We’re all addicted to something. For some of us, it happens to be food. Any addictive behavior we engage in, regardless of the particular vice, is only our feeble attempt to balance ourselves out.
I saw a film many years ago called “The Addicted Brain.” (At that time I was working for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.) It postulated that people who abuse drugs and/or alcohol are only trying to balance their brain chemistry. The problem is, they’re acting as the “pharmacist,” and they’re simply choosing the wrong medications.
The addicted brain can’t make the best choice as long as it’s ~ well ~ addicted.
Like that great definition of insanity, you do the same thing over and over again, hoping for different results. So nothing changes.
Think about it.
You know that second piece of “molten lava” chocolate cake isn’t going to get you a job, but your addicted brain tells you it will make life so much better - for about five minutes. The insanity of it is that that doesn’t matter when you’re staring at the cake.
It’s no different than how the addicted brain looks at the next drink or the next pill. But what keeps us stuck in these patterns are our perceptions, and particularly our beliefs, as much as reality. Our beliefs frame our reality. So the first important very first step is to change any negative beliefs.
You are NOT your behavior! You simply make choices, some better than others.
That’s how we should view our relationship with food if we don’t want it to control our lives. And that’s how we should view alcohol and drug addiction.
But we ALL need support when we’re embarking on major lifestyle changes. And that support is out there for those who can admit that their eating is out of control. It’s not so easy to openly admit that you struggle with alcohol or drug addiction. That’s something we hide from everyone else, and even ourselves. And the fact that we have no real treatment options here only reinforces that.
The attitude is that those folks get excluded until they can pull themselves up by their boot straps. Meanwhile, it remains a painful secret in many families and for many individuals, and that’s the saddest part of all.
An addiction isn’t a choice. People don’t decide they want to live lop-sided lives, and then consciously go about making that happen. They don’t decide they want to drink all the time, any more than they want to be a hundred or more pounds overweight. In most cases, they arrived there, and their addicted brains didn’t see it happening.
People struggling with addictions don’t need judgment; they need options for getting better. That can be as simple as a food plan, or as much as a complete detox in a treatment facility.
An addiction isn’t a character flaw. It’s an imbalance. And we share that continuum.
All of us.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Water, Water Everywhere!
Toilets were flushing around the county during week one of the Healthy Heart Challenge!
Employees from a number of participating Mesa County businesses were downing eight glasses of water (or 64 ounces) a day as a first step in becoming healthier. It takes awhile for your body to adapt to that level of fluid intake, especially if you were dehydrated before. (Most Americans are, and the caffeine in coffee and soda pop is a big contributor!)
With the exception of those folks who drink water on a regular basis as they religiously tote their water bottles with them throughout the day, the newbies commented that this would be daunting.
There were those few who confused an 8 oz glass with a tumbler ( 8 ounces really isn't that much!). Others complained about the lack of taste, and some wondered how they would find the time.
But the advice to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day has been around for ages, so it must have been a common practice at some point!
I'm well past 60, and I've heard it eversince I was a kid.
But then I think back to the way life was ~ simpler, slower, and there were fewer choices. I remember spending a few weeks each summer at my grandma's house in Kentucky. The water came out of a well, and in the heat of the summer, a dipper full of water was a welcome thirst quencher. People weren't rushing about, although there was plenty of work to do.
When Kool-aid came on the scene, we downed lots it, along with all the sugar the mix called for. It was cheap, it was sweet, and we loved it. What better foray into the pricier world of soda pop? By that time, water was the last drink of choice. Milk was served with breakfast and dinner ~ Kool-aid came with lunch, and soda pop was for parties and weekend TV viewing, and of course, any trip to the movie theater.
Somewhere back there, water lost its rightful place as an underpinning for good health. It's tough to figure since we are fortunate enough to have the cheapest, best water in the world!
Employees from a number of participating Mesa County businesses were downing eight glasses of water (or 64 ounces) a day as a first step in becoming healthier. It takes awhile for your body to adapt to that level of fluid intake, especially if you were dehydrated before. (Most Americans are, and the caffeine in coffee and soda pop is a big contributor!)
With the exception of those folks who drink water on a regular basis as they religiously tote their water bottles with them throughout the day, the newbies commented that this would be daunting.
