When we seek information on what we should eat, there is no simple answer, although we often expect to be given a clear action plan with recipes. There are a number of related factors that keep us fully healthy and nourish us, factors which alone only represent part of the story. The following paper addresses a number of aspects that interact dynamically and together make up healthy individual nutrition. Nutrition of this kind is based on healthy conditions for cultivation, for processing and in trading relationships, and does not harm the environment or even human beings.
Nutrients
If you look at reference values for nutrient intake, there is a list of nutrients from protein, fat and carbohydrates to vitamins and minerals, with the calculated requirement values. If you were to cook this like a recipe, it would soon be obvious that the rather viscous, almost colourless paste could never replace a tasty dish made from proper ingredients. So it is not the nutrients alone that feed us. Lettuce, for example, is considered to be healthy, although it contains 95% water. But the fresh green is a joy, particularly in spring, because its freshness stimulates the life force. If our daily food is to stimulate us and support the development of soul and spirit, then this cannot depend solely on nutrients. The question is, what stimulating quality is provided by the food? It is also evident that taking account only of the nutrients is a static viewpoint and does not allow for the need for enjoyment.
What happens during digestion
When we eat, the food is first "analysed" by various senses, after which it is completely broken down and destroyed. The smell is usually the first impression that reaches us before we see the meal and recognise what it is. Even this perception of smell is a sense activity that elicits a physiological reaction in our body. Our mouth starts to water, the glands get ready to work. We then take a bite of the apple, chew it and taste it. After the mechanical processing, there follows an enzymatic comminution by the digestive juices in our digestive tract and the stomach actually uses strong hydrochloric acid to perform a chemical denaturation. The food is completely broken down and its nature stripped away. A "standard paste" is produced and it is no longer possible to identify the diversity of the different dishes. Everything is initially liquefied and set in motion, but water is then removed in the large intestine and the food paste excreted after a certain retention time.
This process shows that nutrition is an activity, in fact actually breakdown and destruction. Everything we consume is completely broken down, both in terms of its materials and its nature. Food is actually a foreign body for us, something we have to deal with and assimilate. Overcoming the foreign nature of the food stimulates our activity, so that we do not turn into a leek if we eat leek, nor into an egg if we eat egg, etc.
Activity
Inner activity is similar to exercising muscles, which only keep in shape by constantly being used, whereas resting soon leads to muscle loss and weakness. If we eat a carrot, we have an encounter with it, we see and smell it and, if we eat it raw, we have to really chew it so that we can swallow it in small enough pieces. In this way we can notice its haptics,
consistency and juiciness and experience its aroma and taste. Now, if not before, we become conscious of the encounter. The carrot is then broken down completely by the ensuing digestion. At this stage the will is involved. If the encounter does not take place properly and if the body's own boundaries are not sufficiently developed, then the food is not completely broken down during digestion and intolerances may occur. If too much of a foreign nature enters the body, it defends itself in the form of digestive disorders, bloating and other symptoms.
Normally an encounter is an enrichment. This is the case when the other is as authentic as possible and is different from ourselves. The carrot must therefore be a true carrot, so that the encounter has a stimulating effect. This is a matter of quality that goes beyond the nutrients. Foods that – even when they are growing – have the chance to display the uniqueness of their species, variety and growing conditions, are genuine. We can experience them as real foods that stimulate and nourish.
Warmth and ripeness
All the processes in metabolism and also in the soil require warmth. Warmth is the basis of life, permeates everything and is present everywhere. Every person has a body temperature of just under 37 °C. This separates them clearly from the surroundings. This temperature is individual and differs slightly from person to person, something that can be experienced when you shake hands. The I incarnates in warmth. You could say that warmth permits the presence of a higher element, it is the basis of individuality.
In plants, warmth along with sunlight leads to ripening. Physiologically, the ripening process reverses anabolic metabolism and results in colour, sweetness and aroma, the texture becomes softer, and larger molecule carbohydrates are broken down in favour of sugar formation. The fact that warmth enables individualisation is also evident from ripe fruits. For instance, different types of apples are easiest to recognise from the differences in their ripe fruits with their typical shape, texture and colour as well as the species specific aroma, rather than from the green leaves on the tree. The biodynamic horn silica preparation that is sprayed on the plants encourages ripening. The plant is supported in dealing with light and warmth. As human beings we need the stimulation from the ripening quality of the food so that we can also mature.
Heart warmth
If the meal is carefully prepared and beautifully presented, this is a sign of appreciation, both towards the food and also towards the guest. This love and attention speak to our heart and are consumed with the food. What a healing effect this kind of meal can have in a hospital or care facility.
Community at the table
Food connects people and eating together fosters social cohesion in the family or with friends and colleagues. The encounter with the food and with the people round the table is an important element for healthy eating. For children, eating together is a fundamental experience that is important for the whole of life. One French study demonstrated that eating according to the "French model" prevents overweight. This means that meals are structured, with a number of courses that are eaten sociably and with enjoyment. Eating slowly, something that we tend to do in company rather than alone, also counters excessive weight gain. Community therefore has a beneficial and regulatory character.
We see that healthy eating has so many more facets than ingesting sufficient nutrients, and the one is not possible without the other.