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For 7 days now I have been FREE of processed sugar (I have 2 pieces of fruit and a teaspoon of honey a day), alcohol and simple carbohydrates (no white foods basically). I don't use that word free lightly. For sometime I have felt like a prisoner to my food impulses. For what my mind would not let me be free of, the toll has been taken on my body.
But, I reached a moment of clear thinking and since then, it has been easier than I thought it would be, and it has definitely made me consider how unconscious my eating habits were, how I ate without thinking about the contribution (or otherwise) the food might be making to my body. It has also made me aware of my addictive stress related tendencies with food. I really craved a sugar/salt/fat hit in the first few days and felt unsatisfied with the nourishing food I was eating. I was able to simply observe this and it has been very empowering.
I am thinking about food as medicine at this time, primarily because I have a medical condition that can only be treated with diet and exercise. It has become increasingly pronounced over the last few years and I have had a major wake-up call to bring my focus back to my health and well-being. So I am considering the value and also the cost of anything I put into my body. This is somewhat motivated by the desire to shift a few kilos (weight gain is a part of the medical condition), but I am hoping, even when I am at a desirable weight that I will be able to maintain an attitude of positive eating for my body.
Positive Eating is probably the only way to describe what I am doing right now with food. I'm not vegetarian, vegan, raw or anything else. I am eating whole foods, seeds, nuts, sprouted grains, spelt flour bread when I am craving bread, good oils like flaxseed (unheated), fresh vegetables (with plenty of green vegies) mostly uncooked, rice milk but also some dairy, and organic varieties of all these things when I can get them. I don't feel hungry although I am eating less, and I am drinking A LOT more water. I reach for the water when I get hungry.
Right now, I'm committed and ok with it all. I hope to reprogram myself, break my addictions, and keep myself in a balanced relationship with food. I am chasing out the lurking shadows of addiction, which began with quitting smoking at the beginning of this year (an addiction I do not miss at all), and continues with this latest 'detox'. I aim for a lightness of being in body, mind and soul.
I'll keep you posted on the impact it has on all areas of my life, including the soul aspect.
Best of luck and thanks for sharing :) I also struggle with slavery to sugar and have been doing the paleo diet for the last few months- and when I stay on the wagon it makes a huge difference- we must be strong x
ReplyDeleteThanks Cat. I have never heard of the paleo diet so I am researching now and it looks fabulous. It sounds similar to what I am doing but I am keen to read more about it.
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