@johnanthonybarker
College marks the start of an epic new adventure. For some, it’s a key to the big bad
world. For others, an opportunity to cram some more knowledge into our older years.
Regardless of your intentions, the path ahead is turbulent at best. There will be high
levels of stress and we will all, at some point wonder why we ever signed up for this.
What goes unacknowledged by us however is that as we work ourselves up about
walking into a class full of strangers, or trying to grasp referencing guidelines, we are
putting our bodies under immense strain. The hangovers, chesty coughs, winter colds
and flus all send us reaching for the medicine drawer to fix what ails us: to give our
bodies what they otherwise lack, and so we enter a cycle of health highs, lows and
pharmaceuticals.
Such cycles soon become things that we accept as a way of life, telling ourselves ‘it’s
grand’ before returning home to mothers’ chicken soup. This is where we can begin
helping ourselves. Believe it or not, it is not because your mother made the soup that
it does you so much good, it is the food itself.
Food is our everyday medicine. We become run down when our bodies are missing
essential nutrients, and without tablets and supplements how are we supposed to
ingest just what our body needs? The answer is simple: it’s all in our food. We need
focus our intentions on healing our guts: repairing the damage, and rebuilding for a
healthier future.
What can we do? We can look at external elements such as stress and our
environment, but they can often prove harder to control. Instead, we can do good by
the gut, as we take control of what is on our own plates. By doing so, we can begin to
help ourselves both physically and mentally by identifying the foods to avoid and the
foods to devour.
New, or familiar to Cork, it is a county of some of the most incredible local produce,
and being based in the city, nothing is more than a hop, skip or a light jog away (work
up the appetite). Scout out your nearest farmers market or speciality food store and go
and explore. Enjoy the experience of feeding yourself well: good for the gut and great
for the soul!