Low-grade stress can wear us out, sanding us down until our tempers are short and the downward spiral can pull us into its shadowy vortex. Loss of sleep and worry can block out the light. There are simple things we can do to keep ourselves functioning and one that is the simplest and most effective is food.

 What food we eat is going to determine who are the winners in life and who are the losers - not determined by anyone but natural selection. The covid wipe-out is case-in-point. Did you ever think why so many more people died in the US- more than in other countries? Well, look at the availability of junk food and how much we consume. Diabetes, obesity, and heart disease were some of the determining factors in who is dying of covid.

The irony is that when covid shut down all the independent restaurants, but fast food is allowed to still serve and drive-through is raging - lines around the block for crappy cheap food on white bread. There is a direct correlation between poor diet and depression. The CDC is pulling back some of its restrictions because they are seeing a sharp rise in depression, hopelessness, and suicides. Normally, the suicide rate is high- 800,000 people per year worldwide, and for every one who dies there are 20 attempts. And that doesn’t even consider the rest of us who just walk around like zombies wondering how to pull ourselves out of the hole.

So, the way to the happy hippie is really quite simple and it also saves the planet – eat well. More than just going to get some chicken and BBQ it. The solution is more deeply nutritious than that; I’m talking about vegetables -deep leafy greens, roots, and nuts. I want a protest sign that says - Nuts to help us not go nuts! That’s right folks, we got to go for the hippie granola full-bore! Like solid health foods- it really helps. Fill our freaky, hand-carved, wooden cup full of salad so we can be reallyo-trulyo hip.

The absolute best is juicing. So worth getting a juicer because it is expensive in the store. Start working with recipes that make you feel good. If you’re just starting with juicing, go to your juice bar and try getting a wheat grass shot. It will make you feel like the fog clears and you can see the sun.

For a really good recipe, here is a detox blend – carrot (makes you see the light), beets (jacks up your oxygen level by creating iron for your blood), celery (great for your teeth and bones), cucumber (will take the bags out of your eyes), cilantro (takes out the heavy metals that block brain function), lemon or citrus (cleans out your liver and lifts the heavy feeling), apple (one a day keeps the doctor away), and ginger and turmeric (these two roots are just magic).

 Start anywhere, anyhow, and you will see a difference. If you drink one juice a day you’ll find you will be able to handle more insanity, and not feel like there are nails scratching on a chalkboard in your head.

The other benefit of getting your own juicer is that you have all this dry stuff to cook with. One of the staples that are getting me through the pandemic is chocolate, beet, chickpea muffins. Get your chocolate hit, which makes you feel like life is still worth living for, as well as nutrition from the beets and glutton-free with a chickpea base. Why glutton free -it’s not just a hippie fantasy- glutton slows your digestion, and if you haven’t noticed a sluggish digestion can make you feel- well down in the dumps.

Check out this chickpea chocolate muffin recipe. It is so easy. Just add 4 ingredients into a blender, make a mash and bake. I add dry beet pulp, raisons, nuts and chocolate chips and molasses to give it a real kick. I feed all my friends and neighbors these little pick-me-up wonders, and everyone is hooked. They come knocking on my door asking for them. And when I start to feel down, I eat one and the earthy chocolate gives my mouth hope.

There are all the obvious food choices – salad not cheeseburgers, water not soda, and East Indian food not fast food; but the last thing you can do that is so very simple – drink tea. There is a reason the Japanese created a whole ceremony around it- because it is so soothing and gentle. It is the gentle healer. It is a way for us to nurture ourselves. We can do drugs, alcohol, and rock and roll, but a cup of herbal tea stops us in our tracks, make us sit down and sip. This is wise women's medicine.

There are so many self-help ideas, many of them are good – see a therapist, read motivational books, jog, meditate, move to another reality but these all take so much energy we are apt to not do anything and sit on the couch with a bag of chips, a joint and a movie, but this doesn’t really lift the vail. Feeding ourselves is the most loving act of kindness we can do for ourselves. Take that seriously and put something wholistic in your mouth and chew.