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Copyright 2003 by Kelly Hayford. All rights reserved.
As You Thinketh
Overcoming Obstacles to
Eating for Health
Choice, not chance, determines one’s destiny. - Unknown
I once heard a woman recount an intimate story about a very difficult time in her life. Her despair was so great she decided to seek professional help. For almost the entire duration of her first therapy session, the woman rattled off a detailed litany of the problematic situations in her life that were causing this despair - from her emotionally abusive relationship, to dire financial straits, to dissatisfaction with her job, to recent weight gain and health conditions. At the end of her saga she sighed deeply and said, "I just don't understand how I got to this place in my life." The therapist, who had remained silent up until then, replied, "You chose."
This response marked a pivotal moment in this woman's life, she told us. It was the moment in which she first realized the responsibility she had had in creating the unpleasant situations she found herself in. This realization brought with it a host of mixed feelings. We have all experienced the sting this woman must have felt at that moment, being hit for the first time with the awareness of the responsibility she played in shaping the course of her life. For many of us, it is like the day we found out there was no Santa Claus. We felt disappointed and deceived, and at the same time comfortably relieved because our suspicions were confirmed and so many things began to make sense. It's like a childhood rite of passage of sorts, a crossing over into the adult world. Discovering and taking responsibility for your choices in any area of your life is much the same. It is a milestone in the maturation process that brings you a step closer to individual sovereignty and exercising your personal power. For when you come to the realization that you have played a major part in creating unwanted situations, logic would have you simultaneously realize that you can create situations you do want as well.
We are all the sum total of our choices. Whether it be how we choose to spend our money, to how we choose to spend our time and with whom, to what foods we choose to put in our mouths - it all adds up to the creation of our environment both internal and external, which culminates into the overall quality of our lives. When it comes to diet and lifestyle choices, you either create a balanced state of health and well-being or an imbalanced state of uncomfortable symptoms and dis-eases in the body and mind. In each moment with each choice that you make, whether consciously or unconsciously you are also choosing the consequences that come along with those choices. You are literally choosing your fate.
Our thoughts are the precursor to any and all of the things we choose for ourselves. First come the thoughts around whatever is being presented, then come the choices and actions we take in reference to those thoughts. Over time those choices determine the course of our lives. Thus, the old saying - as you thinketh, so too shall you become - really is true. This same truth then applies to the food choices you make as well. Whatever your thoughts and beliefs are about food will determine the food choices you make. In this case the saying then becomes - as you thinketh, so too shall you eat!
If you want to change the way you eat, you must first change the way you think. And that's what this chapter is all about. Exploring your current thoughts and beliefs about food and what you eat, so that you can begin to make informed, conscious choices that are in alignment with your values, rather than being a victim of subconscious beliefs you may not even be aware of.
The Biggest Obstacles
Over the last few years I have informally surveyed hundreds of people. Consistently they identify the following challenges as being the biggest obstacles they face when it comes to eating healthier:
1 ~ It takes too much time
...to plan ahead and prepare healthy foods.
2 ~ It's too expensive
...I can't afford to buy healthier foods.
3 ~ It's no fun
...to eat healthy and be deprived of my favorite foods.
4 ~ It's too hard
...to eat healthy foods when surrounded by a family and society that doesn't.
Actually the first one that people usually express goes something like, "It's all so confusing, with all the conflicting information out there I don't know what to eat." But since this topic is addressed in-depth in previous and upcoming chapters - and is really the whole reason I wrote this book! - it will not be specifically dealt with here. The other four we will explore in detail one-by-one. Doing so will help you begin to unravel your current thoughts and beliefs about food. Many people after reflecting on what follows, discover that what they had been portraying in their minds as big, bad insurmountable obstacles were nothing more than thoughts and beliefs that they had held, often unconsciously, for many years; unconscious thoughts that dictated their actions impulsively without regard to their current values. Once they started re-evaluating and changing these thoughts and beliefs, these unseen obstacles began to dissolve, and changes in the way they actually ate, naturally and more easily began to follow as a result.
