Emotional Harmony from the DailyOM

[Julie]

Emotional harmony begins with what’s on your plate — and makes all the difference in how you think, feel, and move through each day. What we eat does so much more than fill our stomachs — it gently shapes the way we move through the world. Every bite sends a message to the nervous system, the part of us that helps us handle stress, rest deeply, digest our meals, and feel at home inside ourselves. When our days get busy and we lean on quick fixes like caffeine, sugar, or whatever we can grab on the run, it often leaves us feeling wired, depleted, or more reactive than we’d like. But something beautiful happens when we offer ourselves food that feels grounding and nourishing. Whole grains, steady proteins, leafy greens like spinach and kale, or even a handful of walnuts or pumpkin seeds — they all act like a soft hand on the shoulder, reminding the body it’s safe to settle. Blood sugar stabilizes, inflammation eases, and the brain gets the steady fuel it needs. With conscious loving attention and time, food stops being just “fuel” and starts becoming a daily act of care. Nourishing our nervous system balances the mind, so thoughts feel less overwhelming and more spacious. It calms the body, so sleep comes more easily, digestion feels smoother, and those sudden waves of stress don’t knock us off our center quite as easily. Simple changes in our diet can make all the difference.

[Ꮙℓἇ∂ἇ..aka Reɪvən ღ]

As a vegetarian I can add to this fruit, and much of it, I cant get enough fruit, its the first thing I grab on the run, a banana or a orange or nectarine or peach, when in season, and avocado I just love with a splash of lemon.. sweet cherry tomatoes goes down well for a quick snack.. but out of season fruit the apple a day that is meant to keep the Dr away, or a pear or kiwifruit.. I'd trade kale for fruit any day, kale I cant stand it, its way too bitter for my pallet.. I'd rather silverbeet, or cabbage.. and nuts OMG again I cant get enough, any sort except Pistachio the reason being the ones we get here are all over dried and rock hard, I'm scared I'm going to break a tooth on them, so stay clear.

[Julie]

Fruit is great Vlada, my favourites are blueberries and pears.  Nuts are great too and if anyone doesn't like nuts there's always the ready available almond milk which I often have with my porridge.  I'm trying out seeded gluten free bread at present, very filling and it doesn't cause bloating to the stomach.  I love beetroot and found out recently it's good for heart health.  I bought some hibiscus tea recently so am looking forward to trying that out.  Usually I have Red Bush tea with an occasional black tea.  I love elderflower juice, it's so refreshing.  

I've tried avocados but they're not a favourite, they can be over ripe here in england or under ripe and hard.

Cabbage, particularly the savoy cabbage can be cooked with your meal then great for salads or snacking on.  I've started cooking cauliflower cheese again for the winter months, both filling and nourishing and easy to digest.

I love broccoli too!

If a woman is going through her menopause its useful to eat nuts as a snack food as they seem to stabilise blood sugar and another favourite when I went through menopause was melon, particularly water melon.