I cultivate tastebuds for thoughts that are as heightened as tastebuds for food so that I can easily discern between poisonous harmful thoughts and healthy life affirming thoughts. This keeps my mental diet clean and pristine.
I notice more and more how tangible thought is. When I pay close attention I see that even though invisible, thought manifests immediately as bodily sensation, circumstances, emotional reactions. I'm understanding that my mental diet is as, if not more, important than my physical diet in maintaining health and well-being. Some might even say that it's what we think about our food more than the food itself that helps or harms. A really interesting example that illustrates this in some measure is found among an Italian-American community in Roseto, Pennsylvania. They've become a subject for research because historically they've had one of the highest longevity rates in the country. It was determined that the main distinguishing characteristic to living longer was tied to the sense of connection they had with one another. Their diet would be considered unhealthy - cooking with lard, a lot of fatty meats, they performed hard manual labor, even smoked, and yet they were more healthy than most Americans. If you want to learn more, look up the "Roseto Effect." Just one indicator that there's probably way more to health than following the latest diet or exercise fad. One write-up I read even used the phrase "people nourish people." Interesting indeed!
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