1 ~It Takes Too Much Time
...to plan ahead and prepare healthy foods.
This is sometimes a very real obstacle and the reason that a whole chapter of this book is devoted to addressing it. (See Chapter 10 - Be Prepared: Quick, Easy Tips for Healthy Food Preparation & Meal Planning.) But it is just as often not the case and in fact, making healthier choices can sometimes take even less time than some other less healthy choices. Having a piece of fruit or baby carrots or ready-to-eat salad for a snack, rather than toasting a bagel with cream cheese would be a good example. In this particular example, it is more about acculturation than time. The same is often true when it comes to preparing meals. For example, it takes the same amount of time to steam some fresh vegetables as it does to pop a frozen entrée in the microwave and wait for it to cook. They both take an average of between 5-10 minutes.
Similarly, the challenge is often not about having the actual time involved that is the issue, but rather having the energy needed to prepare healthier foods. People, women with families especially, are frequently exhausted by the end of the day and just don't have the mental or physical energy to prepare meals from scratch. This becomes a Catch-22 situation, however, as the quick and conveinient fake-foods people resort to instead are so devitalized and of low nutritional value that they cause a lack of energy and productivity. This can become a vicious cycle that can be challenging to break.
It can be done, however, and the rewards you'll reap are worth it. The way to do it is to push through that initial transition period and expend the time and energy necessary to get yourself consistently eating energy boosting, health-promoting foods. If you can eat in accordance with the guidelines set forth in this book, even if you have to drag your behind into the kitchen to do it, you will eventually regain your energy. The length of time it takes will depend on the individual and also to what degree you are actually Eating for Health. But if you do it, you can't help but begin to have more energy because you will be adequately nourishing and fueling the body. Having more energy on a consistent basis translates into having more time, because you will be more productive, need less sleep, take fewer naps, and generally feel better. So, when you think about it, eating poorly is what's really sucking up your time and energy!
To help with logistics, think about ways you can multi-task by combining food preparation and cooking with other activities. One client of mine listens to inspirational and educational tapes while she chops vegetables for the week. Another savors it as a kind of meditative, relaxation time, quieting her mind and reflecting on the events of the day. I like to plug in my headset to my cordless telephone and catch up with long distance friends and family members, or watch Oprah and national news programs. Enlisting the help of others can be another way of multi-tasking, especially with children.
People are frequently saying they'd like to spend more quality time with their children. Preparing food together can be just the opportunity. It's only been in recent decades in our modern Western society that we have adopted this idea that children's time should be spent playing or doing their homework rather than doing such things as helping in the kitchen. First of all, given the right attitude and approach, being involved in the preparation of food can be a source of great fun and fulfillment - play time if you will. In addition, teaching children how to develop cooking and food preparation skills that will serve them for a life time is a worthy endeavor that in my opinion is equal to, and sometimes even more important than a lot of the homework they are required to do. One of the primary reasons many people, especially young adults, aren't eating as well as they could be today is because they never learned how to prepare and cook fresh foods. These are essential life skills for proper self care and the care of offspring. Enrolling children and other household members to assist with food preparation and cooking is not only a great way to connect and spend quality time together, but will also cut down on the time you personally have to spend in the kitchen. Yes, it will require some initial time and patience for training, but the rewards are well worth the investment.
Another thing to consider when thinking about the time element involved with the preparation of healthy foods is how you spend your time in general. How you spend your time is a reflection of your values. Take a moment to think about where you might be wasting time that could be freed up in order to take better care of your nutritional needs - gossiping, watching T.V., cleaning the spaces between the shower tiles with a Q-Tip?
