Food for Thought

Conscious consumption isn’t all about what’s on our plate — it’s about what we read, watch, speak about, scroll through, surround ourselves by

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I’ve been conscious of the mind, body, spirit connection for the majority of my life — a vegan for 40 years, an animal activist, a cheerleader of health, social justice, honoring our precious environment and of course, caring for one another — always striving to learn more, reach further, be better and especially mindful of what is on my plate, mind and heart.

And then WHAM, in came social media and TikTok.

What does that have to do with anything?

Everything. Bear with me a moment.

I made a surprising discovery about myself recently and had to come clean about one of my favorite pastimes, scrolling (sigh...I know). Something tells me I just might not be alone here.

One minute I’m sent an inspirational video and the next a cute cat video and the rest is history...

Come on...admit it. How often do you reach for your phone? Hey, no judgement. But the average person actually spends over two hours per day doing just that without even realizing.

And those algorithms! Do you have any idea how many cute cat videos there are out there?!

Again, no judgement. This is in no way about HOW much time you spend on social media or labeling anything ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.  I’m just checking in to ask you if you’ve ever considered its impact upon your spirit — and your spirit’s impact on the rest of your life and those in it?

Ironically, I am quite possibly the worst communicator, rarely have my phone on me, often leave it home by accident (just ask any of my besties who regularly get frustrated with me when they are trying to text me...ha).

But give me a few moments of downtime and a few cute cat, vegan, philosophical, religious, travel or current events videos and I’m a g-o-n-e-r.

I recently stopped myself and observed my habits and most importantly how it all felt in my body and to my nervous system.

The truth is that most of us rarely take the time to make those connections, but when we do — they impart valuable intel.

Bottom line: conscious consumption stretches far beyond the plate.

While what’s on our plates is so important, it’s only a part of the picture; everything we take in by thought, word or deed impacts our cells.

And this is no Pollyanna approach to life. I’m ready to roll in a crisis or when a friend needs help or just an ear. But true wisdom is discernment, and discernment puts a protective filter in place. Let me explain what I mean.

We all know that the world is noisy, divisive and complicated right now. It feels like tension is in the air everywhere and it’s a lot to navigate every day. To that point, though I’m always curious about world events, the opinions of others, news in my town and hearing the stories of my customers and friends — I realize that more often than not, I made myself available before checking in to see what condition I was in.

Was I in the right mind space to receive upsetting news?

If not, I wouldn’t really be able to show up as my best self. And there might be a chance I add more pollution to the situation than the providing a solution.

When we’re knocked off balance by witnessing, hearing or participating in low vibe energy, we lessen our capacity to give and be present. 

Don’t get me wrong, nothing gives me more pleasure than to be able to show up for my community — to sit and listen to stories — good or bad news. I’ve sat with many who open their hearts and lives and held their hands, shed tears alongside them. I’ve celebrated ideas, successes and inspirations. Life provides the whole gamut of human emotion.

But some days it just feels like too much. Some days it knocks me off kilter and I can’t shake it free. I’ve discovered that too much of a bad thing can really make me feel unsteady. It feels like it opens a portal for fear to saunter in.

It can come in many forms: the nightly news, gossip, heated conversation, etc. I was told about a scandalous affair and my heart felt sad listening. I couldn’t shake it. I didn’t want to know the details. I wasn’t judging anyone, it just wasn’t anything I wanted to know about. It didn’t feed me, it actually hurt my heart.

Even my animal activism can lead me down a rabbit hole. The harsh realities of animal abuse and suffering can level me. Sometimes I felt I owed it to the animals to be educated, to know what the realities are. However, I didn’t need to watch these videos. The carnage and suffering of war across the globe is just the same.

I don’t have my rose-colored glasses on. But now more than ever I realize that I must be conscious how I consume information because how I feel is what I then put forth in my own life, relationships, communication, encounters and even food.

If we aren’t conscious of what we consume, we run the risk of it consuming us!

It all feels like another layer of spiritual growth to me. And no, I’m not giving up on cat videos...ever. I’m giving up on walking in fear and instead I’m leaning into hope. Hope that each and every day we can make a change, we can show up, we can support each other, we can hear, see and listen. We can keep our heart soft, tender and open.

By curating my feed, like I do my plate, and excusing myself from what is not mine to hear, praying about what is going on in the world and being present for my family, friends and café community — I feel more aligned, in control and walking in beautiful hope and faith.

Care to join me?

—Lea Haas, Owner, The Garden Cafe Woodstock