Your chakras are seven energy centres which govern certain areas of your body. When they are open and spinning at at the right speed, we have vibrant health and all areas of our life work well. When they are closed or underactive, we get illnesses and problems in areas of our life such as finances, relationships, self-esteem etc.

The root chakra governs survival and security in the world. It relates to basis survival needs such as food, water, shelter, feeling safe and supported in a community and finances. It spins at a slow, steady rate and is located between the legs in the genital area. It is red in colour.

A lot of illnesses stem from an underactive root chakra such as fatigue, anorexia, malnutrition or inability to deal with stress from not giving your body enough energy in the form of calories and protein. Lack of protein can cause skin problems, depleted immune system and anaemia. Also obesity is a root chakra issue from being so out of touch with your body and it’s signals that you overeat. Men with root issues have sex organ problems.

Here are some tips for cooking for your root chakra:

• Cook high protein foods – foods such as meat, quinoa, mushrooms, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds will nourish your root chakra.
• Get enough calories – I use the dietary analysis software myfitnesspal.com to monitor my calorie intake to ensure I reach my 2000kcal per day and give my body all the resources it needs to function optimally.
• Get enough calcium for your bones and muscles from dairy, kale, broccoli and chickpeas and iron from meat and green vegetables for your blood.
• Cook root vegetables – anything that grows in the earth will nourish your root chakra such as carrots, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, onions, garlic and ginger.
• Cook red foods – the colour of the root chakra is red so eating red foods such as strawberries, raspberries, tomato, red onions, red meat will activate it.
• Eat when you are hungry – respect your body by listening to its’ signals. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you feel full.

You can do this online chakra test to see which of your chakras are out of balance.

Here are some recipes to nourish the root chakra:

Berry Smoothie

Quinoa Porridge
Quinoa & Brown Rice Pancakes
Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Carrot & Coriander Soup
Quinoa & Lentil Burgers
Red Lentil Dhal
Red Lentil & Kidney Bean Curry
Roasted Root Vegetable Casserole
Quinoa & Mushroom Risotto

References:

Minich, D. (2009). Chakra Foods for Optimum Health. United States of America: Conari Press