If you read my previous blog, “The Kitchen is the Heart of the Home,” you
have already taken (or at least thought about taking) some major steps toward
whole health from the ground up. A clean and organized kitchen is significantly
healthier and more convenient to use. So long as you keep your space this way,
you will have more incentive to cook in your own space rather than order in or
go out. This space is good enough, however, for some, it may feel like an empty
shell. There are many small things you can do to your kitchen to add heart and
soul. I’m not talking about going out and buying chicken statues—although you may,
if you like—but about ideas rooted in ancient philosophies and sprouting modern
science to help your kitchen feel homier.
First, let’s revisit the Feng Shui idea again. The focus
Feng Shui is having positive ch’i or energy flow. You want energy to calmly
move through your house, replenishing all the good and sweeping away all of the
bad. There are several things you can do to help the ch’i do its job.
Keeping the space clean, organized, and full of light is
a major factor. No one wants to spend time in a dark, dank kitchen, right?
Liven it up. Having your stove under a window is considered bad. It means all of your wealth, health, and
happiness flies away! That would suck. So, if you have this placement and you
can’t afford to totally redo your kitchen (like most of us) hang a wind chime (or
two) in the window to reflect all of the ch’i back.
Speaking of your stove placement, if you are standing at
the stove you are supposed to be able to see if anyone comes into the room. I realize
that most modern houses are designed fit as much as possible into the smallest
space possible. Most builders don’t
think of ch’i when they are trying to build as cheaply as possible. Most modern kitchens have the stove against a
wall. So if that means your back is to the door, put up a mirror! I am also a
realist and I know that would be the single dirtiest mirror in the home because
of all the cooking right under it. I actually have a large clock that reflects
what is happening behind me so I am not in the dark. Tiles with a reflective shine are another
option.
The most important thing I learned from Feng Shui was DO
NOT LEAVE YOUR MOPS AND BROOMS IN PLAIN SIGHT! This not only sweeps away
positive ch’i but it is unsightly and unsanitary. Who wants to eat right next
to the mop that cleans up all of the dirt coming into the house, right?
Now that I am on a roll, what about eating?! The space
where you prepare your food is sacred and so too is the place you eat it. I am
probably the worst offender of having distractions while I eat but I am telling
you that is not the way to go. You want your table clear. Do not watch TV. Do
not read a book. You are to focus on what you are eating. Smell the food on
your plate, feel it in your mouth, taste every flavor that went into it and
ENJOY your food. Healthy food is the real soul food and you need to experience it
fully to be healthy.
Feng Shui also nods its head toward appropriate color
choices in the home. There are many people who study the effects of color on
our brain function and they have found many links. Red is a power color that
fills you with energy and stimulates your appetite. It is a color you want to
use sparingly in the kitchen because too much appetite leads to regret the next
morning. Red is also known to boost memory and focus. Being so vibrant and
stimulating, over exposure to red can cause frustration and stress, things we
don’t want in the kitchen.
Fabulous kitchen colors are white, green, yellow, and
orange. These warmer colors energize you as well, but they aren’t as powerful
as red. Reading about Feng Shui made me think they have an association of
speeding your metabolism, rather than making you hungrier. However, an article
I read specifically about colors effects on the brain pointed out that fast
food chains often use red, yellow, and orange in their décor because it
stimulates the appetite. When your eyes process yellow your brain also releases
Serotonin, the “happy hormone.” But don’t overdose on yellow either because it
causes fatigue.
White is a sterile color that brings along a calming
effect. It represents innocence, cleanness, and sophistication. Green is also a
soothing color which may be why it is interior designs’ most popular color. It
not only soothes the mind but calms the body and relieves stress. When you have
worked a long day and need to come home and cook for a family, a little bit of
green could go a long way.
Blue is another wonderful kitchen color that should be
used sparingly. Blue suppresses appetite and helps you to realize you are full.
This color is perfect for plates, table cloth, napkins, or maybe curtains. Just
be sure you don’t over load yourself with blue no matter how much you think
your appetite needs suppressing. This color is also associated with an
outpouring of creativity and a pinch of that in the kitchen can only be
helpful, right?
A wonderful little book I have is called, “A Little Bit
of Crystals: An Introduction to Crystal Healing.” I love to study crystal
healing because I find it fascinating. Some believe that, similar to how colors
can have an effect on our minds and bodies, so can crystals and stone. Because
we and stones are made from many of the same trace minerals and both come from
the Earth, we share a connection. I’ll grant you it is not as visible of a
connection like the ones between us and animals but the ties are there for
anyone wanting to put their feelers out.
This book mentioned having a little bowl of crystals in
the kitchen that promote “harmonious meal times.” Well, if nothing else, a
little bowl of crystals is cute. These are the stones I use.
·
Blue lace agate: gentleness, tranquility
·
Green Jade (either jadeite or nephrite jade):
generosity, abundance, longevity
·
Green calcite: reduce stress
·
Blue chalcedony: balance, reduce anger
·
Purple fluorite: peace, organization
The book also mentions the use of blue Andean opal
(creativity), blue calcite (soothing), and green fluorite (peace,
organization). It depends on what you can find. You will most likely find
crystals at spiritual or bead shops. I find mine at locally owned businesses.
Just look around.
Another spiritual philosophy that delves into the
importance of hearth and home is Wiccan.
That portion of the philosophy focuses on an Earth honoring way of life.
I say this because the next thing I want to talk about is what Wiccan calls “an
altar space” in the kitchen. For readers who are not Wiccan, an altar is simply
a focal point. Technically, my little plants and crystals set up could be
considered a small altar, depending on my view and use. What I would like to
talk about is some common kitchen symbolism you can use to create your own
focal point to manifest healthy kitchen energy, no matter what religion you
practice. Common symbols for the kitchen are tea (making guests welcome),
decorative fork (good health), living plant (life, happiness), salt
(protection), fruit (abundance), and local honey (fertility of the local land.)
A Wiccan altar could include a kitchen witch, or a figure symbolizing the
goddess. Other religions might include a
figure of Christ or Buddha, a cross or menorah or any other symbol that has
meaning to you.
So how do we take this information and use it? You could
simply have a bowl of fruit on your counter or table. All of the colors
together and the subtle aromas of fresh fruit definitely make a good kitchen
vibe. Remember things like honey and salt don’t need to be displayed in little
offering bowls; that is not necessarily the goal here. You could have a little
space next to your table with a bottle of honey, a salt shaker, fruit and forks.
It could serve as an altar or focal point plus if you found you needed any of
those things while you were eating—like someone likes more salt or drops their
fork—you wouldn’t have to get up. It doesn’t have to have any religious
significance or it can. Whatever makes you feel happy, healthy, and at home in
your kitchen.
Speaking of fresh fruit, I have some fun facts for you.
I remember years ago watching an episode of 60 Minutes and being astounded by a
segment about grocery stores tricking us into spending more money. They have a
whole slew of tricks I encourage you to look up so you can be prepared but I am
only going to talk about one of them for now. There is a lot of emphasis on
product placement. The key is to make you walk into the produce area first.
Why? Because you are then swimming in a world of bright fresh colors and all of
the smells of fresh fruits and veggies. Our bodies are naturally programmed to
want these things instead of all the less healthy foods we foist on our bodies.
Our senses are reeling from one food to the next and we become hungry. This is
why we tend to buy more in the rest of the store, but what does this have to do
with our kitchen?
You can do the same thing with your kitchen to help your
body crave healthy foods. Set out bowls or baskets of fruit and vegetables to
help you crave them, and add color to your kitchen. I have an ever rotating
basket on my counter for my fresh foods that don’t need refrigerated and it
works so much better for me than when I was young and these things were hiding in
the crisper but a bag of chips was quite visible.
So, how have I incorporated these ideas into my
kitchen? Along with the bowl of crystals
on my table, I have two tiny plants to bring more life into the space. My walls
are yellow and we have a dark blue wallpaper border near the ceiling. There is
a basket of fruit on my counter with peaches, lemons, avocado, and apples for
now. I am organized, de-cluttered, and clean. I have several plants hanging by
my back door to bring more nature in. A large clock at my stove helps me keep
track of what is behind me, fixes my ch’i, and shows surprisingly little grime.
My current goal is keeping it this way.
I hope this post helps some of you face problems I did
this week. I would love to hear any feedback or ideas anyone else has. Good
luck on your own adventures!
Sources/Honorable mention
Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook by Kim
Barnouin
A Little Bit of Crystals: An Introduction to Crystal
Healing by Cassandra Eason
