CHANGE- Well-being | Alessia Posca | TEDxLUISS

Alessia Posca's Journey and Advocacy

• Alessia Posca, also known as Elephant Veg Cod, is a director, author, and advocate for plant-based cuisine and holistic well-being.
• She experienced a significant transformation after adopting a plant-based diet at the age of 24.
• Through her project "Gioia," she combines plant-based nutrition with inner nourishment, emphasizing the connection between physical and mental well-being.

Disconnection in Modern Society

• Posca observed a widespread sense of disconnection among her peers, leading her to believe that modern society is characterized by individualism, selfishness, and anthropocentrism.
• Humans have evolved in close connection with nature, but the shift to artificial environments in the past 70 years has created a "nature deficit syndrome."
• Posca identifies three levels of disconnection: physical, psychological, and environmental.

Reconnecting with Inner Wisdom and Nature

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with our inner wisdom and intuition when it comes to making food choices.
• She highlights the current disconnection from nature experienced by modern society, spending only 1-5% of their time outdoors.
• Eating a plant-based diet was a turning point for Posca, leading her to question various aspects of her life and ultimately reconnect with herself and nature.
• She encourages individuals to disconnect from the virtual and material world and reconnect with nature's essence.

Achieving Balance and Joy

• Our society has shifted from being undernourished to overnourished, leading to health issues related to both overconsumption and undernourishment in different parts of the world.
• Health, as defined by the WHO in 1948, encompasses physical, mental, and social well-being, yet many individuals struggle to achieve this balance.
• Emotional well-being is often neglected in our society, leading to widespread anxiety, frustration, and a sense of lack.
• Joy, which is deeper and more independent of external circumstances than happiness, is often overlooked in our society's obsession with happiness.

The Importance of Internal Change

• The speaker emphasizes the need for internal change, both in the heart and in thinking, to be effective agents of positive change.
• Quoting Einstein, she suggests that solving problems requires a different mindset than the one that created them.
• Citing Tiziano Terzani, the speaker highlights the mistake of distancing ourselves from nature's variety, beauty, and grandeur, which hold the key to life's meaning.

Practical Advice for Reconnection

• The speaker offers practical advice for reconnecting with nature, such as venturing into untamed environments, walking in forests, swimming in the sea, observing animals, and preparing simple, wholesome food.
• She believes that these seemingly small actions can lead to personal transformation, resulting in a healthier and more abundant planet.