Spiritual Nutrition: reap the benefits Published July 1, 2008 By Capt. (Chaplain) Jeremy Bastian Base Chapel HANSCOM AFB, Mass. -- "You are what you eat." "Garbage in, garbage out." These two clichés are familiar to many Americans. Do you know the worst thing about clichés? Most of them are pretty accurate. Nutritionists continually remind us to eat properly. Their advice is nearly always the same: eat daily from all the major food groups. Count calories. Reduce carbohydrates. Remove the bad fats from your diet. Take vitamins. There is no doubt that proper nutrition is both preventative and health-boosting. Eating the right foods helps prevent disease and helps the body heal when wounded or sick. Parallels can be drawn concerning one's spirituality. Research shows that some benefits from living a healthy spiritual life include lowered blood pressure, greater ability to cope with traumatic events, increased satisfaction in relationships and an overall happier outlook on life. Good spiritual nutrition is required for a healthy spiritual life and to reap the benefits listed above--just as physical food nourishes the body, spiritual nutrition energizes the spirit. Proper spiritual nutrition and a healthy spirit require daily doses of the following: daily quiet time for prayer, reflection, meditation and reading in the area of personal spiritual belief, cultivating an attitude of gratitude, acts of kindness or service for others, fellowship with like-spirited people and seeking concrete ways to put spiritual beliefs into practice. This short list is by no means exhaustive of spiritual food. There are many other things an individual can do to boost their spiritual life. Individuals who take some time to think about their daily spiritual food intake will find that they begin to build internal, preventative measures that help them deal with life. They will also find an inner source of energy that they may never have realized they had. Spiritual life needs daily nourishment just as much as the physical body needs food. It will only be as strong as the quality "nutrition" it is given. Spiritual Awareness Open House announcement July is Air Force Material Command's Spiritual Wellness Month. To celebrate, the Base Chapel is hosting a Spiritual Wellness Open House for the entire Hanscom community. The open house will take place July 8 from 8 a.m. to noon at the chapel. The open house will begin with a free continental breakfast from 8 to 8:30 a.m. The event will also feature Spiritual Pictionary, a relaxation class, food, gifts and discussion groups about spiritual wellness. Participants will leave feeling refreshed and renewed. Those who fill out an entry at the chapel during the event will be eligible to win an iPod Shuffle at the conclusion of the open house. The winner does not have to be present during the announcement, but will only be able to enter during the open house. For more information regarding the Spiritual Wellness Open House call Senior Airman Murray at (781) 781-3538 or email Ronald.Murray@hanscom.af.mil.