

So today I would like to open your mind to a new perspective.

Take a look at the photo above. I captured this photo from a piece of fruit that I was going to enjoy one morning. I took a second and said, 'wow - look how cool and imperfectly perfect this pear looks' - I never really took the time to notice before. I put it up against the dark background of my table to capture its striking color and beauty in a dynamic and full of life way. To this day, this is one of my favorite pictures... even though it was just.... a piece of fruit.

The thing is, we are so busy in our lives these days and we don't take the time to stop and really look at our food and what we are eating. To appreciate all that went into that piece of food. Who grew it? Where did they live? What was the weather like when this grew? Where the farmers happy when growing it? Was the soil rich and abundant with nutrients? How far did this travel? Is there a story behind it? Most of the time we don't take a second to think about this. Now, many people may give a grace or be thankful for the food in front of them, but do they take a moment to look at the food and really connect with it?

I know that for many of you this may sound like an odd thing to do. Or you may think it doesn't matter. But I promise you... the energy in the food you are eating... the emotions coming from the food you are eating... it all becomes a part of you. Not just in how you feel, but in your soul, your mind, and your emotions. In a way, we are all connected. So, what you consume, practice, talk about, think about, absorb from your surroundings all becomes a part of who you are.

Next time you go for that fruit, vegetable, or plate of bounty, take a moment just to reflect. Look at it. Appreciate it. I promise that you will start to become acutely aware of things you never thought you would and your senses and emotions will all be part of your experience. You will enjoy the meal more, be more satisfied, have better digestion, and therefore be able to absorb more of the nutrients from that food. Hence creating an overall healthier and happier you.

I mean, at the end of the day, who doesn't want that?

xoxo