Diet and the work

[Liberty]

As we all know our conditioning of a lifetime - of eating certain foods can easily turn into an addiction. This is a powerful and controlling force. This might also sound a bit strong to view this force as a predator, but it's how it appears to me.
When I started to change my diet , there were times when the craving for taboo foods were like a drug addict weaning themself of drugs. Much has been written on how these foods effect us and cause chemical changes turning us literally into addicts - so it is no surprise how hard this process can be and how that inner voice can keep on saying go on, go on, have that coffee, gin and tonic etc, etc.
I found giving up one food type at a time the way forward for me so cheese was replaced by meat/fish, milk by coconut milk, couscous by quinoa and so on, so that I gradually introduced and replaced foods and generally didn't have massive attacks and cravings, but that said, there were and still are times when I literally feel empty.
Also introducing vitamins and minerals as supplements has greatly increased the way my body and brain functions, resulting in a clarity that I have never had before, which is empowering.

I do think that our relationship to food has been on a down hill slippery slope for many years, brought about by the food industries dominance in our so called reality. Whether the art of cooking is being lost by so many is truly sad, but I definitely really enjoy eating and cooking. The smell, taste, texture and how food appears is a pleasure, but also an essential function that we all need for human survival and well being.
Our bodies are remarkable and I have sometimes wondered how our bodies and brains function at all on what is put into it. The hard lesson is that at some stage in the future this level of abuse catches up and our bodies become ill and inflamed and our minds cease to work.

Quote from: anart on May 10, 2009, 04:16:20 AM
It brings to mind the idea that 'the soul cannot abide a lie' - that it 'withdraws' at the smallest lie to the self or others.

The following is likely out in left field, but - just in case it makes some sort of sense...

If one considers frequency resonance and the hypothesis that as the conscious mind increasingly perceives and aligns to objective truth, so does it align with, or access, the higher self (or soul), then, perhaps, this is reflected in physiological brain function. Perhaps - a belief in lies, no matter how brief, disturbs this resonance so that the 'higher self' withdraws - or at least the access of the conscious mind to that higher self is restricted - resulting in changes in brain function. Very interesting if our brains are our interface with the Universe and all that entails.

The manifestations of this change in brain function - the physiological representation of the 'withdrawal' of higher perception, or an alignment with higher perception, could involve any number of behavioral or emotional manifestations - none of them 'positive'. It would certainly map to my own personal experience.

Taking responsibility and making choices related to diet is just one step in the work, and has lead me to look at my own free will and making choices in all aspects of my life. Going against the norm or the perceived norm has broken down a barrier and has lead me on to resist what we perceive as conventional or lies. This has come about from having a clearer brain so hopefully enabling me to be a little bit more awake, so that I can actually start to contribute.

So thank you everyone for this post.

 

[Liberty]

My mother's the same, Gertrudes and it is hard to observe. She has just spent the weekend with me eating what I eat and has for the first time said that she is going to stop eating wheat at the end of the month. I think this would be a really good start for her, but at the age of 80 years a pretty hard choice, I have tried to prepare her, to clear her cupboards and replace with buckwheat and quinoa, and to eat more meat and good fats. I am hopefully that some of her health problems could be resolved and it would help with her overall mental state.
My mother is well known for here amazing cakes and pastries and has spent a lifetime giving here food to family and friends so I will actively try and get her to create some less conventional or as we know it wheat free recipes that we can all share in.

Although I have to say that being around someone who I care for makes it really difficult for me to stay quiet when I should.... I do manage to stay quiet, but my very skin is boiling!
This is particularly true with my mother. She tries so, so hard to eat healthy, and after having had both her parents dying from heart disease she stays as far from fats as she can, takes drugs to lower her cholesterol, her only source of fat is margarine, vegetable oil and olive oil, and she eats loads of soy.

I know this topic has come up several times on the forum, but still, seeing someone you care for deeply trying to do what she believes is right, getting it all wrong and gradually destroying her health while you watch seems to take the little monster out of me

Again it comes down to free will and making choices and individually that is up to each and everyone of us to be responsible.

 

[mcb]

I notice different things on different days when I am waiting to "check out" at the grocery store. (My but isn't that an apt way to describe it!) I think that the most useful thing is to notice the "shifty i's." Because of my earlier phase of "food evangelism," part of which is not far in the past, I may notice how I would have viewed my own purchases in the past. This is not a mental exercise, but actually something that jumps out at me sometimes. It is probably a recoil from my initial thoughts, which are likely to have something to do with thinking that I have made a better choice than the other person (or not, depending on what they are buying).

But the more important thing is who do I become? The details are a little confusing because where I shop, the other person may well be choosing items according to the same principles that I used in the past. So in this situation I want to be "better/important" but -- from a past programming standpoint -- I am doing the "wrong" thing and the other person is doing the "right" thing. My recoil seems to confirm that that is what happens -- and there is nowhere to run. One thing is somewhat clear, though: for the moment I seem to become that person who used to promote a certain style of eating and question the judgement of people who did things differently, and emotion seems to have taken over (I think I recognize the programming). So that is one thing my "shifty i's" are up to.

The idea is to make these self-observations without judgement (otherwise it is hard to see much of anything), and I see that I do not have grounds for either feeling sorry for the other person or good about what I am doing. My knowledge is limited, and at some future time I could well be making different choices again, especially given how corrupt our scientific knowledge really is.

There are still other feelings wanting to surface, such as anger over thinking what kind of world is this that spawns such utter confusion. I do wonder why, and I just have to acknowledge that there is more to it than I have yet seen, and the words of POTS come to mind. This is my school and I am learning lessons from it. The more I observe and ask good questions, the more I learn and grow. Toward apatheia, hopefully.

As I like to say, the dietary issues are one facet of a larger problem, and I am starting to see some of the other parts more clearly. Some of you may be long past where I am, but right now is when it's all really starting to scream at me (again) as my comfortable worldview disintegrates (even further), and I feel like that, at least, is some kind of progress, and that in some sense the "problems" are actually a good thing.

 

[RyanX]

These are really good and interesting points ya'll make.

For me, eating the correct foods (in the correct amounts) results in a steady feeling throughout the day. There's no big highs or big lows, just a feeling of stasis throughout. I feel like I can be just as productive first thing in the morning as I can an hour before bedtime. Prior to making diet changes, there were big ups and downs throughout the day; sometimes it was a struggle just to get the essential chores done.

That isn't to say I don't have ups and downs. The thing that's changed though is that if I'm in a depressed mood, I feel that way for the whole day, or maybe several days. There's no little ups and downs in between. There's still that temptation to grab some sugary food to boost my mood, but if I can fight it off, it forces me to get to the root of whatever it is that's bothering me. Likewise on those good days I feel like I can sustain a high level of energy for much longer. It's not interrupted by little crashes brought on after meals by the food I used to eat.

It seems like the diet helps me learn to live with myself instead of living with some altered self that's in a state of permanent chemical imbalance. It makes the process of keeping my emotions in check and keeping my head clear a lot easier too. It also gives me some space to work on myself, whereas before it felt like I was always fighting for that space.

Hopefully that makes some sense.

 

[truth seeker]

It seems like the diet helps me learn to live with myself instead of living with some altered self that's in a state of permanent chemical imbalance. It makes the process of keeping my emotions in check and keeping my head clear a lot easier too. It also gives me some space to work on myself, whereas before it felt like I was always fighting for that space.

Hopefully that makes some sense.

Makes a lot of sense and well put. :)