How to Have A Healthy Experience at a Summer Festival: McCloud Edition

Summer festivals abound in communities all around the country. Hot cement, vendors of all kinds, hot food and beer and wine speckle your visual choices - where should we start? And how do we enjoy the delight of all of this diversity, without giving into eating processed, fake foods?

PREPARE

Living in Mount Shasta on and off for nearly 7 years, I had never been to the McCloud Mushroom Festival on the other side of the mountain. So I did not know what expect. There could have been 100 booths with healthy food choices, or none for all I knew. My first step in creating a great day was prime preparation. I packed a little cooler with some fresh fruit, cold water, and a random Tupperware of tuna salad I had made that morning. Before heading over, we decided to stop at Seven Suns Coffee Shop.

HYDRATE

Every coffee shop is a smorgasbord of tasty treats and beverages. As always, though, I focused on their huge tea selection. I had ordered the South African Rooibos, but I ended up getting something that tasted so different and delicious! It had a deep undertone of berry with cinnamon spice in it.

You will hear me say time and time again, that herbal tea is my go-to drink for getting an immune boost, antioxidants, and true hydration (on average 70% of us are chronically dehydrated). What we have here is actually a medicine cabinet full of delicious, sense provoking herbal concoctions for your health - flooding your system for the rest of your crazy and unpredictable day! Growing up drinking wine and developing a taste for the subtle variations in taste, smell, texture, set the stage for a curiosity and love of tea. When I drink it I wonder, where was this herb grown? What type of soil was it in? What history does it have with that culture?

My daughter, though, still has a liking for the one-dimensional taste of sugar. Here are the before and after pictures of her requesting a soy steamer with a 'little bit' of vanilla syrup. Ahh.. the power of sugar... and the poutey face.

FIND SOLITUDE

Next we went on a walk at the lake. It is my experience that many of us ignore what our body needs. We distract ourselves with social engagements, addictions, drama, and eating in detrimental ways because we never allow ourselves to experience the innate voice within. If we listen, we most likely fear how powerful and expansive our lives could become.

Even though I knew we would be outside for most of the day at the festival, I never underestimate my instinctual need for solitude, peace, and quiet. To truly be full in our spirit, we must be connected to something bigger than ourselves, and for me, that is nature. Watching my dog Lucy embracing the path with fervor and unlimited boundless passion, as her four feet trot perfectly in sync to her full-on-sense-explosion gives me so much joy. She reminds me everyday of the power of being in the moment and embracing every single pixel of my vision and every vibration of sound that surrounds me.

Now, with my belly warm from the tea, and my lungs full of oxygen-rich air (and a dog happily panting in the back of the car) I was ready to go to the festival; full to the brim in myself so that I can embrace the coming event, without blindly reaching for something out side of me to 'fill me up.'

ENJOY THE DIVERSITY

The first agenda at the festival was a 'run down.' We look over everything that is there, to see what items or products interest us. But more importantly, it is the experience that we should be looking for in everyday life. One of my basic premises with healthy eating, is to think less about food, and more about the wondrous other textures of life. 

There was mostly hot food vendors, beer, wine, and only two booths that really seemed to cater to mushroom lovers. I bought a package of dried Bolete mushrooms after being inspired by Henry, the salesman at the time. I will hopefully do a post soon on what I created with them, but it will be my first attempt at hydrating and cooking with dried mushrooms of any kind! There was also booths with amazing wood carvings, live plants, and music!

Camaria immediately wanted to (as well as my inner child) dive into the McCloud candy shop.  The beauty of loving your body, and eating healthfully is being able to dapple in all worlds without a dogmatic belief that one thing will make or break you. I gave Cammie the camera, and here is sampling of what world she saw during those 10 minutes:

 I bought her two dark chocolate malt balls and orange bits covered in dark chocolate. I always ask her to really appreciate and savor her treats. Instead of shoveling food in our mouths, we sit down, look at, admire, and become fully present for our food. When you are present, you can actually listen to and become aware of the cues your body is sending your brain. When we do this, we can eat treats and also honor what our body is experiencing.

My favorite booth was the olive booth! I LOVE OLIVES! Adams Olive Ranch is a olive farm out of southern California, family owned and operated. What I love about festivals is the opportunity to look into the window of other peoples lives. We have become so disconnected from eachother, that we fail to acknowledge how we have so very much in common. I imagine myself as a documentary film maker, diving into the beauty of a person's day-to-day uniqueness of farming close to the Earth, or preparing food for us 'town's folk' to eat.

Le'Osha Hamilton was the beautiful woman manning the olive booth (some people just have the special, radiant energy that makes you wanna buy!), and my interaction with her reminded me of the nutrition of human communication. When I can laugh, converse and share with another person, I imagine that I am giving my own cells in my body the cue to communicate with one another. I feel that somehow our nervous system is connected to this premise. If we communicate joyfully and with an open heart to others, so do the cells in our body. 

I ended up buying a glass jar of pitted kalamata olives. I used that bottle up in 3 days, on salads, in tuna, and on top of baked potatoes. They were fresh, plump, and so oily and savory.

 SHOW ME THE VEGGIES

By the time I got through the booths and made my purchases, I was hungry. I decided to abandon the main column of the festival and head into the old Mercantile building, where a cute little restaurant, Mountain Star Cafe, was hidden. Their menu was great! Locally grown, organic produce!? Be-still my heart. I ordered a huge delicious organic salad. This photo was taken by my dearest friend, Sherry LaLonde. Check out her photography on her website, she is amazing.

If all else fails, find a salad and some vinaigrette. You will be getting fiber, b vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and a host of other yet-to-be-discovered components in fresh, whole food form.

Regardless of whatever festival you may be attending remember these simple tips:

1. Prepare with healthy options.
2. Find solitude so you do not search for fullness in food.
3. Hydrate yourself before, during, and after.
4. Enjoy the nourishment of the people and experience more than food.
5. Look for veggies wherever you go!
6. If you do end up eating a greasy hamburger, sit down and fully enjoy it!