Feng Shui Your Diet

Give your diet good feng shui with these mindful eating tips

Credit: Flickr / SweetOnVeg

The colour of your dishes can influence how much you eat according to feng shui

Apply the principles of feng shui to your diet with a balance of food colours, flavours and scents

In Black Sect Tantric Buddhist (BTB) feng shui, wealth and prosperity are not just about your financial well-being, they are also related to your ability and your intention to provide a balanced diet for you and your family.

Here are some tips on how you can achieve feng shui food balance by varying colour, aroma, and yin/yang opposites in your diet, as well as mindfully buying, preparing, and serving your food.

Eat Your Greens… and Oranges and Purples and Reds!

The average North American diet can be very monochromatic – white potatoes, white bread, white pasta, white rice – while Asian and other ethnic cuisines usually consist of a mixture of colours and textures.

The five natural elements of feng shui — fire, earth, metal, water and wood — each have associated colours and characteristics. Balance these elements by eating foods in a variety of colours. You don’t have to eat every colour at every meal, but the more colours you squeeze into your diet, the more you bring good feng shui harmony to your table and your body.

Balance Yin and Yang in Your Food

The concept of yin/yang balance is at the very heart of feng shui and Chinese philosophy and is another important component to consider when applying feng shui to your food.

Mix foods that are yin (cooling, mild or bland) with foods that are yang (warming, bold, and spicy). As you plan and prepare meals, consciously think about mixing aromas, colours, textures and flavours. The contrasts in sweet and sour soup, for example, are not just a coincidence!

A Colour for Every Organ

The same colour characteristics of the five elements of feng shui also relate to five organs in the body. If you want to improve the health of a particular organ, prepare meals that put the power of these colours to work for you.

  • Heart = Fire = Red
  • Spleen = Earth = Yellow
  • Lungs = Metal = White
  • Liver = Wood = Green
  • Kidney = Water = Black

Also consider also how your food smells. Is your kitchen filled with the heavy aroma of grease and fried foods? Or does it have the tantalizing scent of herbs and spices?

Food that smells so good it makes your mouth water addresses all of your senses and transforms stagnant, negative energy in your home (and body) into active, positive energy.

Eat Mindfully

Have you ever noticed that the plates and tablecloths in most restaurants are white? Have you ever wondered why?

The reason is that food served on white plates is more appealing and actually encourages you to eat more! If you are trying to reduce your food intake, a quick feng shui fix is to use dark blue or black plates and tablecloths. You will automatically start to eat less!

Lastly, make a conscious effort to stop mindless eating. Don’t eat while driving, watching TV or out of boredom. Instead, focus on mindful consumption. Honour your food with a blessing or prayer, eat slowly, chew thoroughly and thoughtfully, and, whenever possible, dine with family or friends and savour the flavours.