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Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini
When we eat, can we feed the soul as well as the body? Can a diet have an impact on spirituality? Spiritual Nutrition empowers readers to develop personal diets that are appropriate to their lifestyles and spiritual practices. Drawing on 14 years of clinical experience and research, Dr. Gabriel Cousens discusses nutritional issues that can help answer these questions, including raw vs. cooked food; high vs. low protein; the concepts of assimilation and fasting; alkaline--acid balance; attitudes about food; nutrients, energy, and structure building.
In addition, Cousens shares his new dietary system of "spiritual nutrition" that is based on the relationship that the color of the food has to corresponding colors of the human chakra system, hence, the "rainbow diet." For true nourishment, he strongly promotes the connection of diet to meditation, fellowship, wisdom, and love.
In addition, Cousens shares his new dietary system of "spiritual nutrition" that is based on the relationship that the color of the food has to corresponding colors of the human chakra system, hence, the "rainbow diet." For true nourishment, he strongly promotes the connection of diet to meditation, fellowship, wisdom, and love.
624 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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505 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 13, 2008
This is the basis for everything I think and do in regards to nutrition. I am totally inspired by Gabriel and want to get my Masters degree in Vegan and Live-Food Nutrition at his center in Arizona.
May 16, 2008
Becoming a vegetarian, eating certain foods, or fasting is not going to lead you instantly to enlightenment. Awakening the Kundalini, reaching enlightenment, examining ones spirituality are paths that can take lifetimes worth of work or can spontaneously occur through grace. With that said, there are certain things that you can do that can facilitate the process.
Spiritual Nutrition sets out six foundations that help purify the system and ease the natural progress of one’s spirituality: nutrition, building prana (life force), service, spiritual guidance, silence, and Kundalini Awakening. Although each of our journeys are unique, the majority of seekers do some work in each of these areas throughout their lives. As expected the choices in each of these categories are quite varied. For instance, spiritual guidance can be received through reading scripture, through the assistance of a mentor, by experiencing sacred music, or by communing with nature. Likewise, silence can be attained through meditation, prayer, mantra, or chanting. The possibilities are virtually endless.
To most people on a spiritual path finding the appropriate way to express these different parts of the self seems pretty simple in theory if not in practice. Of the six foundations, nutrition is probably the most difficult to comprehend. Fully understanding how different foods interact with your body, learning how much food your body requires, and discovering ways to reduce the toxins that you take in is quite an overwhelming prospect. For this reason, Spiritual Nutrition goes into a good deal of detail for this category. The purpose isn’t really to subscribe to one particular diet set out by the author. Instead, the author seeks to educate the reader and give him or her a place to start his or her own explorations. I appreciate that.
Spiritual Nutrition sets out six foundations that help purify the system and ease the natural progress of one’s spirituality: nutrition, building prana (life force), service, spiritual guidance, silence, and Kundalini Awakening. Although each of our journeys are unique, the majority of seekers do some work in each of these areas throughout their lives. As expected the choices in each of these categories are quite varied. For instance, spiritual guidance can be received through reading scripture, through the assistance of a mentor, by experiencing sacred music, or by communing with nature. Likewise, silence can be attained through meditation, prayer, mantra, or chanting. The possibilities are virtually endless.
To most people on a spiritual path finding the appropriate way to express these different parts of the self seems pretty simple in theory if not in practice. Of the six foundations, nutrition is probably the most difficult to comprehend. Fully understanding how different foods interact with your body, learning how much food your body requires, and discovering ways to reduce the toxins that you take in is quite an overwhelming prospect. For this reason, Spiritual Nutrition goes into a good deal of detail for this category. The purpose isn’t really to subscribe to one particular diet set out by the author. Instead, the author seeks to educate the reader and give him or her a place to start his or her own explorations. I appreciate that.
July 13, 2010
This book was not what I thought it would be. It covers so many interesting topics around meditation, body energies, shakras, etc, that it doesn't go into any one topic very well. I was hoping for some dietary guidance, but realized that this book was WAY OUT THERE. If you're interested in any of these new age concepts, I would recommend getting a book on just that concept. I did not finish this one, nor do I have any plans to do so.
December 1, 2025
I went into this with an open mind, having gone through multiple health crises and always always struggling to manage my weight and cholesterol, I thought a spiritual approach might help me reframe. And honestly, I think it did. I do not aspire to a full kundalini experience, as I think my spiritual path gives me other euphoric ways of being and connecting with the divine, nor do I want to take the extreme and systematic approach to enlightenment that the author did. However the ways to be nourished (not just food but air and sun and pleasure etc), the spiritual insights, the connection of awareness through all the dietary choices we make including advocating for a plant-based diet, really hit home.