There were those few who confused an 8 oz glass with a tumbler ( 8 ounces really isn't that much!). Others complained about the lack of taste, and some wondered how they would find the time.
But the advice to drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day has been around for ages, so it must have been a common practice at some point!
I'm well past 60, and I've heard it eversince I was a kid.
But then I think back to the way life was ~ simpler, slower, and there were fewer choices. I remember spending a few weeks each summer at my grandma's house in Kentucky. The water came out of a well, and in the heat of the summer, a dipper full of water was a welcome thirst quencher. People weren't rushing about, although there was plenty of work to do.
When Kool-aid came on the scene, we downed lots it, along with all the sugar the mix called for. It was cheap, it was sweet, and we loved it. What better foray into the pricier world of soda pop? By that time, water was the last drink of choice. Milk was served with breakfast and dinner ~ Kool-aid came with lunch, and soda pop was for parties and weekend TV viewing, and of course, any trip to the movie theater.
Somewhere back there, water lost its rightful place as an underpinning for good health. It's tough to figure since we are fortunate enough to have the cheapest, best water in the world!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Heart Challenge Can Improve Food Choices
The Healthy Heart Challenge starts in our community this coming week!
It’s not focused on weight loss, although that will most likely be a side benefit for a lot of participants. Rather, its focus is behavior change as the underpinnings of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
For six weeks, those who take part will tackle a different goal each week. They include drinking eight glasses of water a day; eating an apple a day; a 10-minute walk daily; getting at least seven hours of sleep a night; stopping to stretch once every work hour; and doing one act of kindness a day.
The idea is that after six weeks of making some small changes, there should be some noticeable improvements in overall health, along with enough incentive to continue in that direction.
The apple is the main food player featured in the challenge line-up, but if you’re eating an apple a day, all those wonderful nutrients that make up an apple are recalibrating your body chemistry. We’re not talking major upheaval, but just enough of a shift to alter your cravings for stuff that’s not so good for you.
Drinking water contributes to that, as well, because it’s helping to remove toxins from your system and keep you hydrated. (Many people mistake hunger cravings for dehydration; and most people are dehydrated! Drinking sodas doesn’t count because the caffeine in them actually acts as a diuretic.)
The stress-reducing aspects of stretching and walking also make a difference if you are an emotional eater. (That’s most of us, given the right circumstance!) Just backing off from whatever task you’re in a dead-heat to complete can totally reframe what your food choices might be. (If I’m relaxed, an apple will be a much more likely choice as a snack. If I’m not, then I’m more likely to search for salt and vinegar potato chips!)
Enough sleep figures in because those who tend to overeat often aren’t getting enough sleep. If you go to bed at a reasonable hour, then there’s less temptation to go to the refrigerator so you can snack as you watch TV.)
Finally, making it a point to do something kind for someone else expands the heart. We know that’s true in a spiritual sense, but research is showing that our hearts are more than just pumps. Our emotions literally make chemical deposits on a regular basis, and nothing affects our emotions more than our interactions with each other. Positive interactions make us feel more connected, and that craving is stronger than any food craving!
It’s not focused on weight loss, although that will most likely be a side benefit for a lot of participants. Rather, its focus is behavior change as the underpinnings of a heart-healthy lifestyle.
For six weeks, those who take part will tackle a different goal each week. They include drinking eight glasses of water a day; eating an apple a day; a 10-minute walk daily; getting at least seven hours of sleep a night; stopping to stretch once every work hour; and doing one act of kindness a day.
The idea is that after six weeks of making some small changes, there should be some noticeable improvements in overall health, along with enough incentive to continue in that direction.
The apple is the main food player featured in the challenge line-up, but if you’re eating an apple a day, all those wonderful nutrients that make up an apple are recalibrating your body chemistry. We’re not talking major upheaval, but just enough of a shift to alter your cravings for stuff that’s not so good for you.
Drinking water contributes to that, as well, because it’s helping to remove toxins from your system and keep you hydrated. (Many people mistake hunger cravings for dehydration; and most people are dehydrated! Drinking sodas doesn’t count because the caffeine in them actually acts as a diuretic.)
