Archives

Taking Time to Heal

Mar3

It is important to take the time necessary to heal the pain in your life. It’s hard to be patient in this new world where we want everything to happen now.

Hurt can come in the form of physical or emotional pain. Healing takes time and requires patience and trust. If you use food to cope with your pain, the pain will increase as the consequences of your actions present themselves.

Overeating only adds to the problem and causes you to see time as the enemy. Living in the moment and dealing with life’s upheavals as they come along will make it easier to let the pain run its course.

Daily life doesn’t stop because you overeat or feel shame or embarrassment about your food addiction. Life goes on with or without you.

You are too important to let time pass you by. The consequences of addictive behaviour take time to heal. You may want to set a time and say it will all end when that time arrives, but it may not work out that way.

One thing that is important to remember when you’re making a plan is that whatever else it may be, it has to be something that works for you. It’s all for you.

You do your part and let time do its part. Take time to heal. Make time to live. Food addictions and addictive behaviour of any kind isn’t planned.

It is what happens when we don’t have a plan. What is the simplest plan you can make so you can avoid being caught in the trap of your addiction?

Focus on each moment giving it your full attention with no distractions and no judgments. Observe and be present.

Show up for your moment and time will take care of the rest.

No Miracle Diet for Food Addicts

Feb28

There are diets for everything–the bikini-by-summer diet, the lose-all-the weight-you-want-in-thirty-days diet, the just-get-me-into-my-wedding-dress diet, and myriad other weight loss diets discovered daily.

At best, the majority of weight-loss diets are temporary. And why? Because dieters have been programmed to expect temporary results. Most sensational diets over-promise and under-deliver.

Once all the weight magically falls off, if that ever happens, you can go back to your regular life.

As long as the right words are in the advertisement–it’s not your fault, eat normally, or without dieting or exercise–the sales rack up.

It seems that diets, health supplements, weight loss systems and the like have one thing in common. One size definitely does not fit all.

And as far as eating normally, well where does that fit into the lives of food addicts, emotional eaters and the obese population in general? The extreme eating habits of food abusers are a big part of the problem.

Extremes have caused us to view everything in the blackest of blacks and the whitest of whites. There is no flexibility. It’s all or none. No room for moderation and no understanding of it.

Moderation would require self-discipline and the “I want it all! I want it now!” philosophy promotes the illusion of “no consequence” behavior.

The only problem with that is that food doesn’t work that way. And neither does anything long-term. Sooner or later the piper must be paid.

Why does a health supplement or a healthy eating program have to be either a miracle or a scam? If it doesn’t work immediately, it’s no good. If it does, it’s a miracle and everybody should try it.

Again, one size does not fit all. A diet is an over-used name for an eating plan. Plan is the operative word.

Your uniqueness and your willingness to accept yourself as a whole and worthy person will go farther to rid you of the need to stuff down your feelings with food than any miracle pill on the market now or in the future.

And the really good news is that knowing who you are will still be working after every quick fix and miracle diet has failed.

It is up to you to uncover within yourself what it will take in terms of commitment and perseverance to achieve your weight loss goals.

There is no miracle diet for food addicts. You are the miracle.

It’s Never Too Late to Be Great! ®

More Foods That Heal

Feb26

You may be familiar with the healing properties of some foods, but unaware that they can be helpful in more than one area of your health.

For instance, you may have heard that flax aids digestion, but did you know it also improves mental health?

Onions reduce the risk of heart attack but they also fight fungus. Fungi and mold can create serious health concerns.

Some scientists and physicians believe that cancer is actually a form of mold. Interestingly enough, onions are also said to combat cancer.

Peaches also combat cancer and aid digestion. Do you know that they can prevent constipation and also help hemorrhoids?

Fresh fruit and vegetables can be excellent sources of nutrients, but not everyone wants to live on a diet of raw fruit and vegetables. That’s fine. Just add a few to your regular diet and you will notice a difference.

Although some people maybe allergic to certain foods that are helpful to the body, there are nearly always other foods that will do much the same thing without any side effects.

I’ve no doubt that you’ve heard that cooking destroys enzymes. Still, you don’t have to abandon the cooked foods you currently enjoy to enjoy better health. No one is suggesting that you eat raw meat.

It’s good to start small if you’re just starting out on the road to healthier eating. You’ll want to choose foods that not only are good for you but that you enjoy. That way you will be inclined to eat them more often.

An excellent book on understanding your body chemistry and eating right to stay healthy is Dr. Jensen’s Guide to Body Chemistry & Nutrition. It’s well-written and very easy to understand.

Another excellent program on raw foods is one by fitness guru and and raw foods expert Yuri Elkaim. Click here for more information.

In many of my blogs I will tell you about programs that I think will help you with weight loss, stress reduction, food addictions, or personal empowerment. If you purchase one of these programs, I will likely be compensated. I just wanted you to know that.

Healthy Snacks

Feb21

Is there such a thing? That depends on who you listen to. Healthy doesn’t mean it has to be a vegetable, or taste disgusting.

After all, it’s the combining of foods from the food pyramid that creates the energy we need to get us through the day.

Miniature carrot sticks and broccoli are not healthy when served with a dip that has 13 grams of fat per serving even though it’s better than 35 grams of fat in the most popular after school snacks companies pay millions of dollars to advertise all over the place.

I was talking with a friend of mine this evening about snacks. She runs a program for children at a school in the Midwest. As part of the national effort to combat childhood obesity, some changes are being made.

She told me that in her school, they will not be allowed to give the children certain snacks that were formerly acceptable. Birthday cakes will no longer be allowed. I didn’t even want to ask about ice cream.

Chocolate milk can now be served only one day a week, and the same with juice. Popcorn can be served but with no butter or seasoning of any kind. She says the kids refuse to eat it. Gee, I wonder why.

As a former trainer of child care providers in Family Child Care Homes and Day Care Centers, I was surprised. Why the drastic changes?

And what’s this about serving only skim milk or 1% milk? Milk that has a 1% or 2% fat content should be adequate. And no cereal except shredded wheat and similar cereals?

I forgot to ask her about Cheerios, long recommended for little ones yet very high in sugar as healthy snacks go. Why not include puffed rice? It’s sweet enough without all that added sugar.

It seems like regulations go from one extreme to another. For decades, schools pushed sodas and vending machine snacks, even had contracts with the soft drink companies, and now juices are condemned as if they were in the same category.

Vegetables are healthy when prepared in healthy ways, but they aren’t the only healthy foods. There are fruits like plums and bananas; apples with peanut butter make a great snack–if peanut butter’s still allowed.

And what about mini-smoothies? Mix equal parts of apple juice, pineapple juice, orange juice and water. You can use two juices but apple juice should be in the mix.

A scoop of whey protein powder, add a banana and it’s better than a milk shake. It’s healthier too, even if you leave out the protein powder.

An amazing number of children like yogurt and their digestive systems would certainly benefit from all that friendly bacteria.

Celery sticks are very good with peanut butter or a cheese spread. Frozen peaches are a great snack as are melon cubes. There are all sorts of healthy and delicious crackers on supermarket shelves.

The truth is, with some imagination and initiative, plus a little input from your audience, you can come up with some very delicious, nutritious, and economical snacks.

Recommended for children of all ages.