Being the cook is such a powerful job. The cook is literally a giver and nourisher of life, body and spirit. As the cook, you get to decide what nutrients to bring into the bodies of others. Nourishment isn’t always just in the foods we eat, its also soulful seasonings added with mindful intentions while we cook and eat.

Here are my 13 witchy tips for nourishment in the kitchen:

1. Spiritually cleanse and set your intentions before cooking. While washing your hands, clear your energy and ask that all negative or harmful energies be washed away and that healing and blessings be added to the food. Set the intention for whoever eats this food will be well nourished, revitalized, healthy and strong.
2. Cook together. Teach your sweet little witchlings how to cook and more importantly, how to truly nourish themselves. Have them help with shopping by asking them to pick out a vegetable they would like to try. They can also browse through a healthy cookbook and pick a recipe that appeals to them. If life is too crazy to think about cooking with them every night, pick one or two “family cook nights” a week. The memories of laughter and skills they acquire will last them a lifetime. If you live alone, invite friends to join you and have a weekly friends cook and eat together night.
3. Add magic to your dishes by using charged full moon water or healing herbal infusions as a base for soups. Nettles or astragalus infusions can be a great addition to a magical healing soup and charged moon water makes dishes extra potent.
4. Always be mindful of building in extra nutrition. Don’t focus so much on removing “bad” foods as this may leave you feeling deprived and wanting more of what you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” have, often leading to guilt or shame around food choices. Instead focus on incorporating nutrient rich foods. Begin to look at your meals and ask yourself, “where are the nutrients in this? Is this going to nourish my body or leave me feeling drained?” Add in extra nutritional boosters such as seaweeds, bone brews, healthy fats, and healing herbs and spices. Herbs are both magical and nutritional. They provide empowerment, along with valuable vitamins and minerals. Aim for a spicy life!
5. Stir clockwise to infuse with love and be mindful of your energy while cooking. Cooking while angry or upset may sour the food. You may find that not everyone is interested in eating it or they might too become in a bad mood after eating. Cook with love, joy and happiness in your heart. When food is cooked with love, people feel it. Stir clockwise to add in good magic, counter clockwise to banish.
6. If you’re depressed or in a low mood, incorporate more proteins. Amino acids support mental health. Depression can be a huge issue and while nourishment/self care can be hard during these times, incorporating more proteins is supportive and may help lessen the extent of the depression. Soup is good for the soul. Work to acquire a freezer stockpile for mental down periods or ask a friend to bring you some for continued nourishment during your dark times. 
7. Level up your food quality. Eat closely from our Mother Earth as we are all part of her. She is a living breathing Goddess who provides us all the nourishment we need. We are her walking plants and are deeply connected to her and every other living thing. We can support her and our connection to her by being mindful of the things we eat. Aim to avoid processed foods, GMOs and unhappy animals. Eat organic. Its good for her and its good for you. Take in her power and feel her connection through the food and nourishment she provides.
8. “You are what you eat.” This popular statement is only half true. More importantly, you are what you digest and assimilate. Support your gut health. Everything in the body is connected to how well you are able to digest and assimilate nutrients. Eat a probiotic rich diet by incorporating fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha and saurkraut. Check out this article on cultured foods for digestion.
9. Learn to identify healthy sources of carbs, proteins and fats. None of them are bad, although quality is important. They work together and are all supportive to a healthy body. Be mindful of creating a balanced meal with all of these in them. Start to look at your plate and ask yourself “Where is my source of healthy fats? Healthy carbs? Healthy proteins?”
10. Slow down while eating and listen to your body. Embody and relax before eating with deep breaths. Aim to be mindful with food. Celebrate and honor meal times as the way to put things into your body. Listen to your body – eat slowly, sensually and stop when full. Eat sweets slowly and in a savory fashion. Eat as much as your body desires but do so mindfully and stop when full. Look at your eating style and rhythm – is it hurried, fast foods, intermittent, not planned, skip all day and stuff at night? Slow down with your food and observe who you are as an eater. Begin to shift into a more mindful place.
11. Charging foods before eating as well as during the cooking process. Its always a good idea to charge the foods you are going to take into your body. You can chant incantations of love and healing while eating, or just a simple gratitude prayer before eating can add some extra magic to your meals.
12. You can think about foods in a building or banishing fashion. To loosen what needs to be removed from the body, you can incorporate high fiber foods and liver supportive foods such as dandelion teas, leafy greens, and lemon water. To build health you can think of incorporating highly nutritional foods full of phytochemicals such as herbs, vegetables, healthy fats and proteins. If you are in need of a specific healing diet direction, check out my services and schedule your free 20 minute consult to see how I can assist you in this.
13. Be grateful for what you have. Your body,  no matter the shape or size, is carrying you through your magical and blessed life. Love it, nourish it and live in celebration with it. Honor your body with the foods you eat. When the inner landscape changes, so will the outer. So don’t worry so much about weight, but focus instead on being healthy and well nourished. Work to adopt healthy habits/ lifestyles. Eat to find pleasure and feel good. Enjoy food and be mindful. Most of all, enjoy life.