Next think about prioritizing your time and making nourishing your body a top priority. I once worked with a woman who inititially complained she had no time to cook for herself and her family because of her numerous outside obligations. She was on the board of two community organizations and belonged to at least another three. With all the meetings, fundraisers, and phone calls involved with these organizations, in addition to a successful full time career, she had no time to take care of herself or her family. Or more accurately, she had plenty of time, but she chose to spend it in other ways. As her health started to deteriorate, she began to value taking care of herself more. Gradually she started to let go of her outside commitments, which certainly would not have been considered a waste of time by any means as they were all worthy causes, however, her ability to fulfill them and maintain a balanced personal life was impossible. It became clear to her that she was placing a higher value on others than she was on herself and that she needed to make her own and her family's basic needs a top priority. With more time available, it then became a matter of retraining herself to create and integrate a routine of preparing and eating nutritious foods. Establishing routines are key.
The more you start taking the time to eat healthier foods regularly, the less time consuming and easier it becomes. Think of those things that we are obligated to do as part of being in a human body that just become routine. Most people wouldn't think of going off to work without taking a shower, brushing their teeth, dressing, shaving, putting on makeup, etc. However, many of these same people complain that they don't have time to eat breakfast or pack a wholesome lunch. Can you imagine walking into work naked and stubbly, with bad breath and body odor on a regular basis claiming you don't have time to get ready? It would never happen. Sure there are days when you leave the stubble, lose the eyeliner, and throw on a baseball cap because you really didn't have the time or are taking a day off from the routine. But for the most part, you make the time to take care of these necessities for your benefit and the benefit of others. These hygeinic rituals have become ingrained routines that you automatically schedule in without giving them a second thought. It's just what you do. The same kind of automatic routines for healthy eating can be established as well.
Initially you will have to go through a short retraining transition period. However, once you have trained yourself to make the time and create routines around regularly eating healthier, you will find that eventually it will become as routine as taking a shower and brushing your teeth every morning. Eventually you won't give it a second thought. It will just be what you do. And in fact, much like the days when you miss your morning shower, start feeling a little grungy and can't wait to take one, as you start to experience the many benefits of healthier eating - looking better, feeling better, having more energy, etc. - you will find that you miss your healthier eating routines when you aren't able to follow them and can't wait to get back to them.
All in all any time devoted to the preparation, cooking and enjoying of whole, fresh, natural foods is time well spent that serves you in all areas of your life. The same may be said of money spent on nutritious foods, which we will explore next.
2 ~It's Too Expensive
...I can't afford to buy healthier foods.
"Do you know what we call the Whole Foods Market around our house?" Frank asked coyly when we got to the topic of food costs in an Eating for Health program, "We call it Whole Paycheck!" Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement with this play on the name of the multi-chain health food store, including me. I knew exactly what he was driving at and have felt the bite of exorbitant grocery bills myself. However, over the years that I have been an avid consumer of health food, I have had many thoughts and insights about this common complaint and have come to the conclusion that all factors considered, it just isn't true.
If you think that you can't afford to eat healthier foods, I am here to tell you that you can't afford not to. There's nothing more expensive than poor health. And that is certainly what you will get from continually eating poor quality foods. When you look at the bigger picture and consider the costs of doctor visits, drugs, diagnostic tests, surgeries and procedures, time off work, etc., that can accrue due to poor health caused by a poor diet, you can begin to see how a little self-care via nutritious foods could easily pay off. If you were to compare these costs over time with the costs of healthier foods, you would find that prevention through proper nutrition is always cheaper.
When thinking about food costs, in addition to the costs in terms of dollars, it is also wise to consider the costs in terms of quality of life. If you had extreme fatigue, headaches, sinus or stomach trouble on a regular basis, wouldn't you be willing to pay a couple of extra dollars or so per day to get rid of these nagging symptoms? That may be what you are doing already by purchasing over-the-counter or prescription drugs to treat these or similar dis-eases. Or buying a double mocha latte every morning for the caffeine jolt you hope will get you jumpstarted. The problem is, these approaches merely mask the symptoms and ultimately contribute to the perpetuation of any current ailments, in addition to the possible development of new ones, because they tax the body and often have harmful side affects that go along with them. Symptoms and dis-eases of the body and mind prevent you from living your life to the fullest. Not having enough energy or feeling well enough to play with your children, participate in recreational activities, or pursue your passions is a much higher price to pay than what you might spend on higher quality health-promoting foods.