The stress-reducing aspects of stretching and walking also make a difference if you are an emotional eater. (That’s most of us, given the right circumstance!) Just backing off from whatever task you’re in a dead-heat to complete can totally reframe what your food choices might be. (If I’m relaxed, an apple will be a much more likely choice as a snack. If I’m not, then I’m more likely to search for salt and vinegar potato chips!)
Enough sleep figures in because those who tend to overeat often aren’t getting enough sleep. If you go to bed at a reasonable hour, then there’s less temptation to go to the refrigerator so you can snack as you watch TV.)
Finally, making it a point to do something kind for someone else expands the heart. We know that’s true in a spiritual sense, but research is showing that our hearts are more than just pumps. Our emotions literally make chemical deposits on a regular basis, and nothing affects our emotions more than our interactions with each other. Positive interactions make us feel more connected, and that craving is stronger than any food craving!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Be Mindful When Eating With Kids
If you’re eating out with kids, think twice before you place a separate order for each of them! And if you’re cooking for them, know that you can waste a lot of food if you don’t pay attention to how they eat.
It’s so easy to routinely fix the food, put it on their plates, the scrape most of it into the garbage disposal! Worse is when you plunk down $40 or more at a restaurant, and look at the nibbled food on the plates as you leave.
That’s especially the case with young children because they “graze” a lot ~ a pretty healthy way to eat, really!
My recommendation is to share orders when you go out, and DON’T order soft drinks! Just drink water instead. You’ll save a bundle, and everyone will still get enough to eat.
I sat beside my four-year-old granddaughter in a restaurant earlier this week. I ordered a cheese enchilada, and she had a kid’s order of chicken nuggets and fries. She ate about three fries and one chicken nugget ~ about 35 cents worth of the $5 order! The smarter course would have been for me to order black beans and rice with the enchilada, and then split that whole meal with her.
When I make sandwiches at home, I don’t give the kids a whole sandwich, but half sandwiches and fruit instead. (Chips are fine, as long as there’s just a few. I never put a bowl of them on the table!)
I always have some apples in the fridge I can slice when they just want a snack.
It’s so easy to routinely fix the food, put it on their plates, the scrape most of it into the garbage disposal! Worse is when you plunk down $40 or more at a restaurant, and look at the nibbled food on the plates as you leave.
That’s especially the case with young children because they “graze” a lot ~ a pretty healthy way to eat, really!
My recommendation is to share orders when you go out, and DON’T order soft drinks! Just drink water instead. You’ll save a bundle, and everyone will still get enough to eat.
I sat beside my four-year-old granddaughter in a restaurant earlier this week. I ordered a cheese enchilada, and she had a kid’s order of chicken nuggets and fries. She ate about three fries and one chicken nugget ~ about 35 cents worth of the $5 order! The smarter course would have been for me to order black beans and rice with the enchilada, and then split that whole meal with her.
When I make sandwiches at home, I don’t give the kids a whole sandwich, but half sandwiches and fruit instead. (Chips are fine, as long as there’s just a few. I never put a bowl of them on the table!)
I always have some apples in the fridge I can slice when they just want a snack.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Be Careful Where Your Thoughts Take You!
I've been reading some of Wayne Dyer's stuff recently. He writes a lot about spirituality, the power of intention... stuff like that.
But he has some intersting things to say about our thoughts and the power of their vibrational frequencies. By extension, I believe they resonate with food frequencies. So here's something to ponder.
Basically, if we're feeling depressed, sad and unmotivated, the thoughts that support those emotions are low frequency vibrations, and they'll resonate with foods like Lay's salty, greasy potato chips; Krispy Kreme donuts, or a sack of Oreo's.
Dyer would say it's no surprise that that frequency level also attracts what we might label as "bad luck" scenarios in our lives. It's the Law of Attraction.
On the flip side, if you're thoughts are focused on possibilities, solutions, and positive options for your life, your food choices will likely carry a higher energy frequency, such as resides in fruits and vegetables. Generally people whose thoughts are positive, and their choices (i.e. food) are positive, enjoy more favorable outcomes in their lives. Maybe not always ~ but generally.
Check it out.
Just pay closer attention to folks you know who seem to attract good things to their lives; or when life delivers them a challenge, how they respond to it. Also notice how life never seems to change for the people who are always complaining.
