Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Recovery and Renunciation

Renounce means renounce.

Some of us dealing with healing and recovery have talked about how difficult it is to stop eating or drinking their familiars and often favorites. 

This week, giving up the eating habits of many years in order to heal means -- in addition to my having given up alcohol, coffee, tea, chocolate (!) -- I now must add to that list all wheat, fruit juices, whole fruits...and begin paying attention to the glycemic index of any vegetables I may consider for the daily menu.

For someone who grew up in a household where meals were centered on pastas and breads, followed by a double espresso, this has been no small adjustment.

This also means adding in new things like green smoothies (which without the fruit/fruit juices are really lacking). The best recipe I've found so far: throwing celery in with the kale and baby bok choy makes something reminiscent of a V8.

The fact that I feel so incredibly terrible or immensely better when I do eat certain things provides a certain operant conditioning to help me along in this process.  Really wanting not to wind up in the ER again. That also provides great motivation.

Another: No smartphone/ ipad/ computer screens after 8pm, to quiet the mind and prepare the body for a more restful sleep. On night two of that one, we'll see how it goes.

Working with renunciation means noticing our cravings as they arise, acknowledging them, and making a different choice.  I'm making sliced apple for the kids, it smells so good, just one won't hurt...remember last time...right. Time for celery and hummus.




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