My inspirations

Vital energy for happiness: the role of the table

Modern life has turned us into hurried, overworked and relatively stressed people. At the same time, we are increasingly looking for instant gratification and convenience. In this context, healthy living is as essential as it is unattractive. Is this a paradox?

However, it is quite possible to gain vital energy and enjoy yourself at the same time.

I am both a performance-oriented person at work and an epicurean at heart and I have worked to incorporate both aspects into my life.

Because of my personal history, I had to take an interest in nutrition at an early age. I was overweight and my parents decided to put me on a diet at the age of 10. As far as I can remember it was not easy. I did lose weight, but at the time I had very little energy and found it hard to concentrate at school. This was because I was eating empty foods (it was the age of frozen food, 0% fat content and low-fat at all costs) that were mostly difficult to digest (raw vegetables, salads). I would eat and then have almost less energy…

Energy is a vital need. These two years of the pandemic are a good reminder of that. For a year, when there were no masks and no vaccines, our only defence against Covid was our own immunity. And our ability to recover quickly from the disease was largely dependent on our physical health.

Innate energy – Acquired energy

We all have an innate energy level, passed onto us at birth by our parents. However, every day we recharge our batteries with acquired energy. This acquired energy is sourced externally and gives us our physical and mental strength.

Vital energy is the engine that gives us the strength to act and makes us available to others. In the traditional medicines of different peoples, it is called Qi (China), Xi (Japan), Prana (India), Nyes.Pa (Tibet), Viriditas (Hildegard medicine), Pneuma (ancient Greece), Ruah (Hebrew medicine). The Tao considers vital energy to be one of the three great treasures of humanity.

To acquire it, there are three rules: sleep well, move well and eat well.

I have been involved in the third point for a long time. My goal is to convey the tools and practices to as many as possible, via cooking professionals, inspired by universal principles that are actually quite simple to understand and apply.

How to eat at work or at home to stay focused, creative and productive at the same time? How to eat lunch at school so that you remember your lessons? What food to eat to recover from an illness or simply to grow properly and age well?

These are all questions that lead us to a more harmonious way of being in the world, and of living through and for others.