The Conscious Kitchen

“Eating is also a process of physical, emotional and spiritual nourishment”. Green Spa Guide

The positive energy derived from the focus on eating, food, nourishment and contentment should not be underestimated in its contribution to holistic wellness. Seeing and appreciating a beautifully formed, colourful fruit, universally perfect yet simple in its appearance, tends to alter one’s perception of food and nourishment. Food contains and radiates life force and when consumed, transfers it into the body.

The global increase in fast foods and fast eating habits has had the combined effect of individual tastes being standardized and thousands of foods and flavours gradually disappearing. Moreover, an appreciation of food was no longer part of the eating experience. The realisation of these truths gave rise to the creation of the Slow Food Movement in Italy in 1986.

The philosophy of the Slow Food Movement is that food should be

The Slow Food Movement is committed to:

protecting traditional and sustainable quality foods and their primary ingredients and also
conserving their methods of cultivation.

Subscribers to the slow food way of life, which in a broader sense means eating seasonal foods that are sourced locally and grown organically, quickly become aware of the health benefits associated with this philosophy. Fruits and vegetables produced in this way not only taste better and cost less than imported foods, but they are generally more nutritious.

So how does this apply to the spa kitchen?

Additionally, the production of meat products is very energy, water and resource intensive. One sometimes forgets that the process involves the production, manufacturing and processing of animal feeds and their transport to feedlots for consumption, the transportation of animals to abattoirs, and then the processing, packaging and transportation of the meat to the consumer. Many of the processes described above also give rise to a significant amount of waste, particularly when compared with the production of fruit and vegetables, and also pollution, caused by the water run-off of slaughter houses en meat processing plants into our water courses.

The quality of the meat that is produced for consumption is also becoming more questionable, purely because of rising demand and the struggle to keep up, which often force farmers to resort to unhealthy industrial farming processes and could include the use of hormones, antibiotics and unhealthy feeding practices for fattening purposes.

Cultivate a sense of pride in food preparation in the spa kitchen by encouraging staff to prepare meals in comfortable clothing and to approach the preparation process with goodness and respect. (Many cultures believe that the consciousness of the person preparing a meal, may result in that energy being reflected onto the person eating it.)

Suggest to Spa guests to enjoy their meal in silence, to eat slowly and attentively and to focus on the taste of each item of food.

“Sharing a meal is a gesture of gratitude and regulates self gratification. The concept of sharing extends to the free kitchen, where food is prepared and given to people who need it.”

All these positive activities transform a simple act of nourishment into a holistic wellness experience.