The Conscious Consumer
By Erik Adams

With a population expected to hit 9 billion by the year 2050, the force of our collective consumption is the front line of the multi-pronged ecological / health / food / energy / climate and economic crisis we now face. Right now we have the choice to be either a plague of locusts feverishly demolishing the fruits of our earthly host only to hit the sobering wall of our natural limit, or we can choose to be gentle guardians of this Eden, carefully considering the outcome of our every action on the whole system.

Every day, in every moment we have this choice. It’s not out there with the government, with Them, or big business - it’s with you and me.

“We have to learn how to consume mindfully as a family, as a city, as a nation. We have to learn what to produce and what not to produce in order to provide our people with only the items that are nourishing and healing. We have to refrain from producing the kinds of items that bring war and despair into our body, into our consciousness, and into the collective body and consciousness of our nation, our society.”
Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Zen Master and peace activist

At the most fundamental level of our existence the primary choices we all have to make, every few hours, every day of our lives are food choices.

“Eating establishes humankind’s most primordial bonds with the natural world. Because it utilises the senses, eating, more than any other human experience, brings us to our fullest and most intimate relationship with the environment. In recent generations this intimate relationship has been shattered by a food production system that has profoundly separated us from nature and from those working the land” Andrew Kimbrell, ‘Fatal Harvest’.
After decades of having our food choices directed away from nature and a dramatic rise in lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, obesity and depression our diet is leading to the decay of our bodies, our mental/emotional health and the earth.

You are what you eat and you eat what you are

Many people are realising that food choices are our most immediate and fundamental way to shape ourselves, our culture and our ecological footprint. You are, we are and the Earth is deeply affected by what we eat. What we choose to consume not only in foodstuffs but also with our senses determines to a significant degree our state of awareness and the reality we experience. The vibration and consciousness of our food becomes the vibration and consciousness of our being, which in turn influences our state of awareness and further choices.
John Robbins, in ‘Diet for a New America’ writes, “…the very eating habits that can do so much to give you strength and health are exactly the same ones that can significantly reduce the needless suffering in the world, and do much to preserve our ecosystem.. You’ll discover the profound liberation that comes from bringing your eating habits into harmony with life’s deepest ecological basis. You will become increasingly sensitive, and increasingly able to live and act as an agent of world spiritual awakening.. The act of eating can be a powerful statement of commitment to our own well-being, and at the very same time to the creation of a healthier habitat. “

Deep Nutrition

These concepts are far from new. The ancient Indian health system of Ayurveda recognises the differing energetic qualities of edible foods and how they influence mental, emotional and spiritual states.

According to Ayurveda, if we take in food that has no life force, has been produced with the exploitation and suffering of animals, the earth or poorly treated workers, or has been produced with the consciousness of greed, anger or indifference, this energy will begin to predominate in our awareness, disturbing our mental, emotional and spiritual clarity.
On a broader scale, if whole societies and cultures are consuming these foods we may begin to see this type of consciousness predominating and increasing within a culture over generations.

As far back as ancient Greece, the famous historian Herodotus observed differences in temperament between cultures following different diets. For example, he noted that vegetarian cultures tended to be more advanced in art, science and spiritual development whereas meat-eating nations whilst courageous tended to be war-like and relate to one another through anger, alienation and sensual passions

How can you get the most nutrition with the smallest ecological footprint?

If the world is to sustain our growing numbers it is now acknowledged that a locally sourced, in season, organically grown or wild harvested whole food, plant based diet containing a high percentage of raw foods has the smallest ecological footprint. Of particular value are nutrient dense organic foods such as wild greens, sprouts, sea vegetables, microalgae, berries, leafy green vegetables, sun ripened fruits and raw nuts and seeds.
Such a diet will also give you optimal health and lower rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and a heightened state of wellbeing.