Whole Foods and Facial Diagnosis with Rebecca Wood

Rebecca Wood is an acclaimed cookbook author and an expert in facial diagnosis. She is well-known to anyone running a health food store. Since the 1990’s she has been an educational consultant for the natural foods industry and wrote the industry text on whole foods, “The Whole Foods Encyclopedia.”

That book has been re-published as The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia for the population at large and can be found dog-eared and well-used in many stores and homes. Her book, The Splendid Grain, won both a James Beard Award and a Julia Child/IACP Award.

Brought up in a lineage of dedicated cooks, she teaches whole food cooking based on her experience with her family heritage, macrobiotics, Chinese medicine and healing herself from cancer. She has established two cooking schools and on her website, Be Nourished with Rebecca Wood, provides recipes, cooking tips and her e-books on facial diagnosis, cleansing and parasites.

We are honored to have Rebecca stop by our site and share her thoughts on nourishment and diet.

WBDD: You encourage people to "be well nourished" - what does that mean to you?

Rebecca: When a meal utterly satisfies you it meets your energetic and health needs and is pleasurable. You can attain this with every meal. It’s doable. Just imagine how much more ease, health and pleasure our whole society would enjoy if this were so. The way to start this fork revolution is with your next meal.

WBDD: With so much conflicting information about food and diets, what might be the most important principle you teach your clients and readers?

Rebecca: It's important to look at historical precedent. For example, sound research reveals that peoples historically consumed a diet of predominately cooked foods, typically 80 to 90% cooked; this is still the case with traditional cuisines throughout the world. The new trend of raw foods is historically without precedent. Furthermore, it challenges the human digestive system which evolved on a diet of cooked foods.

So, first we look at the big map—historical precedence—then we look at the individual. What are your specific needs and how might you adjust your diet to fully meet those needs? To achieve this, facial diagnosis and a client’s history is most helpful.

WBDD: What role does moderation play in your philosophy of food?

Rebecca: When your diet is well balanced for you and satisfying, you automatically self-regulate and moderation is a non-issue. Unless, that is, you have food sensitivities or allergies or parasites. Of course, many of us when emotionally unsettled reach for food. When your overall diet is sound and you’re doing your homework (in terms of developing unconditional friendliness to yourself and others) then occasional indiscretions are not problematic.

WBDD: What are your thoughts on why so many people experience gluten and dairy allergies today?

Rebecca: Our gastrointestinal system is a wondrous eco-system that, unfortunately, reflects the imbalance in the larger environment that it’s embedded in. Due to our use of chlorinated water, chemicals, drugs and our consumption of refined and highly processed foods, our GI tracts are compromised. Most individuals have a more difficult time digesting today than even 10 years ago.

A stressed system is typically challenged by the more difficult to digest proteins found in gluten, dairy, eggs and nuts. If consumption of problematic foods continues, insult to the whole system increases and this often leads to chronic illness.

WBDD: What is Facial Diagnosis and how does it inform your work?

Rebecca: I use facial diagnosis when working with clients because it reliably indicates what is going on internally in a person. This knowledge is invaluable in discerning their healing dietary prescription. With my ebook, The Face Diet, anyone can look in the mirror and read her own face to better understand the condition of her internal organs and how to best support them.

WBDD: What role does dietary detoxification play in your work?

Rebecca: For a healthy system, we avoid consuming the toxins that are in our environment and food supply. Furthermore, we identify and avoid any foods that are specifically toxic to us.

WBDD: You wrote an entire cookbook on grains - why are grains important?

Rebecca: Grains are humanities staple. Please, take time to get to know each grain, for then you can enjoy an endless variety of wonderful whole-grain dishes.

WBDD: How does your diet different from what your grandparents and your parents ate?

Rebecca: In terms of foraged and fresh garden foods, my diet is similar to my grandparents. They didn't eat packaged foods and neither do I. Well, as a rule I don’t. I’ve been known to indulge in Terra original veggie chips :)

Thank you Rebecca - your slight indulgence is an inspiration to us all! May YOU be well nourished!