Revisiting the issue of personal values, not only does how you spend your time reflect your values, but how you spend your money does as well. Take a moment to reflect on where you currently put your dollars. What do you not give a second thought to spending money on? What do you insist upon spending a little extra on to ensure better quality - clothes, furniture, jewelry, a luxury car? Are these conscious choices that reflect what you currently value in life; or have they developed over time and just become habit? How much are these choices influenced by outside forces - society, family, friends, and colleagues?
In our modern society, although we claim otherwise, the care of our bodies and our health rank low when it comes to how we spend our money. Many people, for example, think nothing of spending exorbitant amounts of money every month on a new car and auto insurance payments, yet refuse to pay a few extra pennies or dollars for healthier chemical-free foods. They place a much higher value on their automobile than they do on their human vehicle. Frequently, if you ask these same people what they value more, their health and their children or their car, they will most assuredly tell you their health and their children. But that's not what their spending habits say. More often than not, this is because they never really thought about it. It's just what people do these days. It's a cultural phenomenon. Similarly, most people are diligent about maintaining the health of their cars by taking them in for regular tune-ups, oil changes and the like, while completely neglecting their body's nutritional needs. As a society we currently spend more money on and take better care of our cars than our bodies.
Which brings us around to the question of how much does it actually cost to eat healthier foods? The answer in a nutshell is: not as much as you might think. Many people have the belief that eating health food costs more without having ever fully investigated the matter. Yes, there is no doubt that most health food brands of processed foods, such as salad dressings, pasta sauces, breads, etc., do cost a little more on average than the chemical-laden psuedo-food brands. But this is not what you optimally want to be eating in great quantities anyway. If you are eating whole, fresh, natural foods - produce, legumes and whole grains from the bulk bins - you will be spending much less than what you would spend on processed foods of any kind and getting much greater nutritional value for your money. Organic produce used to be significantly more expensive across the board, but today it is often no more than, and occasionally even less than the non-organic produce. Check the prices and see for yourself.
Also consider that if you are truly Eating for Health you will not be spending money, or will be spending considerably less money, on expensive junk foods such as soda, alcohol, salty and sugary snack foods, coffee, etc. You will also, no doubt be eating out less and dropping fewer dollars in vending machines. All of which add up to a smaller overall food bill. I could make a whole meal for two with leftovers on what some people spend every morning on their gourmet coffee and bagel to go.
When you take into account all the health benefits you derive and all the money you save on acute and chronic illness care now and in the future, all things considered Eating for Health is the best deal going. Put your money where your mouth is - literally! You will be glad you did.
3 ~It's No Fun
...to eat healthy and be deprived of my favorite foods.
Contrary to what many accustomed to the Standard American Diet believe, Eating for Health doesn't translate into pining for pizza and Krispy Kremes while you struggle to force down healthy foods that taste like cardboard. People who have integrated healthy eating as a lifestyle habit aren't walking around feeling deprived of foods they "can't" have and loathing those they do, at least not those that I know. Nor are they individuals who don't enjoy food or eating, as I have heard some people suggest. People who regularly consume health foods, health food nuts if you will, enjoy food just as much as the next person. They have just come to enjoy and have fun with different foods. And that is the key.
The idea that "it's no fun to eat healthy and be deprived of my favorite foods" is, for the most part, a misconception that with a little understanding becomes much easier to uproot and toss aside so that it no longer stands in your way. Yes, it is true that when endeavoring to eat differently as you first begin to let go of foods that are not serving you, many people will be mourning their losses. And at the same time you will be acquiring tastes for new foods, such as vegetables and whole grains. During this transition period, depending on the individual and how you go about the process, you may or may not feel acutely deprived of certain foods. The most important thing to be aware of here is that this is a temporary situation. It will pass. Soon you'll be just another one of those health food nuts with un-indoctrinated onlookers grimacing in disbelief that you are actually enjoying whatever it is you're eating that is so foreign to them. Ask any health food aficionado they'll tell you. They've all been through it. And the other thing they will tell you is that the long-term gains they have experienced were well worth any short-term fleeting challenges they had to go through to get them. Many will even tell you that they never experienced any such feelings of deprivation or loss, that their body actually felt relieved as they embraced healthier foods and the nourishment they provided, leaving them feeling truly satiated often for the first time in their lives.
