I have been negligent this week about this blog, so I apologize to those readers who have been missing me. I am simultaneously working on a murder mystery novel, and occasionally I get distracted by motives and clues and plot lines and forget to post a recipe. My bad.
I have been thinking about the phenomenon of eating as entertainment lately. As we all know, eating is complicated.
We eat for basic reasons, like survival. But rarely. Most of us could go for days, possibly weeks or even months, before we ran out of fat reserves and really HAD to eat. (Perhaps I could starve someone to death in my next murder mystery...That has potential.)
And we eat for nutrition. Well, some of us do. There is a teenaged member of my household who does not believe in this idea at all.
We eat for social reasons, say, at a party or a meeting where we just want to be one of the crowd.
We eat out of boredom. We may even feel hungry, not because we need food, but just because we are bored and begin to think about food.
We eat out of habit. If every time we turn on the television, we sit down with a snack, then we are training ourselves to feel hungry in front of the TV. We will automatically want to eat every time we hit the couch.
And we eat for pleasure. Of course, it is right that eating should be pleasurable. This factor obviously helps keep us alive and continuing as a species. But maybe you can also see how eating for pleasure can be a problem.
I have had MANY people tell me, for example, that they cannot give up sugar. What this means is not actually that they CAN not. It means that they CHOOSE not to give up sugar because they are addicted to the particular sweet high that it provides. The same people will also tell me that they are not happy with the way their bodies look, or the amount of bodyfat they are carrying, or the amount of pounds they weigh. And yet, they continue to choose the sugar over the weight loss, the fat loss, the 6-pack abs.
And I cannot deny the fact that I like sugar, just like most people. And I can allow myself to succumb to its lure. Or I can choose not to.
The first step is to just stop. Stop eating foods that are sweetened. Stop drinking sweetened drinks. It really doesn't matter whether they are sweetened with white sugar, brown sugar, sugar in the raw, Splenda, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, stevia powder, aspartame, or sugar alcohols. If you are addicted to the sweet taste, you will crave it no matter what form you are consuming. If you simply stop, you will very quickly get used to foods that are unsweetened. And you will no longer crave the sweet stuff. Pretty soon a raw carrot or an apple will taste sweet enough to you.
I'm guessing you think you might pass out and die without a piece of chocolate? Without a cookie? Without a packet of something in your iced tea? It might taste a little odd at first, but I guarantee it doesn't take more than a few days for your tastebuds to adjust. Pretty soon, all those sweeteners will taste terribly overly sweet to you. A brownie will taste like crack. And unsweetened tea and coffee will taste just fine.
After I stopped eating sugar completely for several months, I had a chocolate chip cookie. And I literally began shaking. My heart rate must have doubled. It was frightening! And probably very similar to the body's reaction to meth-amphetamines. Is it any wonder that we crave this stuff? (For more info on what sugar actually does to your body, see Sugar Shock! a blogpost I wrote about a book by the same name.)
But it IS possible to eat plenty of delicious foods that do not contain sugar! And to lead a full, well-rounded, happy and healthy life that does not include any refined carbohydrates. If all of your entertainment needs are currently being met by food, consider bringing some other types of enjoyment into your life. I recommend dancing, singing, ice skating, going for walks, meditating, foam rolling, watching any type of comedy, attending concerts, working in your garden, volunteering somewhere, scrubbing your floors (great core workout!) and brushing your dog. If you don't like my suggestions, I'm sure you can think up a whole list of your own.
For the rest of this month, I will continue to be sugar free. Join me if you wish! (Or you can just mock me while savoring your chocolate bar!)
I have been thinking about the phenomenon of eating as entertainment lately. As we all know, eating is complicated.
We eat for basic reasons, like survival. But rarely. Most of us could go for days, possibly weeks or even months, before we ran out of fat reserves and really HAD to eat. (Perhaps I could starve someone to death in my next murder mystery...That has potential.)
And we eat for nutrition. Well, some of us do. There is a teenaged member of my household who does not believe in this idea at all.
We eat for social reasons, say, at a party or a meeting where we just want to be one of the crowd.
We eat out of boredom. We may even feel hungry, not because we need food, but just because we are bored and begin to think about food.
We eat out of habit. If every time we turn on the television, we sit down with a snack, then we are training ourselves to feel hungry in front of the TV. We will automatically want to eat every time we hit the couch.
And we eat for pleasure. Of course, it is right that eating should be pleasurable. This factor obviously helps keep us alive and continuing as a species. But maybe you can also see how eating for pleasure can be a problem.
I have had MANY people tell me, for example, that they cannot give up sugar. What this means is not actually that they CAN not. It means that they CHOOSE not to give up sugar because they are addicted to the particular sweet high that it provides. The same people will also tell me that they are not happy with the way their bodies look, or the amount of bodyfat they are carrying, or the amount of pounds they weigh. And yet, they continue to choose the sugar over the weight loss, the fat loss, the 6-pack abs.
And I cannot deny the fact that I like sugar, just like most people. And I can allow myself to succumb to its lure. Or I can choose not to.
The first step is to just stop. Stop eating foods that are sweetened. Stop drinking sweetened drinks. It really doesn't matter whether they are sweetened with white sugar, brown sugar, sugar in the raw, Splenda, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, stevia powder, aspartame, or sugar alcohols. If you are addicted to the sweet taste, you will crave it no matter what form you are consuming. If you simply stop, you will very quickly get used to foods that are unsweetened. And you will no longer crave the sweet stuff. Pretty soon a raw carrot or an apple will taste sweet enough to you.
I'm guessing you think you might pass out and die without a piece of chocolate? Without a cookie? Without a packet of something in your iced tea? It might taste a little odd at first, but I guarantee it doesn't take more than a few days for your tastebuds to adjust. Pretty soon, all those sweeteners will taste terribly overly sweet to you. A brownie will taste like crack. And unsweetened tea and coffee will taste just fine.
After I stopped eating sugar completely for several months, I had a chocolate chip cookie. And I literally began shaking. My heart rate must have doubled. It was frightening! And probably very similar to the body's reaction to meth-amphetamines. Is it any wonder that we crave this stuff? (For more info on what sugar actually does to your body, see Sugar Shock! a blogpost I wrote about a book by the same name.)
But it IS possible to eat plenty of delicious foods that do not contain sugar! And to lead a full, well-rounded, happy and healthy life that does not include any refined carbohydrates. If all of your entertainment needs are currently being met by food, consider bringing some other types of enjoyment into your life. I recommend dancing, singing, ice skating, going for walks, meditating, foam rolling, watching any type of comedy, attending concerts, working in your garden, volunteering somewhere, scrubbing your floors (great core workout!) and brushing your dog. If you don't like my suggestions, I'm sure you can think up a whole list of your own.
For the rest of this month, I will continue to be sugar free. Join me if you wish! (Or you can just mock me while savoring your chocolate bar!)
Comments
Post a Comment
Please share your helpful questions and comments here! Thanks for being part of this balanced community!