Gratitude in place of fear

This isn't about food, but reading it inspired me to write this post
https://www.brainpickings.org/2016/02/15/seneca-letter-18/

One thing I hadn't considered about the gratitude diet is the way it can teach us that we can be OK even with the bare minimum. Living on rice and beans for a few days is not a true deprivation for most reasonably healthy people.

Fear, at a very subconscious level, plays a role in the desire to eat as much as you can while it's available. I think it's a lesson that's instilled very deeply over generations of time. Perhaps it's even part of our genetics.

It's scary to think that we might not have enough food when we need it. It could literally cause our death. In some ways, facing the deeply rooted biological urge to eat even when we're not especially hungry, is a process of coming to terms with the risk of our own death. At a high level, or "rationally", we can understand that unhealthy eating can ALSO cause our death, but it would never be as immediate as death from not having food.

So learning to refrain from overeating may be a process starting with compassion and acceptance of your body's basic biological systems. When you're overwhelmed by hunger, your body is trying to protect you and keep you alive. So, say "thank you" to your body rather than getting annoyed with it. First recognize those deep needs as valid and then try to figure out how to make the healthiest choice.

Day 30: Anything else?

I can't think of anything I haven't covered, but this day is for adding anything else on. (Heroin?)

Bon appetit!

Day 29: Sweets!

Ah, so wonderful!

This is a day to be grateful for sweet things. Some people aren't that crazy about sweets. I really don't understand them.

Ideally on this day you will find something very special to enjoy. It doesn't have to be big (in fact, maybe it would be better if it was small), but it would be nice if it can be something fancy.

After you fully and properly enjoy this experience, it may be useful to think about how and when you'd prefer to eat sweets. In my experience, I sometimes need to take very long breaks from sweets to break my addiction to them. The good news is that each time I do that, I feel less and less attached to the fact that I MUST eat them all the time.

I still love them, and I fully and loudly proclaim that fact (no shame!). On the other hand, I can learn to live without them, and better gauge the times when they'll give me the pleasure I'm hoping for and when they won't. The practice of gratitude helped me immensely with this.

Day 28: Alcohol

This is another one where I don't really partake that often, so I didn't feel like I was missing much.

Many (if not most?) alcoholic beverages are high in calories, and considering that your body treats alcohol like a toxin, it's not particularly good for you.

The gratitude for alcohol would be simply the pleasure it gives you when you have that kind-of warm, melty feeling, a "buzz". This is definitely another category of food that could be left off the list if you choose. If you instead decide to partake, try to take your time and really savor the experience. (Wine especially seems suited for this.) I guess I'm not exactly targeting frat party-goers, here. Mindfulness, an idea which comes from Buddhism, doesn't really seem to go hand-in-hand with drinking.

Well, unless you consider this link:
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/03/mindful-drinking-vajrayana-tradition-alcohol-and-buddhism/

I dunno... I suppose you can find what you're looking for somewhere on Google. :)

Day 27: Caffeine

Some people may want to move this much earlier in the list. Perhaps Day 2 or 3. :)

I can't really handle caffeine, so I try to avoid it as much as possible anyway.

Coffee & tea are included in this list, and I guess 5-hour energy?

Day 26: Alternative Sweeteners (honey, maple, etc.)

I don't think honey or maple syrup is particularly different from plain table sugar, in terms of the health benefits or drawbacks. But by excluding "plain old sugar" & corn syrup, you're still limiting yourself quite a bit from overly processed, and overly obtainable foods. Maybe a good way of describing it is a "soft limitation", because it's still possible to treat yourself when you have a particular craving for sweets, but there are more barriers to making a quick decision about it.

Chances are, things will taste really sweet, and a little will go a long way. The nice thing about that you'll get to have almost a revisiting of the times when you first tried these things.

Day 26: Chocolate

It may be hard to work in chocolate without sugar, but there are recipes that may help you to learn an appreciation for chocolate that isn't sweet:

Here's a link to get started:

http://www.cheatsheet.com/life/7-savory-recipes-to-satisfy-your-chocolate-fix.html/?a=viewall

Day 25: Butter/Cream

(This also includes cream cheese.)

Enjoy how much a little bit of butter can go a long way. Even though this food group isn't really considered "healthy", it does make things tasty, and tasty is a thing to be thankful for!

Day 24: Shellfish

Shrimp, lobster, crab, oysters, mussels. Yummy!

No butter yet, though. So try to appreciate them plain first. :)

Day 23: Cheese

I kept cheese as a separate category from milk. It's interesting how many dishes (especially those served in the U.S.) have cheese - pizza, tacos, mac & cheese.

I occasionally enjoy watching "food porn", and it seems like at least 90% of the dishes have some sort of dairy, and more than half of them have cheese. The ending part, where they show the fork slicing and lifting the first bite, always zooms in on the gooey mozzarella or cheddar.

I'll end this with a comic:

http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3517

Day 22: Milk

I chose to include milk really late in the list because I don't really drink much plain milk anyway. Any of these days can be switched around.

Milk is pleasant because it is smooth and has an almost sweet taste. It is our first food when we are young.

Of course, there are different kinds of milk. Soy and almond milk count in this because our experience of them is similar to the animal-based sources.

Start with a glass of cold milk. Hold the glass or cup in your hand and think about the pleasant sensation it will have in your mouth and how it will cool your throat. Drink slowly, and take the time to enjoy it completely.

Another time, try warm milk. Feel the warmth of it spread through your body as you drink it. If you've been missing sweets, a little bit of vanilla extract will make this more of a treat.

Milk gives you protein, calcium and vitamin D (which is added on after). Take some time to think about the cows that live to provide this to you. Are they well cared for, and do they live decent lives? Think also about the people who take care of them and work to bring this food to you. The point of this isn't so much to elicit guilt, but to create a space for awareness. Depending on where you bought the milk, chances are the situation is far from perfect, but a good first step in changing the situation is to feel grateful. Don't waste what you have, and don't fail to appreciate it!

Day 22: Lamb

Another category of meat...

Day 21: Beef

Here again, not much to say that hasn't already been said before regarding animal treatment and the option to not include this category in your overall diet. (And to maintain a sense of gratitude if you decide to keep beef in your diet.)

Day 20: Pork/ham

I don't have a lot to say about this category except that it includes all pork products, including bacon!