We eat to lose inches, increase inches, lose weight, gain weight, gain muscle and lose fat. We eat to be social, to cure boredom, to feel better, to feed old wounds and to satisfy cravings. We eat to live and live to eat. Most of us have been or still are in a cycle of “bargaining” eating: “I can have this if I don’t have that” or “I had this today so I won’t have that tomorrow.” We bargain, strategize, bribe, cheat and steal—with ourselves. We tailor our eating based on the end result, and most times feel like we failed. It doesn’t matter if we’re overweight, underweight or the “perfect” weight. The reason why we eat is what matters.

Our culture has grown far away from the wisdom-based food traditions. With modern day conveniences trumping most ancient practices these days, it’s no wonder we are off balance and catering mostly to a ‘treat the symptom” mindset. When a 24-hour day now feels like 18 hours, the task of going into the kitchen at all—let alone forage for food grown with integrity—is daunting.

This stress-filled, fast-paced world sets the vibrational tone for a chronic interruption of our natural state of energetic homeostasis. We are, in fact, vibrating in resonance with the world around us unless we purposely interject. Many of us do this through meditation, acupuncture, yoga, breathing, chanting, art, earthing, or an array of other things that bring us back into alignment with the vibration of our spirit. It is in this vibration that we have the power to make effective change in our lives and heal our physical, mental and emotional bodies.

If our body is vibrating at a certain resonance, it will automatically shift into its optimal healing state. The foods we eat directly determine the vibration we carry. Food is that powerful and can both lower our vibrational frequency and raise it.

A healthy human body has been measured at 62-68 MHz but if we have a cold, our energy can drop to 58 MHz. Holding a cup of coffee lowers the body’s frequency 8 MHz; drinking that cup lowers it by 14 MHz. It can take three days to recover and bring the body’s frequency back up to 62-68 MHz. By drinking coffee daily, our body’s frequency will constantly be in the lower ranges—the range of illnesses—unless we do something to raise these levels. Cold symptoms show up at 58 MHz, flu at 57, candida at 55, Epstein Barr at 52 and cancer at 42.

As the frequency of the human body diminishes, disease enters in. The foods we eat carry a large impact on the frequency our bodies hold. A Big Mac vibrates at 5 MHz, cooked food at 50 MHz, raw veggies at 80 MHz, while sprouts and wheatgrass vibrate at more than 90 MHz. The old saying “you are what you eat” is a fact. The foods we eat impact everything from the ability to heal to feeling happy to making powerful changes in our lives.

Knowing this puts the power back in our hands. It is far easier to choose foods based on their vibration versus struggling with the impact eating choices have on us after the fact, leaving us feeling powerless and uncomfortable. The latter response may trigger us to then reach for a stimulant like caffeine or sugar to counteract the drop in our vibrational resonance. Eating live foods—such as green juices and organic salads with easy to assimilate ingredients—can help us feel vital, clear and energized.

Here is a list of tips and high “vibing” foods to incorporate.

Eat Organic, Local and Nutrient Dense Foods

Foods without pesticides, herbicides and insecticides have higher vibrations. Even the way food is planted, handled and cared for plays a huge role. This is why local and organic is the best combination, aside from wild grown and foraged foods.

Greens and More Greens

Kale, arugula, spinach, Swiss chard, bok choy and mustard greens are great greens to start with. These luscious greens are vibrant because of the energy they soak up directly from the sun in their production of chlorophyll. Making a fresh green juice is a perfect way to get these dark leafy greens. Add some green apple, lemon or lime sprinkled with spirulina for an extra boost.

Fresh Fermented Foods

Alive and packed with beneficial probiotic flora, fresh fermented foods help our gut ecosystem flourish. These include raw sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha, among many others.

Living Foods

Living foods are any foods that have not been heated over 115°F. These can be incorporated into our diets with fruits, vegetables and soaked nuts and seeds. Sprouts are power packed with nutrition. Sprouting is easy and it improves the digestibility and nutritional value of the food.

Medicinal Mushrooms

Chaga and Reishi (also known as Lingzhi) are top superfoods known to boost our immune system along with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory benefits. There are multiple ways to consume medicinal mushrooms these days, including mushroom coffee, tea, capsules and spores.

Superfoods and Superfruits

Goji berries, golden berries, gooseberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are a great treat in the summer months. Called superfoods for their extra high doses of minerals, vitamins and nutrients, these berries should be part of our daily routine.

Raw Chocolate

Raw cacao is known as one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the Earth. Also high in magnesium and iron, cacao is a great combination superfood.

Colleen Smith Morgan, the owner of Pure Alchemy Juice Bar Café in Wallingford, CT, will soon launch Alchemy Life Program, a program designed to cleanse the body, mind and spirit. Connect at PureAlchemyJuice.com or 203-265-5000.