The physical side of healing has always been easier for me than the mental and emotional sides but that doesn’t mean that it has not required effort on my part. Self care is at the top of my list in terms of my values. I spend a lot of time on food preparation. I buy mostly organic produce, grains, and meats. I spend time at farmer’s markets and shop at bigger health food stores like Community Natural Foods. I spend time finding recipes that are nutrient rich and relatively simple to prepare. I choose food with life energy; this means food that is fresh versus foods in a box or a can. I cook my food from scratch. That ensures that there is optimal life energy in the food. If there is more life energy in the food then this translates into more life energy in your body. I used to hate cooking but somewhere along the way, I realized that to really enjoy my food and be satisfied,I would have to learn to cook. I realized that yummy food does not get yummy in a flash. It takes time to prepare. You have to be patient and enjoy the process of food preparation because it is time consuming. Now I enjoy cooking. I put on my favorite music and make an afternoon of it or an evening of it. I cook more food on the weekend such as stews and soups and freeze some so I have some food that is ready to thaw out when I am really tired or am time pressured to make dinner due to some other pressing commitment. I eat gluten and dairy free and find that I have more energy as a result. I wouldn’t recommend that everyone go gluten and dairy free because it is a lot of work but try it for two  to four weeks and see if it gives you more energy or alleviates symptoms that you are experiencing on a daily basis. I am now more well versed on the subject of whole grains and know what is required to prepare them in nourishing ways. I try to rotate different grains to reduce allergenic potentiality and to keep myself from getting bored. The physical side of healing involves nourishing your body with nutritious, delicious, nutrient rich food. I subscribe to allrecipes.com for free and modify the recipes to make them more Robin friendly. I also am on emails lists from food blogging friends that are preparing beautiful food (healthy green kitchen – Dr. Winnie Wine who I graduated with). She is always a source of amazing recipes. It is in this way that you actually become inspired to cook beautiful food for yourself. Even living on your own can be a beautiful dining experience if you take the time to prepare a special meal for yourself and celebrate you. Light some special candles and put your favorite music on; say a blessing of thanks for the beautiful food  you prepared and bon appetit!