Nourishment and Identity

How am I feeding myself? 

What nourishes me?

What nurtures me? 

What is feeding my sense of self? 

and- 

What am I hungry for? 

What nutrients have been missing and how can I give myself more of what I need?

As we explore the fourth of the five SEEDS that promote wellbeing, we look at our Diet. In doing so, we expand our understanding of diet beyond food to consider how what we eat, and how we feed ourselves- is tied to culture, community, and identity.

While studying integrative nutrition with Leslie Korn, we explored different foods and nutrients that support mental and physical health. While one can recommend and encourage the ingestion of this or that superfood, probiotic, prebiotic, or specific food, the most important lesson I came away with was that people should be encouraged to consume the foods of their people- whatever they may be. 

As a mixed/multi-heritage person you may already have a connection to your cultural or ancestral foods. And it may be true that there’s a gap or question mark in connection to a specific lineage, heritage, or cultural group. 

This is an invitation to explore. What are the foods of your people? Additionally, what artistic, and cultural and spiritual practices have fed and sustained your people for generations before and generations to come? Even now, you can notice where that question takes you- what are you curious about? 

For this practice, you are invited to create a poem: a recipe poem, listing all the things you need for nourishment. From the simple (a warm and fragrant cup of tea, watching the sunrise), to the sublime (bathing beneath a waterfall in the homeland of your people on your 37th birthday).  You can be as concrete or abstract as you wish. 

Here’s a concrete example:

Recipe for Nourishment

1. Good food every day

2. Time with friends

3. Memories of my loved ones, past and present

4. Moving my body

5. Listening to music

6. Sweet potatoes

7. Swimming in the ocean

8. Reading James Baldwin

9. Meditation and Prayers

10. Sleeping 8 hours a night

11. Hugging my sister

12. Writing

Here’s another example:

to be nourished, truly

I need a moment of rest

then

 a perfectly roasted sweet potato

5 days of being held 

by the ocean

The memory of my father’s hands

A  growing plant

The smell of my sister’s hair

While listening to Otis Redding 

inviting me to enjoy 

this good time we’re having

so early in the morning

While knowing that 

A warm embrace,

Good food, 

Time with my beloved

awaits

A reminder that there’s no way to do this wrong. Give yourself a timeframe to sit with these questions, and then allow yourself to explore in writing, drawing, or movement what comes up.

Wishing you a meaningful and nourishing exploration.