The Aim of the Website

There has never been as much nutritional literature available as there is today. We are flooded with nutritional facts, rules and advice in newspapers, magazines, books, and from TV, radio, and websites. There are thousands of scientific reports on nutritional research and experiments. We also have hundreds of schools of nutrition and individuals offering their own views of the right type of diet. There are even many 'Nutrition Bibles' which try to formulate the rules of ultimate health and nutrition for those who are rather confused by the sheer amount of nutritional facts available nowadays.

It seems that in spite of all this knowledge the situation with nutrition is getting worse. If we just look at statistical data about the illnesses which are (according to science) associated with nutrition such as obesity, diabetes, and allergies, we can see a constantly increasing incidence. Furthermore there are many more signs now showing that people have been losing their healthy eating instincts at an alarming rate.

There are, of course, a number of cases where people have improved their health through change of diet, but when one tries to understand what they all have in common, all one is confronted with is a bewildering array of contradictory dietary recommendations. It seems all one can do is to experiment with this or that type of diet and hope that it is going to work.

So how is it possible that with all the knowledge available today, the advice does not produce the positive results one would expect? There are no simple answers to this riddle, but we can start with one particular aspect of human evolution, which has great impact on the present situation with nutrition. This is the fact that human beings are becoming freer from the social and cultural ties of the past. We are in the gradual process of developing our own individualities. We can see this trend of development in all spheres of life, including in the domain of nutrition.

In traditional food cultures everything was harmonised with the natural and social environments where people lived; the choice of food was also in accordance with the physical needs of any specific nation or ethnic group. Today this is no longer the case. People can move around the globe, mix with other cultures, and marry partners with different ethnic backgrounds.

As well as all this, food itself travels all around the planet because of the existence of the global food market. This enables people to buy foods from diverse parts of the world. Also new foods which came into existence in modern times are freely available. The availability of all kinds of foods – especially in affluent societies – has greatly increased and thus enables people to make their own decisions about which food they want to eat.

Although traditional food cultures still exist, we can witness everywhere a modern trend towards individual food choices. This freedom of choice had to come as a part of the evolution of free individuals, but the cost is that we can easily stray away and make mistakes. We have more than enough evidence of the constant struggle on how to make proper food choices. The great amount of dietary advice is proof in itself. This uncertainty in regard to nutrition – the loss of eating instincts – is the primary reason why food advertising can exercise such powerful influence on our food choices. This in turn contributes to even more confusion and unhealthy food trends because the nutritional 'facts' of companies are very one-sided and motivated mainly by the desire for better sales. The question is how can we free ourselves from this and make the right decisions about what to eat?

First and foremost we need to be aware that right decisions are only possible if we really understand the consequences of various food choices. Although we can get some help from remnants of traditional nutritional wisdom and although science has contributed many important discoveries about human nutrition, we need something more – we need the all-encompassing holistic approach to the mysteries of the human being and the role of nutrition. For "there is truly nothing in the physically-perceptible world as complicated as the nature of the human being. It is more complicated than anything else in the world. In their form and structure, in the conditions of their life and indeed in every respect, human beings are a whole world, a microcosm as distinct from the macrocosm. All the laws and all the secrets of the world are to be found in them." [1]

It should be clear that we cannot understand any question of nutrition without a real understanding of our being and how "everything in the human organism works upon everything else. But we will get nowhere if we have only general abstract ideas of this interpenetration; we will reach a result only if we can evolve a concrete idea of our constitution and of how everything that is around us participates in our make-up." [2] This, of course, includes regular intake of food and drink.

The purpose of this website is to enable people to develop basic understanding of these concrete relationships between the human organism and various aspects of nutrition. This can be achieved if we understand the fundamental principles of nutrition which are true for all human beings. This is possible because "spiritual science does not give rules, but only wants to explain how things really are. It does not stand for this or that kind of diet – what it actually does is to enable people to understand any form of diet. Then each may arrange his life as he wills, according to these great laws of existence." [3]

This path of real understanding is not for those who want simple and easy solutions. It demands an active effort to penetrate the complexity of our human organism and to understand our own specific needs in regard to nutrition. This is the only way towards freedom from one-sided truths and manipulations by others.

A FEW FEEDBACKS FROM THE MEMBERS

From July 2013 to July 2024 the advanced level of this website was accessible only for those who became members and paid the £15 registration fee. The feedbacks below are therefore a selection from this period.

“I’m writing to express my gratitude for the dedication and work you have shared through this marvellous website.
I am associated with the Camphill community in Hampshire. As part of my work and involvement I am often called upon to enliven and bring greater consciousness to the work of creating food for the companions, students and residents and members of the extended community. Throughout the 13 years of my involvement I have been associated with mentors and guides and have often wished that I had the capacity for doing what you are doing in really bringing clarity and shape to this incredibly important aspect of life – a real engagement with the many wondrous life forces at work through food and its ability to connect humans with more than themselves.
It is only with honest refection and with no regret that I long ago realised that it is not mine to do what you have done, for my nature is that of an artist and a sanguine one as well. With the joyful discovery of your website yesterday I now feel supported with some real depth as I go about engaging with the people who manage, cook for and provide the care and nourishment for the whole community.”

Heather, cook in curative education setting in England

“I am very much enjoying the content of your website. I am a nutritionist and student of anthroposophy, and I like the clear content, the references, and the beautiful artwork on your site! Kudos!
I have been working with this topic – anthroposophy and nutrition – for many years, which is why I really appreciate what you have done in compiling, and referencing, and trying to penetrate the meaning.
Also, I really appreciate your discussion of our ‘living combustion’ in Living Process of Inner 'Combustion', as it spurs on my thinking in trying to overcome the materialistic concepts I have incorporated about combustion/Krebs cycle/formation of ATP, etc. I think it really takes time to live with these new images and concepts, in order to be able to conceive things in this new way. ”

Betsy, nutritionist from USA

“I had a degree in mathematics and physics, so I went to work in a software company for 14 years. In the last four years I’ve been growing vegetables on a small field. My son has joined me two years later. We grow the vegetables without any intervention, except compost, preparation 500, and tea made of horsetail and stinging nettles.
Thank you very much for the most valuable study in the field of nutrition. There are a few reasons why it is most valuable for me, but the main reason is that your writing is awaking! It is not only the knowledge, but it awakes in me the will and drive to act!
There is no one book or series of lectures on nutrition in Steiner's collection (as far as I know). It is all scattered, one lecture here, another passage there, and it is really difficult to handle it as a subject for itself. You arrange it beautifully in a way that enables me to keep the thread of the subject while progressing in learning new material.
The combinations of spiritual science, natural science, and your experience also enable a wider understanding of the subject. I have deep feeling of gratitude for your efforts.”

Elay, biodynamic farmer from Israel

“I printed all your articles, since I read only hard copies; I cannot read from a screen. In Qatar, Thursday evening, I started to read your articles in the hotel in the evening after having my dinner; I said to myself ‘Let me have some light reading!’
I am sorry but I was so mistaken! I entered into a world that blew-up my mind! I hardly-pulled myself to sleep! The next day, I spent most of the time in the hotel! I let my sister go to do her shopping and I stayed in the hotel reading! I kept reading until she came back; I didn’t know how many hours went by while my mind was swimming in this ocean of amazing and difficult-to-grasp concepts! I just came back home to Kuwait and I was reading all the day-long; from the morning to the airport until I just came back home! I hardly find myself in this situation; only rarely, when the reading is mind-blowing, or paradigm-shifting; from my perspective!
I like by the way the artwork in your website, making the illustrations in Tarot-like paintings. Very impressive!”

Jarrah, physician from Kuwait