by Juanita Emmerton, ND

When we talk of grounding foods and herbs many of us don’t know exactly what this means. I am often asked; doesn’t this only relate to crystals? and how can a food be grounding?. The simple answer is no; there are many ways of grounding oneself. Food and herbs are amongst them as are flower essences and essential oils.

You may be familiar with the term Doctrine of Signatures. This is an age old term which relates to the appearance and colour of a plant to the function it has in the body. Using this principle, carrots, parsnips, ginger and other vegetables that grow beneath the ground are considered more “grounding” as they are growing towards the earth’s core. Other plants such as fruits, focus their energy upwards, away from the earth. Cooking and preparation of foods can also influence the energetics of a food. The spped at which a meal is cooked can also affect its grounding ability – a stir-fry for example uses a high heat and rapid cooking, creating a more invigorating energy whereas casseroles and stews are much heartier and nourishing as they are cooked over a much slower heat for longer periods of time.

Skipping meals can cause one to become ungrounded and lose focus and concentration. So it is important to eat small, regular meals to help stabilise blood sugar levels.

Many of us lead hectic lives and leave little time for the proper preparation and selection of foods. As a result of this we are often missing key nutrients and food combinations to maintain a state of balance. Fast foods are heavily processed – stripped of their nutritional outer layers that would otherwise lower the glycaemic indexes of the food and maintain a greater state of satiety. Eating seasonal foods is also important as old foods that have been placed in cold storage for prolonged periods of time have lost their vitality and nutritional content. One simple way around this is to try to grow as much of our own foods as possible. Not everyone has the space to grow a complete vege patch, but we can grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in planter boxes on our balcanies or back yards. The act of gardening and reconnecting with nature by getting soil on our hands, is, in itself a powerful grounding tool and can be very therapeutic.

Protein is another important component of our diets that is often underestimated for its grounding ability. Protein is grounding and helps to put us in the present moment. The most common protein sources are meat / animal based, but even from a vegetarian source, legumes and other vegetarian protein sources are “soil based.” Many of us shy away from legumes because we aren’t 100% on how to prepare and cook them. Over the next few updates, Marion will enlighten you with some handy tips and tasty recipes. Marion is Vegan herself which means she only consumes foods and uses products of non-animal sources and she is living testament on how to successfully eat this way whilst ensuring she gets the most out of her diet.