FEEDING THE SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

Foods for Power and Transformation: Feeding the Solar Plexus Chakra

We live in a power-hungry, stress-filled society that is always expecting more and more of us. Our ability to maintain balance in the midst of chaos becomes increasingly difficult when demands and responsibilities begin to pile high. We try to accommodate and stay in control by saying “yes” when we really mean “no,” and after awhile, we feel burdened with life and everyday events become drudgery. Finally, we collapse in utter exhaustion.

When there is an excessive amount of energy being taken in, there may be an inability to integrate this energy with the self. Often, the imbalance manifests as weight gain in the abdomen, particularly when the individual takes in energy and cannot balance the intake with the output. The nationwide obesity epidemic is due, in part, to the collective imbalance many people are experiencing. We have now arrived at eating out of our cars, eating on the run, eating foods that deplete us further only to get quick energy to prevent us from running low.

THE SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

The part of our energy that has a fiery, transformative resonance and is connected to the core issues of energy exchange is known as the solar plexus chakra (in Sanskrit, manipura). The solar plexus chakra, which sits in the middle of the torso, underneath the diaphragm, connects us to the fire element and its ability to catalyze energy reactions in the external world. This is the center from which we live our outward life, and according to my own research, the energy part of us that is most often imbalanced! A healthy solar plexus chakra translates into an integrated, powerful exchange of energy in and out of the physical and energy bodies in a way that generates the radiance of “presence”.  I am sure we all know when someone embodies the essence of “presence” – they walk confidently into a room and light it up with the brilliance of their solar plexus.

Since the solar plexus chakra is about transformation and harnessing energy, it oversees the digestive organs – esophagus, stomach, pancreas, small intestines, liver, and gallbladder. It is the hub of our physical relationship with food and represents the exchange of information with food and our bodies’ ability to decode the information into energy – both physical and energetic. The nutrients signal a transformation throughout our body known as metabolism, the sum of buildup and breakdown reactions. On a smaller level, it encompasses the workings of the cell’s “powerhouse” – the mitochondria - which has the ability to extract ATP (or energy) from metabolic reactions.

WAYS TO EAT TO PROMOTE A HEALTHY SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

Get in touch with your hunger gauge: Often, we lose sight of our innate sense of physical hunger and responding to our bodies’ physical cues to eat. We may forget to eat, or we may undereat or overeat without realizing it. By tapping into our internal rhythm to eat, and eating regularly, we will help ourselves to keep our internal power rather than giving it over to irregular eating times and over or under doing our eating. Rate your hunger before and after eating to tap into how well you are maintaining your fuel reserves. If you find yourself “stuffed” after a meal, you may have inundated your solar plexus, placing an additional burden on it to process. Aim for about 80% fullness, which will enable you to take a light walk after eating.

Know your fuel: You may find yourself eating foods even though you know they “run you down”. For example, sugars are everywhere – in the least expected items like salad dressings, ketchups, sauces – even though they give an initial burst of energy, in the long run, they will drain you because of the constant rollercoaster of glucose (sugar) and insulin (hormone that processes glucose in your blood).  Avoid artificial sweeteners as they set you up for additional cravings and metabolic imbalance. You’ll actually set yourself up for chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes if you continue to imbalance your energy by making poor food choices and not exercising.

Schedule regular eating times: You may want to start by first creating a regular eating schedule – eating small meals 4-6 times per day - so that you can retrain yourself to get in touch with your eating rhythm. Studies have shown that eating more frequent meals throughout the day helps us to maintain our blood sugar, and therefore, gives more energy. Feeding yourself more regularly will ensure that you have the fuel you need to keep going without succumbing to cravings or dips in energy.

Carbohydrates: The three lower chakras connect to the energy of the trio of macronutrients - the root chakra anchors into protein, the sacral chakra flows with fats, and the solar plexus chakra resonates with carbohydrate. Carbohydrates vary in quantity and quality in the diet. If we eat too many carbohydrates, we tax our solar plexus. If we eat too little, we do not equip it with the energy it needs to have momentum and direction. The key is also to get the best quality of carbohydrate – from whole foods rather than from processed foods that have been stripped of essential nutrients.

Fiber: Fiber content of carbohydrate is a good marker of the amount of sustained energy your body will receive from the carbohydrate. If a food is high in fiber, you will receive adequate amounts of energy over time to fuel your actions. If a food is low in fiber and high in simple sugars, your energy will be erratic – initially it will be very high but then it will plummet. The goal for a healthy solar plexus chakra is to eat foods that are balanced so that you can be balanced – for example, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, and vegetables.

Yellow-colored Foods:  A healthy solar plexus chakra vibrates at a frequency similar to the color yellow. Therefore, yellow foods provide the vibrational rate needed to help balance this chakra. On a nutritional level, yellow foods usually contain relatively high levels of plant compounds antioxidants like lutein which protects cells against an attack from the effects of too much energy in the body and overactive metabolism. Examples include lemons, yellow bell pepper, fresh corn or cornmeal.

Read More

Deanna Minich, PhD, CN, (www.foodandspirit.com) is a nutritionist who sees more to food than calories and macronutrients. She blends cutting-edge nutrition information, quantum physics, and the ancient chakra system to guide others to use foods and eating as tools for spiritual growth and nourishment for the soul. With her latest book, Chakra Foods for Optimum Health: A Guide to the Foods that can Improve Your Energy, Inspire Creative Changes, Open Your Heart, and Heal Body, Mind, and Spirit (http://www.amazon.com/Chakra-Foods-Optimum-Health-Creative/dp/1573243736), she opens your heart, unravels your intuition, and guides you on a journey to inner and outer bliss with every bite you take!