The Kemetic Diet Part II

Kem women preparing healthy meals to nourish the community

Last month, we introduced the Kemetic Diet System. Kemetic culture, as the original culture of humanity, also presented humanity with the proper diet. This month we will turn our attention to the history behind traditional and modern dietary systems. This history shows us a lot about our eating habits today.

To understand the history of a culture's eating habits, we first have to understand the people's living conditions as those habits were developed. Traditional cultures across the globe have mastered the craft of agriculture. Traditional subsistence farming methods ensure that there is always enough to eat. Ironically, while it is a subsistence farming lifestyle that enables traditional cultures to be self reliant, it is this same lifestyle that is labeled primitive by the modern system. This comes with the goal of distracting humanity from a survivalist mentality towards pursuing the material objects that the system presents us with. In turning back towards the mentality of a survivor, we must adopt the attitude that our survival needs come first. For this reason, we should not put the supply of the things we need into the hands of people who have a history of trying to enslave us.

It is important to keep in mind that traditional cultures acknowledge a divine source in all things. We especially give attention to those things that we need for our survival. In traditional cultures, having enough to eat is considered a blessing from our ancestors and the Divine World that we should show our gratitude for.  This can be seen in the planting, rain, and harvest ceremonies held to honor the higher forces that have or will allow for sèuccess at each point of this process. It is in this way that traditional cultures give their attention to their food as they eat. Eating is not considered a social event involving a lot of conversation. This shows the respect that people have for their food. The same care that was taken in the processes of growing, harvesting and preparing the food is carried into eating it as well. Each culture has distinct eating practices. All cultures eat their meals communally.

Kem men dining traditionally at Ouaga Earth Center

In Kemetic Culture, meals are eaten from communal dishes. Everyone eats from the same plates and bowls and they eat their food with their hands. Eating with our hands is much more challenging and requires a lot more care than eating with forks and spoons. Also, metal utensils are dangerous because acidic foods mixed with metals creates a poison. Eating with our hands also requires that a high level of hygiene be maintained. Our hands must be clean and we must take into consideration the other people who may eat after us. The right hand is considered the clean hand and it is the only hand used to eat with. There is an energetic benefit to eating this way. People who eat communally share each other's energy. The genders eat separately from the same dish, showing love for and building harmony between those of our same gender. The people's ancestors also begin to interact, making it favorable for the people to work together and live together.

In traditional cultures, food is prepared with consideration for the good health and long life of those who eat it. Each ingredient is added for its nutritional and/or medicinal qualities. Even the tastiest and most aromatic ingredients and spices are added knowing the health benefits of eating them.
In contrast, in our modern culture, food is more likely to be eaten despite its health risks rather than for health benefits. If someone does eat certain food for the health benefits, it's often seen as a sacrifice that the person is making for their health rather than a natural and intelligent way of life. Once again, history reveals the background of this situation.

In times not too far in the past, European culture was a culture of hunger and starvation [(not sure if this applies to the whole of Europe or just certain tribes or which culture it originated with, Greeks, Romans...)]. Because they did not have the knowledge of agriculture and community living, these people lived as opportunistic nomads. They would raid the territories of civilized people who cultivated their crops in order to get their food. This has led to many of today's cultural norms revolving around food. Eating for Pleasure

As stated before, in traditional cultures, food is simply a means of nourishment and ingredients are chosen based on their health benefits. Because the food that the Europeans were eating was stolen, they weren't aware of the effects of the food on their health. Without concern for the nutritional value of food, the only things left to consider are how the food makes you feel. Since eating was a luxury for them, it's understandable that so much of the culture would come to revolve around eating.

"Delicacies"

The notion of having something intriguing, rare or expensive to eat was considered glamorous. The fact is that most foods considered to be a delicacies really don't have any benefit to us, other than the status that we give to them.

Social Eating

In traditional cultures, it's customary to offer food to guests., however in colonial culture, food is a primary focus. Because of the history of hunger in European culture, food was of the utmost importance. For someone to host to an event or meeting just to talk to someone about something important, they would have to offer food in order to entice guests. Today, every social event has to revolve around a meal. For many families, it's the only time they get together and talk. For dating couples, going to dinner is the time that they take to get to know each other. From business meetings to parties, every event has to involve food.

Bibs

The desperate eating habits of these people were very messy. They adopted the practice of wearing bibs to avoid staining their clothes. Today, in restaurants, it is a common practice to use a napkin as a bib and it's even considered classy, but what it really says is that a grown person is not careful enough to avoid dropping food on their clothes.

Vomitoriums

Because they could not take all of the food with them, they would eat everything they could. When they were too full to eat more, they would vomit and continue eating. Some people would even designate special places in the back just for people to go vomit.

The purpose of this article is not to pass judgment upon or inspire hatred for any group of people, nor is it to encourage division amongst people. The Kemetic traditions do not acknowledge the new idea of racial division that has been presented by the modern system.  We acknowledge the unity amongst the entire human family as well as the common ability for all people to be good or evil. Together we must learn from history so that we can do better in the future.  By applying the knowledge and wisdom we gain from our experiences, we must ensure the survival of our species, anything short of this will lead to our destruction.

Earth Center students enjoying tea in the warm sun

We can see that the dietary customs of one culture comes from one of civilization, knowledge and abundance while the other comes from a culture of starvation, ignorance and desperation. Why should we continue to follow along a path of barbarism.

We also must understand that it is our well being at stake. Businesses capitalize on our emotional attachment to how our food makes us feel. Unfortunately, many people, aware of the risk that their eating habits place them in, do not change their habits because eating the foods they enjoy has become more important to them than living longer without them.

Many diets and weight loss drugs have emerged with the sentiment that we can still eat for pleasure without unhealthy or unattractive side effects. A fundamental principle of the Kemetic Diet is that we eat to survive. Without this attitude, no information will prove itself useful. If we do not exercise restraint and discipline, the strength of our desires in this modern marketplace will be our downfall.

Reardless of what our goals are, we will not be able to do much if we are not in good health. Let's put our minds to work to overcome our desires and understand the truth about what we're eating and what it's doing to us, so we can live healthier lives. Stay alive until next time...