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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.