I'm betting there may be some correlations with food choices. Do they value themselves enough to take care of themselves? Or do their eating habits reflect a belief that they're victims in a life of drama?
It all starts with our thoughts. Which means it's not so much what we DO, but rather how we ARE.
The more relaxed and happier we ARE, the easier it is to make the healthiest choices!
But he has some intersting things to say about our thoughts and the power of their vibrational frequencies. By extension, I believe they resonate with food frequencies. So here's something to ponder.
Basically, if we're feeling depressed, sad and unmotivated, the thoughts that support those emotions are low frequency vibrations, and they'll resonate with foods like Lay's salty, greasy potato chips; Krispy Kreme donuts, or a sack of Oreo's.
Dyer would say it's no surprise that that frequency level also attracts what we might label as "bad luck" scenarios in our lives. It's the Law of Attraction.
On the flip side, if you're thoughts are focused on possibilities, solutions, and positive options for your life, your food choices will likely carry a higher energy frequency, such as resides in fruits and vegetables. Generally people whose thoughts are positive, and their choices (i.e. food) are positive, enjoy more favorable outcomes in their lives. Maybe not always ~ but generally.
Check it out.
Just pay closer attention to folks you know who seem to attract good things to their lives; or when life delivers them a challenge, how they respond to it. Also notice how life never seems to change for the people who are always complaining.
I'm betting there may be some correlations with food choices. Do they value themselves enough to take care of themselves? Or do their eating habits reflect a belief that they're victims in a life of drama?
It all starts with our thoughts. Which means it's not so much what we DO, but rather how we ARE.
The more relaxed and happier we ARE, the easier it is to make the healthiest choices!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Here's an Easy Dish ~
One shouldn't obsess too much about healthy eating. That's stressful, and stress can undermine the best of diets. Easy is best, and planning ahead makes a huge difference.
My husband had some thawed chicken thighs in the fridge, and I always get concerned when he decides to cook up a meat dish because it all shows up on the table. However, I got to it first and steamed the six thighs, and put half of them back in the fridge to toss with some cooked cous cous or rice, along with some diced veggies, later.
I had some Thai coconut soup (curried!) in my pantry, so I opened a couple of cans of that and included diced chicken from three of the six thighs. We had some crackers and peanut butter with it, and that was plenty.
Before I turned off the lights in the kitchen, I put a couple of cups of wheatberry grain in some water to soak over night. I got a great recipe from Pam Peppin that calls for cooked wheatberries, tossed with walnuts, apple, raisins, parsley, cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and olive oil.
That can then be part of lunch or dinner over the coming week!
My husband had some thawed chicken thighs in the fridge, and I always get concerned when he decides to cook up a meat dish because it all shows up on the table. However, I got to it first and steamed the six thighs, and put half of them back in the fridge to toss with some cooked cous cous or rice, along with some diced veggies, later.
I had some Thai coconut soup (curried!) in my pantry, so I opened a couple of cans of that and included diced chicken from three of the six thighs. We had some crackers and peanut butter with it, and that was plenty.
Before I turned off the lights in the kitchen, I put a couple of cups of wheatberry grain in some water to soak over night. I got a great recipe from Pam Peppin that calls for cooked wheatberries, tossed with walnuts, apple, raisins, parsley, cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg and olive oil.
That can then be part of lunch or dinner over the coming week!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
So much of this food journey is about starting over. And so it is with our lives. We glance backwards at years of broken resolutions ~ but then here comes "grace." Ann Lamott sums it beautifully.
“Grace is the force that infuses our lives and keeps letting us off the hook.
It is unearned love ~ the love that goes before, and greets us on the way.
It’s the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and most charming charm have failed you.
Grace is the light or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.” - Anne Lamott
Now greet this brand new year with faith, confidence, and once again ~ resolve!
“Grace is the force that infuses our lives and keeps letting us off the hook.
It is unearned love ~ the love that goes before, and greets us on the way.
It’s the help you receive when you have no bright ideas left, when you are empty and desperate and have discovered that your best thinking and most charming charm have failed you.
Grace is the light or breeze that takes you from that isolated place and puts you with others who are as startled and embarrassed and eventually grateful as you are to be there.
I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.” - Anne Lamott
Now greet this brand new year with faith, confidence, and once again ~ resolve!
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