Food Rituals

We enjoy the ritual of eating with friends and family. And when we eat alone, we can be awash in memories complete with replays of bits of old conversations.

Jewish tradition considers a meal as any repast in which bread is consumed, so they begin a meal with the blessing over bread and then the sharing of bread together. The blessing below is widely known to most Jews, "who have heard it since childhood and who may even have memorized it just by having said it so often".

A blessing is much more than giving thanks for our daily food. It constitutes also a statement of faith in a time to come when all will have enough to eat. Listen to it here.

Translation: Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has brought forth bread from the earth.

But even blessed bread can create a problem. Modern wheat is a hybrid plant that produces difficult demands on our metabolism. That is why it is good to consider ways to lower the amount of carbs in the bread to prevent a glycemic crises. I'll explain that and offer 3 ways to avoid a carbohydrate spike from your bread in this post...

Deepen your nourishment

To make food nourish you better, it is important to cultivate a relationship with your vagus nerve. One way to do that-- remove the high-wire stimulus of electronic devices while you eat. This simple act will help relax your digestive system and in turn the messages sent to your brain through the vagus nerve and further allow the digestive processes to proceed as intended. If you’re eating a quick sandwich while standing at a lunch counter and thinking about the work awaiting you back at the office or if you are simply checking your phone obsessively, at least take it outside and notice the clouds overhead. Look at distant views. Taste the depth of the food while you reset your vagus nerve and, in turn, your mind and spirit.

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