A couple of years ago when we first moved to our new place, we popped into the brand new big chain grocery store that had just been built in our tiny little town, which is basically out in the boonies.

We stopped to get some organic apples since we were getting ready for a car trip. I stood in the checkout line and observed the woman in front of me. Her shopping cart was full of boxed and bottled items. The bottles were full of neon-colored liquid. I have no idea what was actually in those bottles, but she did have two boys with her that looked to be about 15 and 12, as well as a little girl in the cart. I can only assume those bottles of something that could not possibly have been grown in nature, were for the kids. The two boys were busy raiding the candy trays on display at the counter and holding bottles of soda pop. I don’t really know what was in the boxes in her cart, either, but they, too, had bright colors and “grab your attention” packaging.

There was not one item of LIVE food in her cart. Not one piece of fruit, nor one vegetable was to be found. As I stood and watched the tableau of this family, my heart actually hurt for them. This picture has stayed with me and still weighs heavy in my heart.

Believe it or not, our food choices are closely tied to consciousness. Dead “food” promotes a “culture of death” as Dr. Gabriel Cousens calls it. Live food promotes life and feeds our spiritual awareness. Dr. Cousens is a well known advocate of a raw vegan diet and the spiritual enhancement that comes from this diet and lifestyle. He has several books out about the topic, including Spiritual Nutrition, where he specifically talks about how our food choices effect the subtle energy bodies, kundalini, and ultimately our spiritual path to God.

Processed food is, quite frankly, killing us. No matter how much good stuff you put into the body, if you are still polluting your system, you will simply be treading water, not making headway.

Think of your body as a pristine pool of water. When we start adding a drop of black ink to the pool, at first it is hardly noticeable. The more we add, however, the murkier the water becomes. If we decide to clean up and restore our pool to its pristine state, we can eventually do that by adding clean water, but only if we stop adding the black ink.

Improving our own well being and therefore increasing our spiritual awareness must involve the two steps of 1) eliminating the bad stuff and 2) increasing the good stuff that we eat.

I’ve often wondered which comes first, a change in diet, or a change in consciousness. I think perhaps they dance together with one taking the lead first and then the other. One thing that happens for sure is the cleaner you eat, the more aware and conscious you become, the more emotions will arise to the surface for you to become aware of, and that you will have to handle.

Food and emotions are intricately linked in all of us. In fact, it is one of the main ways we are socialized into our culture. The sooner we see this food and emotion connection and begin to understand it, the easier it will be to make our own changes in diet and the more tolerance we will have in understanding others.

I’ve been involved in the raw food movement since about 2002. How that happened is a story for another time. I have watched many come and go in the movement. I’ve watched many leaders change their tune. Although I am not 100% raw, I am always moving in that direction. It stands as a guiding light in front of me, beckoning me on to better wellness and higher consciousness.

Recently I was talking a friend through prepping a raw dish and she looked at me and said, “You like doing this.” I stopped and realized, it brings me joy. Eating this way brings be joy. Somewhere in my journey during these last 15 years, the decision to eat more raw and living foods went from an intellectual decision to make good choices to one of wanting to make choices because they make me happy!

Before this realization, I often said I am in the “want, to want to, stage.” Many of us live in this stage for a long time, whatever the subject matter, be it doing daily exercise, starting a yoga practice, learning a new skill, or eating healthier. We live in that “want to want to stage” thinking about it, maybe even doing it, but if we are actually doing it, it is our willpower and discipline that carries us. When we finally reach the “want to stage” it is like finding freedom! Now we are doing whatever it is because we want to do it. Just like if you want a glass of water, you get up and go get one. Now you are motivated by the experience itself, and the joy and happiness you feel with the practice.

We all make choices everyday. We all do the best we can with what we know at the time and with the circumstances we encounter. So always love yourself. Always love the real food you eat and be most grateful for it.

Dreama Vance is a New Reality wellness expert and co-founder of the Spiritual Dynamics Academy. Her specialty is research into effective methods of healing and attaining wellness of mind, body and spirit. After years of exploring healing modalities, she has become expert in three that are highly powerful and effective. Her current research involves tuning into Gaia, the Mother Earth, to discover more about the inner secrets of Gaia’s ancient wisdom teachings as well as receiving and documenting information on the New Energy from Saint Germain.