May/June 2000
Articles on the theme "Food For Thought"
Think of These Things
compiled by Bob Gonzalez
Some thoughts on thought. A compilation
of quotations.
Feed the Mind -- Enthusiastically!
by Charles Larsen
Opening the mind to new ideas and experiences
-- an important factor in our growth.
Thought Pollution!
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
Thoughts as 'things'. How to control
our own thoughts and the thoughts of others.
Why Kids Kill
by Nancy L. Buchanan
The theta brain and how it makes children
more vulnerable to impressions of violence.
Water For Your Thoughts
by Ernesto J. Fernandez
Your brain may be suffering from dehydration
without you knowing it. The signs and what to do about it.
Improving Brain Function
by Chuck Homuth
Some of the healthy foods and supplements
that can help improve brain function.
Thinking About Thought
by David Findlay
Of consciousness, thought and telepathy.
The Right To Die?
by Constance Snow
Should we feed the body when there
is no consciousness? A discussion about the right to die.
Brain Food
by Marty Kliesh
Nutrients that improve the functioning
of the brain.
Spiritual Tools of Thought
by Rev. Pat Cross
Of self-induced spiritual indigestion
and true spiritual food for thought.
A Diet For Mental Health?
by Patrick Plaskett
What we put in our minds is just as
important as the food we eat. What a healthy mental diet consists of.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Lisa Raphael
Of holistic healing. The meaning of
psychosomatic. Cellular memory. The difference between 'transformational'
and 'transformative'.
2000 & Beyond!
by David Findlay (editor), Carol Withrow (contributing writer)
What is... GE (Genetically Engineered) Food?
by Laurie Powers
What GE, GM or GMO means. The risks
and what can be done to limit them.
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Features stones for May and June: anyolite
and fluorite.
A Diet For Mental Health?
Patrick Plaskett
The metaphor 'food for thought' can be taken superficially, as meaning something to start thinking about, or it can be taken as something deeper. It's not uncommon to hear a similar metaphor in the phrase 'chew on this' when giving someone something to think about. Food for thought can be a novel idea, a problem, or simply an impression. The metaphor implies that not only will this substance start a new thought, but will also start a digestion process of that idea or impression. The material can be used to sustain life and further the growth of the organism. The food which is digested is incorporated into the being.
What being are we talking about when we consider food for thought? I'm sure you have some concept of the mental being or the mind. If food for thought can actually be incorporated into our minds, then it would be wise to be aware of what kind of food we're taking in.
Our minds are actually more alive than our bodies. We experience life in our minds more than in our bodies. We can be alive and conscious, yet completely oblivious to our surroundings and even our bodies themselves. But what is the mind? We intuitively know that the mind is not the physical brain, although it has something to do with it. When we speak of someone being out of their minds, we know that this does not necessarily involve any kind of pathology. We can agree that the mind is not purely physical, and that it has something to do with consciousness. We can live in the past, live in the future, live in delusion, or in fear, or so many other conditions that determine the quality of our lives. Although the mental part of our existence is so important, we normally give emphasis to the reality of our corporeal existence, or that of our physical nature. Perhaps this is due to the materialistic nature of the times.
What kind of food are you feeding your mind? If you are feeding your mind good impressions and entertaining healthy, positive mental input, you will have a healthy, positive result. Likewise, if you take in negative impressions and unhealthy input, this can 'poison the mind,' to use another figure of speech that illustrates our inherent understanding of the concept.
We normally think of mental health as the state of mind that will enable someone to function normally in society or to function much like everybody else. We will consider a person to be mentally healthy if they are free from such disorders as schizophrenia, clinical depression, or other disorders that can be diagnosed and typically drugged. Society will generally ignore anyone who doesn't hurt themselves or anyone else who shows up for work and pays their taxes. Is this how we want to define mental health? Let's compare it to physical health. Do we consider a person physically healthy as long as he or she is not under the care of a physician? There are people who always catch colds, or always have no energy, or always have less physical capacity then they want. There is certainly a continuum of health and disease, with few of us being on the end of the continuum where ideal health is found. There are people that live in a state of low level physical malaise that is not bad enough to make them seek professional care, yet they don't feel good enough to consider themselves healthy. There may be included among them those who have weakness or digestive disorders from eating a poor diet.
Any natural health advocate will agree that the first step to being healthy is to eat healthy food. After all, your body is only as good as the raw materials that you put in to it. Consider that there may be a state of natural mental health that we can all enjoy if we only choose more carefully the thoughts and impressions that we allow to become part of our mental lives. Consider that our thoughts actually do affect the quality of minds and, therefore, our lives, and that we can choose the quality of these thoughts. We need to be realistic insofar that we cannot deny the existence of negative and evil in the world; we need to pay attention to the bad that's out there. However, those impressions of negativity, pessimism, doubt, injustice, and selfishness should not be allowed to become a part of being. We can choose instead the impressions of positiveness, optimism, faith, forgiveness, and kindness. It is wise to keep good company for the good impressions that we can receive. Likewise we can seek good literature, art, and music. What kind of mind do we nourish when it is steeped in a diet of pure sensationalism, gossip, or negativity?
Take note as to the quality of impressions that you are confronted with every day in the media, the workplace and in society. Which ones do you choose to entertain or to seek? They will become a part of your mental being. Take note that there is a national election coming up and that opposing parties will try to deepen any social or political rifts that presently exist, and to create new ones where there had been none before. There is power in negative impressions on a national scale as well as a personal one. Be aware and choose carefully. Compare the quality of the impressions that are available, and choose the ones that will give you the highest state of mental health that you can attain. Then have a naturally healthy and enjoyable life!
Patrick Plaskett is a hypnotist and the director of Mind Advantage in St. Petersburg, FL. He is a member of the Florida Association of Professional Hypnotists and holds a bachelors degree in psychology from USF. (727) 381-9101.
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