The Intersection of Food and Spirituality: Nourishing Your Body and Soul in Harmony
Apr 03, 2024Episode 12
Kate Ikert
In this episode of The Space Between podcast, Kate discusses the importance of finding balance and nuance in various aspects of life, including spirituality and nutrition. She emphasizes the need to avoid black and white thinking, embrace the space between extremes, and prioritize self-compassion and discernment. Kate encourages listeners to nourish their bodies in a sustainable way, without succumbing to societal pressures or harmful practices. The episode highlights the complexity of navigating personal growth and wellness while juggling everyday responsibilities.
In this episode of The Space Between podcast, Kate discusses the importance of finding balance and nuance in various aspects of life, including spirituality and nutrition. She emphasizes the need to avoid black and white thinking, embrace the space between extremes, and prioritize self-compassion and discernment. Kate encourages listeners to nourish their bodies in a sustainable way, without succumbing to societal pressures or harmful practices. The episode highlights the complexity of navigating personal growth and wellness while juggling everyday responsibilities.
Be honest. You know deep down you're here for more. You feel the calling, there's something you're here to do. But as soon as you start working on yourself, life interrupts and you're zapped back to reality. You feel like you're stuck in the messy middle, the space between being a mom and this deeply profound spiritual being. But what if I told you you don't have to choose one side or the other, that you can exist in both.
Speaker 1:
Hi, I'm Kate. I'm a NeuroSpicy conscious mama, human design projector and shaman here to guide you into raising the vibration of the collective, one small practice at a time. I invite you to let me guide you on this journey of growth, healing and expansion. I'll equip you with the tools and the resources to be your own healer, to strengthen your discernment and give you the actual, tangible embodiment pieces that you can apply in your day-to-day life, in the little moments between making dinner, picking up your kids or whatever it is for you, because your spiritual growth doesn't have to be another thing on your to-do list. Pop your earbuds in and let's pretend each episode is our weekly commitment to join each other on my virtual couch for deep conversations about things like how the patriarchy serves no one, embracing your feminine energy in an actual, tangible way and what it's like to actually break generational trauma so you can know yourself deeply, shed your old self and move into this new paradigm. Don't let your spiritual growth sit in a box collecting dust in the attic of your mind. Let's navigate it together in the Space Between.
Speaker 1:
Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of the Space Between podcast. I am really excited for today's conversation. So I had shared on my Instagram a little bit ago, talking about spirituality and nutrition, and this is a topic I'm going to get a little excited about. I'm very passionate about it. Now, obviously, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not a nutrition expert, none of that. So this is strictly from the perspective of being a shaman, being a spiritual teacher, and the potential harm that being in black or white, thinking around this conversation and around this subject matter, can cause.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so first I want to speak to I mean, if this isn't the space between, I don't know what is and that is the power of the space between. Specifically, is this idea of being in this place of nuance okay, getting comfortable, being in this uncomfortable place, that it isn't black and white, where it's not one or the other, where it's both right. And that is my purpose with this podcast is to invite you into a place of balance, of being a mom who's navigating mom life, very real mom life, while simultaneously towing that line and trying to find a balance around your own spiritual growth, evolution, inner child healing, regulating your nervous system, stepping into what it is that you want right, being in the balance of shedding what it is that no longer serves you, while simultaneously stepping into the version that you have on your heart for yourself, the desires that are on your heart. Okay, knowing that it's neither one way or the other. There is nuance to everything. Not many things are black and white. And how can you sit in that discomfort of the space between? How can you sit in the balance of both? How can you swing the pendulum of one area to the other and keep creating a balance for yourself? Okay, so that is the goal of being in the space between. Okay, that is the purpose. That is, to sit in that area of nuance. Okay, to go to one side of the coin and then go to back to the other. Okay, to sit in neutrality around that.
Speaker 1:
So, when it comes to nutrition, feeding and nourishing your body, while also being aware of the effect that food can have on your system. I'm really excited to talk about this. There's a lot of information out there. You know, there's a lot of privilege in and around what you put into your body, right? And the rhetoric or the narrative out there is like, high vibe foods, clean foods Okay, I'm going to share some really great resources for people that are expanders for me in this area, talking about, like the privilege and like all of that for nutrition. Okay, so the narrative being that certain foods are high vibe, certain foods are cleaner than others. Okay, this is nuanced. Yes, there are certain foods that are going to hold more nutritional value than others, but that doesn't make certain foods good, that doesn't make certain foods bad. Are you going to feel more nourished with some foods than others? Yes, that is true. Now, when it comes to nourishment, when it comes to feeding yourself, now, I'm going to always share my unique perspective, that being as a mom with ADHD, with kids that are ADHD, okay, and my unique perspective is fed is best, just like, just like when you have a little baby. Okay, is it breast feeding, is it bottle feeding? Fed is best, and the same works for you too. Now, I know for me, you too. Now I know for me.
