Youth and Anti-Aging

Facing Food Addictions

Behind every individual who has strong resistance to eating a high raw diet there is a little voice saying "I'm afraid to let go of my comfort."

Food is set up as a comfort right at birth. Whether you were breast fed or fed from a bottle you associated food with nurturing. Even those who don't have fond memories of childhood may still have unconscious feelings of comfort and nurturing associated with being fed in the early years of life.

As we grow older we are given food as a reward, as a comfort for getting sick or injured and simply as a "treat."

We take over the role of "treating" ourselves through food.

Food is also a MAJOR social factor. We center our social life around food, having people over for dinner, going out to breakfast or lunch, having a picnic, stopping for desert, or a coffee drink, having potluck gatherings, and romantic encounters over rich food and wine.

There can be a lot of excitement around food, seeking out the best restaurants and lunch spots. Bakeries are filled with the aroma of fresh bread that seems to bring back a lost feeling of home or comfort.

When we feel empty, lonely or upset in any way it is easy to turn to food as a comfort to push down those feelings. The more we eat the more easy it is to disassociate from the feelings we are wanting to escape.

Food, like a drug, becomes an addiction! It is a way of avoiding the repressed emotions that have been plaguing us most of our lives.

You may be avoiding feelings of being unloveable, not good enough, pretty enough, strong enough, smart enough or worthy enough.

You may be running from feelings of inadequacy, from childhood abuse, a difficult relationship, stress, illness or any number of things.

You may be working a job you don't like or living a life that doesn't suit who you are now. Instead of coming to terms with where you are feeling stuck you may choose to medicate through food or other substances.

Whatever your reason, food addiction is an epidemic in our Country. It doesn't help that we are bombarded with highly processed junk food and the constant subliminal advertising urging us to partake. The substances being sold in the grocery stores today have very little food value. They are highly processed, chemically treated, treated with hormones, and preserved with addictive substances. You will find an abundance of additives such as processed sugar, MSG, refined salt, high fructose corn syrup and more. All of these substances are harmful to your health.

The manufacturers are both ignorant of the health issues associated with these harmful substances and they simply don't care! Profit is the objective! If they don't care than who will?

You have to take charge of your own health and wellness. You have to become educated as to what supports health in your body and what destroys it. We often don't notice the effects of these harmful substances right away. It is the accumulation of these toxins that break down your health and vitality. So over time you will find yourself becoming more and more unhealthy, tired, depleted and diseased.

Only through conscious attention to diet will you turn your life around. I'm not just talking about your health but your vitality, your energy and your passion for living. These things are all affected by what you put in your body.

When you set out to change your diet to a high raw lifestyle, you will undoubtedly be facing your additions to food. It doesn't matter how much work you have already done on your addictions there are always more layers that come up when we make major lifestyle changes.

I know whenever I fast I come up against that part of me that uses food, even if it is high quality food, for enjoyment and comfort.

The Raw food world is loaded with wonderful, yummy food. It isn't just about eating fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. It is about having delicious juices, smoothies, desserts, gourmet meals and snacks. There are raw sources of sweetners, nut milks, and hundreds of things you can do with nuts, seeds and their flours. You can sprout your own grains and make your own sprouted breads using a dehydrator.

Once you embrace the raw food lifestyle a whole new world opens up to you. But there are also some doors that will have to close. Eating out at most restaurants is one door that will close, unless you have a good vegetarian or raw food restaurant in your area. Some restaurants serve a good salad but I have found that most restaurants base their salads around meats, cheeses, bread and rich dressings. It simply isn't fun to go out to a nice restaurant and not be able to get a good raw food meal.

What I have found is eating at home is much more fun and when I am traveling in an area that serves raw cuisine it is a very special treat indeed.

Having raw food potlucks in your area is a great idea. It brings together people to share raw food meals and to learn all about eating raw. Potlucks like these can be educational, tasty and fun.

So make a decision to commit to the raw food lifestyle and you will find it is the best decision you could make.

Start with the 30 day challenge. Eat raw for thirty days and see for yourself what it can do for you.