As mentioned, it's imperative to really understand that taste is acquired and it can be un-acquired as well. I guarantee that given the right amount of time, which will be different for everyone, once you start eating healthier foods, your taste buds will acclimate to a new level of food discernment and you won't feel deprived. On the contrary, many of you will reach a place of feeling very grateful and experiencing a much deeper satisfaction, a holistic satisfaction if you will, that will be much more gratifying than the ephemeral satisfaction of your taste buds. You'll discover new culinary pleasures (some in the recipe section of this book!) that you will come to love even more because you'll feel good about eating them on all levels, including your taste buds. Trust me on this one. I've seen it happen numerous times. People frequently come back to me after going through the Eating for Health program, and thank me for the information and encouragement to persevere. They go on to tell me that I was right - they don't feel deprived or miss those things they used to die for (literally!). In fact, most don't even have a taste for them anymore and many have actually developed a distaste for foods they used to think they couldn't live without. And this can sometimes happen sooner than you might think.
For example, Susan committed to giving up her favorite cookies for a couple of weeks during an Eating for Health class. She had eaten a whole package of these pseudo-cookies every week for as long as she could remember. When the two weeks had passed she decided that she wasn't ready to give them up. When she anxiously bought a package of these old familiar friends that week she was puzzled because they tasted so different from what she remembered. At first she thought the package must be stale. Then she remembered what I had said in class about tastes changing along with changes in diet and concluded that this must be the case. From there, it was much easier for her to replace them with a healthier alternative as they had lost their charm. She transitioned to a new naturally sweetened, additive-free bag of cookies that quickly became her new favorite treat. By doing so she raised the bar on her cookie consumption, taking it up to Level I of Eating for Health. By taking this first step she has greatly increased the odds of eventually taking the next step, minimizing her cookie intake altogether by relegating them to occasional treat status.
Speaking of treats, they are definitely one of the things people are afraid they will be deprived of if they start eating healthier. First of all, this is not what Eating for Health advocates doing. Instead, see what you can do about progressively upgrading the quality of your treats as Susan did, and also intentionally scheduling them in and having them once in awhile. (We will talk more about this later.) Secondly, think for a moment of the most scrumptious, no holds barred treat you can think of. How often do you have it? How often do you treat yourself to this treat? Let's just say it's a double-fudge sundae with a boatload of your favorite toppings. Think about having this every day, 1-3 times a day. Does it still seem like a treat? Would you even want to do this? When you think of having it this often it starts to lose its appeal, doesn't it? When you allow yourself to have something every day or on a very regular basis, you are effectively diminishing its special treat status. A real treat is something that is not only a "special delight" as my dictionary says, but there is also a frequency of indulgence factor involved here as well. If, for example, you have ice cream and cookies before you go to bed every night, going out for ice cream and cookies is no longer a special treat to look forward to, because you do it every night. You are in essence, depriving yourself of treats. Another example of how you may be depriving yourself by not eating healthy consistently has to do with your health.
It would be really wise to dig deeper into this whole issue of perceived deprivation that you might encounter on the road to a better way of eating. Really get clear about what exactly you think you are going to be deprived of. People are often very attached to certain foods claiming that they enjoy them. They will indulge in these terrific tasting foods and feel magnificent for the few minutes it takes to chew and swallow them, then spend an entire day or night with unpleasant symptoms as a result - gas, bloating, stomach upset, sluggishness, headaches, etc. Doesn't sound very enjoyable to me.