Speaker 1:
When I'm feeling unregulated, my first go-to is to tap into my very physical senses have I eaten today? That's the first thing I ask myself. When I'm feeling emotional, going through the process of an ego, death and growth and healing and all the things that that brings up, that's the first thing I ask myself. Have I eaten? Do I have enough protein in my body? And, as someone who forgets to eat, that's a priority for me, okay, food, getting food in my body Okay, yes, I would like to pick something with a higher nutritional value than other things, but at this point, sometimes, fed is best. Okay. Then I can you know, if we look at you know Maslow's hierarchy of needs, right, like, let's go on that base. Right, fed is best. Right, and this is where I want to invite you into the nuanced conversation. There are times that I feed myself better than others. That in no way, shape or form, minimizes my ability to connect to a higher power source universe and to be able to step into growth, healing. Can they support each other? Yes, do they work simultaneously together? Sometimes Also, yes. But I just want you to grow the skill of discernment, and I mean you are smart, right, I know you are, but it's easy.
Speaker 1:
It's easy to get sucked into this narrative. It's very easy to step into black and white thinking and I've seen the harmful effects of this. I've seen people step into and I myself, I'm in a very vulnerable share. I've been here where I'm like, well, if I can only eat clean foods and this isn't clean, it becomes this. It can be a slippery slope. If you're dealing with mental health issues already, if you have ADHD, it's very easy to do Okay, I'm not immune to it, I've been down that road.
Speaker 1:
And so, if you're in your healing journey, if you're on your spiritual path, I want you to to notice the nuance in this conversation. It is not going to be you cannot do all the things all at once. Okay, nourish your body, pay attention what you're putting into your body. Yes, do the best you can, but fed is best, okay, and it's not going to limit your ability to be a spiritual being. Right. Whenever I'm feeling like, oh, I should be doing this this way, or I should be doing that that way, or I should, should, should, should, should, I always take a breath and go.
Speaker 1:
I am made of stardust. I was made in this unique way, to be able to express myself in this world in this weird chaotic way, for a reason. If God, universe, spirit wanted me to be this high vibe, enlightened being, then I would not be this chaotic individual. I don't need perfection to be able to exist in this planet, having a spiritual experience. Right, and I know that, like, even as I said that I'm like that's like duh, but it's so easy. Like, just be mindful of what you are consuming online, of who you're listening to. Okay, it's not black and white, it's not one or the other. Eat your food, feed yourself. Convenience foods are okay. It's a balance. Right, this conversation is nuanced. There are seasons. I'm going to say this again and again and again During my luteal phase, I am a raccoon, okay.
Speaker 1:
I'm like I'm rat girling. Okay, I saw this lately on TikTok and I love it. I'm wearing comfy clothes. I am probably ordering takeout. I am probably ordering foods that live in the freezer. That's the season.
Speaker 1:
Do I have other things I nourish my body with? Yes, I have a protein shake that saves my life most days. Okay, but, like, can we just stop being so hard on ourselves? Can we please notice the privilege in these conversations Feed yourself, do the best you can with what you have when you are inundated with information. Just ask yourself is this applicable to me in my current season, and I bet the answer is probably no or pick one or two things that you feel doable for being able to nourish your body in a sustainable way.
Speaker 1:
Okay, it's like this new capitalism rat race, like who can be the healthiest, most extreme when it comes to all of these new age things, and it's ridiculous and it's taking away from what really matters, which is the relationship with yourself. And when you're shooting all over yourself, that's not it. That's just making you a highly anxious individual, which is going to defeat any purpose of any clean eating anyways, right, so just have discernment in this area. Okay, you're doing the best you can. Yes, you're welcome to make some changes. Right? I invite you to doing what feels good for your body, what feels sustainable, but in no way, shape or form, do I want you to feel like something is unattainable to you, because you know there's privilege in so much of this. I love you. Be compassionate with yourself.
Speaker 1:
Okay, this is a tricky thing, and so I just want to bring your awareness to it. It's a conversation I want to have. It's something that I want to be able to put out in the world for people to find and be like. Thank you, because it's just, it's harmful and it's toxic and it's not supportive, and we need to be able to meet people more in the middle. We need to be able to balance things. We need to be able to sit in the space between it's not or it's, and always. Again, please let me hear your thoughts. Reach out to me on Instagram. Send me a message below on SpeakPipe. I really, really love connecting with each and every one of you. Share this episode on social media. If it resonated with you, I'd really love to just have more of these conversations around the nuance of so many of these new age practices that are just not supporting us. So I love you. I will talk to you next week. Bye.
