One thing that has really defined my own wellness journey has been developing a positive relationship to food. It took some patience and a whole lot of self-love, but the moment I started to view food as energy for my body and mind a lot of things shifted.
I am excited to have gotten an opportunity to chat with Whitney Aronoff of Starseed Kitchen about the energetics of food. Whitney is a personal chef, healer and food writer, with a focus on healthy, whole foods cooking who I met many years ago at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. Her food philosophy is based on the concept that wellness is multi-dimensional. According to Whitney, healthy food preparation and eating is just one part of the puzzle, real health pertains holistically to the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual body. She recommends that we all work with experts to release trapped emotions, create a positive mindset, and practice self-care and self-love. Whitney started Starseed Kitchen to pass on what she knows about cooking and wellness to help people claim their personal power, feel their best and thrive.
I learned so much from this chat with Whitney about how food can affect energy, I hope you do too.
Tell me about the energetics of food, how can food affect our energy?
We are energy and eating is simply a transfer of energy. We can fill ourselves with energy in many ways, like through yoga, a nature walk, breath work, meditation and eating whole foods.
Ever notice how you aren’t as hungry when you spend a day at the beach or at a park? But when you are in front of a computer all day, you’re starving. Two things are happening here. When you are at the beach, barefoot, surrounded by nature, soaking up vitamin D, you are absorbing prana, life force energy. Your personal cup of joy is being filled up. Therefore, you need less energy from food.
When you are in front of a computer for 5+ hours, you are working, giving away your energy. Additionally, technology tends to absorb our energy. You are being depleted multiple ways so your body, consciously or not, is thirsty, hungry, and wants to be re-filled with prana.
With that in mind, we can control the type of energy we refill it with. We can set the intention of what we absorb when we eat. We can influence the energy, positively and negatively with our emotions, thoughts and the energy in our hands.
How might a meal full of greens and sprouts, make us feel? What about a meal full of root vegetables?
Great question. When understanding the transfer of energy from food, take a look at how it grew. If you want to feel light, bright, with a spring in your step, you will reach for plants that grow up towards then sun. Leafy greens, sprouts, asparagus. Light vegetables and green juice physically help you feel lighter, eases the digestive track, and helps our energetic bodies lighten. Vegan and raw diets have been referred to as yogi diets because it allows your body to be more aware, more sensitive to energies, spirits, dimensions and spirituality.
Now think about the vegetables that grow into the earth, like carrots, parsnips, beets. These ‘root’ vegetables share energy the way they grow. They root us, help us ground, be steady, calm and connected to earth.
If you are feeling lightheaded, tired, dizzy, exhausted, root vegetables are great to enjoy. They help us get back into our body and ground to Earth. Root vegetables help us be present, here and now.
Can what we need to eat to support our health change from day to day, season to season?
Absolutely. When you study cultures from all over the world, you always find that men and women traditionally have changed their diets for the seasons of life. What you needed when you were 20 is different then 30. Pregnancy, post-pregnancy, emotional and environmental changes, and the seasons all affect what our body needs. It’s a flow.
So much goes into what we need to feel nourished in the here and now. Many women are affected by moon cycles (I sure am) and are hungry around new moons and feel full with just a few bites of food around full moons. Planetary alignments can also change our health and eating habits from day to day, season to season. It’s not one dimensional as we are multi-dimensional beings.
What does a meal full of processed foods or foods full of sugar do to our energy?
Each body reacts differently to processed foods and sugar. It depends on how full, or damaged, one’s filtration system is (such as the liver, intestines, lymphatic system, etc.).
For me, I can develop the following symptoms after just a bite of processed grains or refined sugar: sore throat, flushed face, red cheeks, puffy face, puffy fingers, allergy attack, itchy skin, bloating, gas, overall upset stomach, arthritic conditions in my body, night sweats, brain fog and the feeling of being hung over.
None of these feelings are OK. Nobody should feel this way and think that this is just a symptom of getting older.
Do you teach people to feel for the energy of the food that will support them? What is a good way to begin to understand the energetics of food?
The balance test is my favorite way of teaching people if a food or product is right for them. If I pick up a product, read the ingredients, and don’t have an immediate knowing that this is the item for me, then I do this test. It is great to do when buying vitamins, olive oil, vinegars, sauces, etc. I even use it for skincare. Don’t be embarrassed about taking a moment to stand and listen if it is right for you. I’ve been doing this practice in grocery stores and shops for many years.
How to test the energetics of food to see if it is right for you:
Hold the item you are thinking about purchasing in your hands (such as a bottle of olive oil). Place your feet hip with apart, standing tall and balanced.
Close your eyes and ask yourself if this is the right ‘olive oil’ for you.
If you rock forward, that is a yes
If you rock backward, that is a no
If you don’t move it is ok, you can take it, put it back or look for something better
You call your food high vibrational food, what does that mean?
High vibrational food is food full of life force energy. It is when whole foods, whether vegetables, fruit, grains or quality sourced meats, are prepared with intention.
We have the power to shift our food to a higher vibration so we can absorb the maximum cellular benefits and reenergize. I refer to all my recipes on Starseed Kitchen as high vibrational food because it is all made with thoughtful ingredients and with intention.
My recipes fall in the categories of vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free and lectin-free. I avoid refined sugars, refined grains, and any additives and instead reach for whole foods, grass finished meats and well sourced ingredients that meet my high standards. That way when I cook, I am already starting with a foundation of high vibrational food. My attitude in the kitchen, my joy while cooking, will elevate the flavor and health benefits to another level.
Is there anything we can do to increase the vibration of our food, other than selecting high vibe ingredients?
Yes. I want to empower people to change the vibration of any meal they eat. Sometimes we get stuck in situations and we only have access to food we normally wouldn’t choose to eat (like when we travel).
By simply placing your hands around your plate, you can set the intention that the food will nourish you, make you feel energized, digest easily, and that after eating you will feel satisfied. Imagine white light from your hands, moving around the plate, into the food, and sending a glow way up to the ethers.
Hold that and give gratitude to the meal. Now sit and enjoy with no stress, guilt or fear about what you are eating.
You can find some of Whitney’s delectable recipes here or on Instagram.
If you are interested in working with Whitney, she offers personal chef and kitchen detox services, private cooking classes, and medical medium intuitive wellness scans.