And that's only their acute symptoms. They are frequently suffering from an array of chronic degenerative conditions as well, including excess weight, sinus problems and allergies, arthritis, diabetes, depression, heart disease, cancer and more. One of the greatest human tragedies is when people continually indulge in shortsighted fleeting pleasures for fear of being deprived in the moment, only to find in the long run they have subjected themselves to the ultimate deprivation - the loss of their health. Eating poorly on a regular basis, as we learned in Chapter One, will surely rob you of your health. If you think Eating for Health isn't going to be any fun, ask yourself if being unhealthy is any fun? I can tell you from firsthand experience, it is not. If you are not Eating for Health you may already be sick or fat or tired or all of the above, and if you're not, that is most assuredly the direction you are headed. If you violate the Laws of Nature, you will be humbled not as a punishment, but as a consequence of your actions. It's a simple matter of cause and effect.
I want to clarify here that I do not advocate total abstinence from favorite treats, no matter how decadent they may be. In fact, I think it's not only fun, but also healthy to indulge in what might otherwise be considered unhealthy foods just for the sheer pleasure of doing so. This however, should be done only once in a while. "Once in a while" translating to once a week, once a month or once every quarter depending on the degree of decadence. The rest of the time it is essential to maintain a certain level of quality and balance to the diet on a regular basis, in accordance with the Eating for Health Guidelines and Dietary Basics outlined in Chapters 2 and 7, respectively. Doing otherwise creates an imbalanced state in the body, which is asking for trouble.
There are many people who express the sentiments coined by the of the old saying, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." Yes, of course we're all going to die sometime, but let's be optimistic and assume that you are going to live for at least a few more days, or even a few more months or years. Wouldn't you like to be really enjoying each of the days before that time and spend them doing the things you love to do? Often the people I hear express this sentiment, that they're "going to eat whatever they want and enjoy themselves while they're alive", are older people that aren't really enjoying themselves at all. They're sick and fat and tired and complaining about all their aches and pains and doctor bills and not having the energy to do anything. They say that when people are on their deathbed they most frequently express regret for the things they never did in life. I believe many people, at least in our modern world, never accomplish the things they'd love to do in life because they are too sick, fat, tired or depressed to do them. Do you seriously think you are going to be lying on your deathbed regretting that you didn't eat more pizza or ice cream or chocolate cake? If you're lying there dying of cancer or heart disease you're probably regretting just the opposite, especially if your age is well below the average lifespan.
I'll never forget my mother saying to me going into her third week of what turned out to be a six-week unexpected stay in the hospital, "I wish I would have taken better care of myself. I probably wouldn't be in here right now." She then vowed that given a second chance she would change her ways and start eating better once she was discharged and would be looking to me for help. It was one of those moments that fanned the flames of my desire to write this book. Unfortunately, she never got that second chance. What she didn't know then was that that was just the first in a succession of lengthy hospital stays she would have to endure until she died almost a year later. In the end, she felt that her neglectful habits had deprived her of precious months, possibly years of her life. This was not fun for her. She was only 63. She had a new grand baby, a wealth of other friends and family that loved her, and an award-winning career as an artist - she wasn't ready to go. She knew she could have eaten better and exercised more, and she regretted not having done so when she had the opportunity.
If you are reading this book, you still have the opportunity. Seize this opportunity, do it for yourself and your loved ones. Eating for Health is much more fun than depriving yourself of the quality and possibly the quantity of life to which you are entitled.
4 ~It's Too Hard
...to eat healthy foods when surrounded by a family and society that doesn't.
This fourth obstacle people regularly voice is admittedly the most legitimate and challenging. Yes, it can be very hard to adopt and maintain a healthier eating lifestyle when surrounded by noncompliant family members and coworkers, not to mention having to resist the vending machine down the hall at work, the banquet table covered with unhealthy food at every social gathering, and the drive-thru window of fast food emporiums that beckon to you from every main street corner. It can be tremendously challenging there's no doubt about it. That's why I wrote this book, to make it easier. Use what you are learning here and persevere, it will get easier and easier - I promise.
Three of the most important elements for easing this burden are gaining support from others, strategizing this lifelong process, and being prepared by making healthy food choices readily available. These elements are so important that an entire upcoming chapter is devoted to each of them. In addition, following are a few other suggestions that can be tremendously helpful.
The first has to do with bringing the subtle, yet immensely operative workings of the food that you eat to the forefront of your mind. If you step out in front of an oncoming train going 100 miles an hour the consequences you face are clear and immediate. When it comes to the food you eat however, the consequences of your choices are often not clear or immediate, so you don't always make the association between the two. This can be an insidious force working against you when it comes to making changes in your diet. Since the long-term consequences of eating a particular food are not readily visible, going for the immediate gratification of your taste buds is frequently the choice that wins out. One of the best internal tactics I know of to deploy whenever you find yourself pulling out the thought that "healthy eating is too hard" in order to justify an unhealthy indulgence, is to STOP! - and ask yourself, "Is it any easier to have a headache, stomach ache, arthritis, heart attack, sinus problems or any other symptoms or dis-eases you are currently experiencing, or could potentially experience as a result of eating this food?" The more that you can train yourself to make a direct correlation between symptoms or dis-eases and the foods you are eating, the easier it becomes to make better food choices.
Continuously making poor food choices over the course of many years can result in dis-eases that are capable of having an impact on a person's life similar to that of being hit by a train. Remember that people don't just suddenly have a heart attack or "get" diabetes or cancer. These are chronic degenerative diseases that develop in the body over time due to poor diet and lifestyle habits. The same is true of non-life threatening, albeit equally annoying, conditions such as arthritis, sinus problems, depression, etc. The more that you can keep this in mind and remember it when faced with having to choose between a healthy and not-so-healthy food choice, the easier it will become to make the choice that is best for you.
Take a moment now to close your eyes and think of a food choice that you know you are having too much of and is causing you problems. Now think of the symptoms or dis-eases that it is causing in your body. Feel those conditions in your body, pain, bloating, headache, high blood pressure, post-nasal drip - whatever it is. Really feel how these things feel in your body and how much you dislike having them, while continuing to visualize that food choice that is causing or contributing to them. Make that association. Next time you are faced with this food choice and start thinking it is so hard to resist, once again, STOP! Remember how it makes you feel and ask yourself, "Is it any easier to have ______ ," fill in the blank with the symptoms/dis-eases you experience associated with this food. Then make your decision.
You may decide to eat it anyway, we've all done it. But at least you have made a conscious decision. That's the most important thing to start. The more you practice this, the more you will increase the chances of making wiser decisions and the easier it will become. Don't get all serious about doing this, have fun with it. Think of it as a little game you can play with yourself, but practice it regularly in order to reap the benefits.
Practicing any new skill or behavior regularly is what leads to mastery. Because it is a lifelong process, not an event, this is especially true when it comes to healthy eating. The key to success is consistent action over time. So, if you fall off the proverbial horse, keep getting back on. Whether you are learning to ride a horse or a bike, or are trying to quit smoking, exercise regularly or eat healthy consistently, if you want to conquer the beast you've got to keep trying and practicing until you get it right. For example, they say that it takes 6-7 tries on average before a person is able to quit smoking for good. I believe the same is true for healthy eating. So, if you have tried to adopt and maintain a healthier eating lifestyle a few times already and have failed, that's the good news. It means you're almost there! So, whatever you do, don't give up now. Just think if you had given up the first couple of times you toppled over when first learning to ride a bike because it was too hard.
You never would have learned how. Even though it was challenging to start, didn't it get easier each time you fell off and got back on, until eventually it wasn't hard at all and you just cruised right along? That's how Eating for Health will become for you if you just keep at it.
Speaking of quitting smoking, there are a lot of similarities between this health-robbing habit and poor eating. Another such similarity that is important for you to be aware or reminded of, is the withdrawal phase that often comes along with both. Everyone knows that when trying to quit smoking many people suffer from acute withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, nervousness, irritability and cravings for nicotine. What many people don't know, is that when transitioning to a more nutritious diet and letting go of foods that fall below Level I of Eating for Health, you may experience very similar withdrawal symptoms as the body seeks to rebalance itself. This is especially true if you consume a lot of the extreme foods that we talked about in the second Eating for Health guideline, but may be true of other foods as well. It's critical that you understand this and expect it if you decide to go cold turkey on certain foods so that you can arrange your schedule and otherwise prepare yourself.
Don't let the thought of withdrawal scare you off though, you will be so much better off once you get to the other side. Isn't a smoker better off having gone through an acute withdrawal period in order to rid him/herself of this life extinguishing habit than to have kept smoking? What it comes down to is a matter of a few days of discomfort during the withdrawal process, versus the many years of discomfort that may be experienced from the conditions that can arise from the habit of smoking or poor eating. Chapter 9, Clear the Way, will walk you through this transition process step-by-step to make it as easy as possible and minimize whatever withdrawal symptoms you may have to go through.
Another thing that can be enormously worthwhile in easing some of the difficulties associated with maintaining an eating well routine, is developing the art of selective perception. To give you an idea of what I mean by selective perception, a couple of years ago a former coworker was giving me directions to a function. She told me to go down the main street and turn left at the Burger King on the corner, approximately a mile from my house. Although I had lived in the neighborhood for several years by then and had driven by there hundreds of times, I had no idea where the Burger King was. When I told her so, she laughed in dismay and then remembered that I was a health food consumer. "Wow, you mean you really don't even notice places like Burger King? I wish I could do that, I'd probably be able to lose that extra 20 pounds!"
I honestly don't notice fast food joints anymore. They're like noise on the side of the road to me. My selective perception filters them out. In the past I could have told you not only where every fast food restaurant was within a 20 mile radius, but I also could have told you everything available on each of the menus along with their prices. Today I couldn't tell you the fast food places that I drive by every day, but I could tell you where every health food store and health food restaurant is this side of the Mississippi and quite a few on the other side too (a slight exaggeration, but close!). Their generally unassuming signs jump out at me like neon against a black sky. My psychological radar is now wired to seek out places that offer healthy food and I get a little thrill when I discover them. This selective perception developed naturally over the course of time, as it will for you the more you start to eat better. However you can accelerate the process by once again, practicing and playing a little game with yourself around it, which I highly recommend.
The game can go something like this: you see your favorite fast food or other not-such-a-healthy-choice restaurant and you get a pitter patter of excitement and desire for what they have to offer. Notice that this is what you are thinking and then - STOP! - and see how fast you can think of other choices that would serve you better health wise. For example, going to the café down the street that serves fresh salads assembled with chemical-free produce and dressing (note: many fast food restaurants spray their salads with chemical preservatives, and most chain restaurants serve dressing that contains MSG), or a nearby grocery store where you could pick up a roast chicken or an additive-free frozen entrée you could take home. You may still cave and go for the triple-decker cheeseburger with everything and a jumbo milk shake, but once again, at least you made a conscious choice. The more you practice playing this game with yourself, the more likely you will start to make wiser choices.
Similarly, you can also begin to make it a point to set your radar for health food stores and restaurants that are available in your immediate area and whenever you are in an unfamiliar area. Doing so helps you to expand your thoughts about what is available to you. This is really important in this day and age as most people's brains tend to be on automatic pilot, set in the direction of our degenerate popular food culture, which frequently prevents them from even recognizing other possibilities. Always remember that you are like a target with a big black dot on your forehead for profit-minded restaurants and food manufacturers peddling energy-draining, dis-ease-causing, weight-producing primarily fake foods. Peel that big black dot off your forehead and turn the tides. Become a magnet for those food producers that have something better to offer. Just from having read this you will start to notice health-oriented vendors and make better food choices more often, watch and see!
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