My main critique is some of the "science" is just as wackadoo as you'd expect (although later in the book when actual nutrition is discussed I was actually amazed to see excellent scholarship, especially regarding B12 deficiency), and the book is unedited to the extreme. It is not quite QUITE stream of consciousness writing but there is so much fluff and unnecessary info and uncomfortable personal details that I skimmed a significant portion. The most value for me came at the back of the book, and I would probably buy and own a very pared down version of this that focused on the spiritual nutrition half of the book, and less on kundalini and the author's own personal life.
My main critique is some of the "science" is just as wackadoo as you'd expect (although later in the book when actual nutrition is discussed I was actually amazed to see excellent scholarship, especially regarding B12 deficiency), and the book is unedited to the extreme. It is not quite QUITE stream of consciousness writing but there is so much fluff and unnecessary info and uncomfortable personal details that I skimmed a significant portion. The most value for me came at the back of the book, and I would probably buy and own a very pared down version of this that focused on the spiritual nutrition half of the book, and less on kundalini and the author's own personal life.
January 29, 2008
A must have for all integrated wellness practitioners and enthusiasts!!
January 7, 2024
I did not get value from this book. Part one was rambling with lots of name dropping but without footnotes. The chapters in Part two, such as the discussion on vitamin B was well written, but given the that this book was originally published in the 1980's is now widely known and readily available from a large number of sources.
Thus once the tenor of the book was set, I did a speed read. There were sections I read every word so as not miss something--but I found that there was nothing to be missed. I also lost faith in the efficacy of the information presentation, when Shedrake's work on morphology was discounted without facts and citations.
From the TOC I had hoped to have curious matters answered, but there is nothing substantive.
I appreciate the boldness of even breaching the topics therein 40y ago.
Thus once the tenor of the book was set, I did a speed read. There were sections I read every word so as not miss something--but I found that there was nothing to be missed. I also lost faith in the efficacy of the information presentation, when Shedrake's work on morphology was discounted without facts and citations.
From the TOC I had hoped to have curious matters answered, but there is nothing substantive.
I appreciate the boldness of even breaching the topics therein 40y ago.
December 18, 2019
An excellent book on nutrition and spiritual life. I would recommend this to anyone on the path to healing and enlightenment.
December 5, 2025
Interesting book about fasting and eating a vegan diet to achieve spiritual fulfillment. Something about it resonates with me despite a lot of this book definitely being crank science.
September 3, 2016
The reason I rated this book with 4 stars is because in almost any page the author make reference about the kabbalistic religion and customs in a way that sets the reader away from the title of the book (spiritual nutrition, not religious). Plus, it's a bit "new-agey"..
Another reason is because of how the author chooses to talk about the psychoactive substances, mentions them altogether in the same category. There are Sacred Plants the importance of which is recognised since thousands of years from the indigenous tribes all over the world, held high for their healing properties and as spiritual mediators among the earthly and the Divine realms. Recently they have been recognised from the neuroscience communities all over the western world for their healing uniqueness. The word Datura, comes from the sanscrit word dhatura in the 1st place.. worshipped for thousands of years in the ancient India, indicating in fact that, perhaps, the notion about the Divine realms comes from the revealing mystical first-hand experiences of the indigenous people with the Sacred Plants. The author should'nt let himself be exposed in such manner on this issue..
Other than those reasons the book is exceptionally informative, well written and recommended for those interested in nutrition 101.
Another reason is because of how the author chooses to talk about the psychoactive substances, mentions them altogether in the same category. There are Sacred Plants the importance of which is recognised since thousands of years from the indigenous tribes all over the world, held high for their healing properties and as spiritual mediators among the earthly and the Divine realms. Recently they have been recognised from the neuroscience communities all over the western world for their healing uniqueness. The word Datura, comes from the sanscrit word dhatura in the 1st place.. worshipped for thousands of years in the ancient India, indicating in fact that, perhaps, the notion about the Divine realms comes from the revealing mystical first-hand experiences of the indigenous people with the Sacred Plants. The author should'nt let himself be exposed in such manner on this issue..
Other than those reasons the book is exceptionally informative, well written and recommended for those interested in nutrition 101.
Currently reading
September 3, 2009I've been using it as a reference book, not a cover to cover book. Very interesting and of course makes complete sense to look at the way we nourish ourselves.
February 29, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book though I must say it is not to be rushed rather read and process and read and process etc, etc, etc.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews