Happy Eating
"Eat what makes your body smile. Stop eating while it still smiling." William Wittmann
I would like to share share an article written by Dr Alexandra Gayek in her e-newsletter which can be subscribed at http://www.scienceofbeingwell.net/
I have been through a lot in terms of diet since March. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I become a total vegan overnight. Vegan are more strict then vegetarians because we don't take eggs either. I don't find it difficult; the switch was painless and easy. But my weight loss of nearly 20kg could be attributed to this sudden change, on top of surgeries, medication and of course the tumours themselves. They seem to be able to grab nutrients before normal cells do.
Not only was I a vegan, I also totally avoid sugar and salt. Some may not able to imagine what life would be like without these two condiments, but it's was ok with me. The natural taste of food is enhanced. I remembered friends and my oncologists are very worried with this seemingly "fanatical" change in diet. I told them I am not a wide-eyed food fundamentalist; I will change if this doesn't work. I started to take eggs in June at the urging of Dr Yong my Chinese physician.
Now, I have eased off the strict diet. It may have helped me initially, but now somehow I want to push the envelope; to see what happens. I am now taking the occasional fish and it product such as fish cake and yong tau foo. I also take the occasional chicken.
The recent Raya saw me taking lontong, ketupat with kuah kacang and Raya cookies at Mariam's open house. And I actually celebrated my final brain radiotherapy with my die-hard kakis Simon and Fong with banana leaf rice lunch at our favourite Indian restaurant; Bigreen Leaf in Seremban. I took chicken & fish curry and vegetarian dishes....Yum yum! :)
I have also taking outside food when I go to KL, of course choosing carefully the dishes. No fried stuff and red meat. Nothing too oily and cleanliness of the restaurant is important.
OK, let's move on to the article...
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN EATING (It may not be what you think!)
By Alexandra Gayek, ND, Seattle, WA
"Don't tell my cardiologist," whispers my friend as he returns from the buffet line with a plate piled high with greasy onion rings and a big, juicy steak.
"You didn't see me eat that," he continues, as he makes his way through his third dish of ice cream.
Even when people don't know I'm a naturopathic doctor, I hear this kind of remark from someone almost every time I'm in a social situation involving food. When they know my profession, people often look at me as if I'm the "food police," judging their every bite.
I shudder to think of how true that used to be. But despite the fact that I'm not judging now, there's no doubt that THEY are judging their OWN every bite! You too?
Even now, I'm consistently told that the part about what to eat is surely the most difficult part of practicing The Science of Being Well.
It doesn't have to be.
You may be expecting the "inevitable" experience of overindulgence (or at least temptation of it) that is often
associated with the coming winter holidays. If, like me, you'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this week, your assumptions may be so ingrained that it may not have occurred to you to challenge that common expectation of gaining five uncomfortable pounds in a single day!
But a different experience is easily possible.
If you are finding yourself feeling guilty when you eat what you really want, and feeling deprived when you eat what you think you *should*, you've missed the most important point in practicing The Science of Being Well.
That point is to FEEL GOOD!
If you focus your attention on FEELING GOOD about every possible aspect of eating, instead of trying to perfectly follow any other rules about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, you will discover something very interesting. You'll likely wind up doing something very close to what Mr. Wattles teaches.
Think about it for a minute.
You joyfully anticipate your trip to the store or restaurant or home or your friend's house to get delicious food that you love and that you know will feel wonderful in your body. You are grateful that you can get what you want, smile at those involved in selling it or preparing it for you.
You thoroughly enjoy every single bite -- the taste, the feel in your mouth, the idea of it, where it came from, how satisfying it is in your belly.
When you finish your meal you feel perfect. It was just right. Hours later, you still feel good.
Here's a question for you: Does guilt feel good?
Not to me!
And another question: Does deprivation feel good?
Nope!
And a third question: Does it feel good to feel sick, disgusted, or regretful later about an earlier choice you made?
NO!
So if the only rule is to feel good all the time, there are two ways to go about it:
1. Don't do what feels bad:
- Don't eat stuff that makes you feel guilty now, or sick, disgusted, or regretful later.
- Don't avoid stuff you like if avoiding it makes you feel unhappy and deprived.
OR
2. Choose to feel good about what you do:
- Drop the feelings of guilt and deprivation and ENJOY every bite of what you have decided to eat.
- Forgive yourself IMMEDIATELY if you discover that what you enjoyed before doesn't feel good now. - Feel good about your new decision to do something different from now on.
Why is this so very important?
YOU ARE A CREATOR! That means you create the impact of your food on your body with your thoughts and feelings about it.
If you think while eating something that it will make you fat,you are giving your body that instruction. If you think while eating something that it is in any way bad for your health, you are giving that instruction to your body. This is true even if you are enjoying the taste of the food. The negative thought cancels the good feeling.
What about thinking something is good for you while you eat it,but simultaneously disliking it or resenting the fact that you have to eat it or can't eat something you'd prefer? The negative feeling cancels the positive thought.
What to aim for is a positive thought-positive feeling combination. Ask yourself this: what can I eat that makes me feel thoroughly good?
As you head toward any event involving eating, especially if your previous experience is that you tend to eat too much, or are unable to resist eating or drinking things that you later regret, try asking yourself that question in advance.
Allow yourself to remember the full physical experience of eating the perfect amount of something you love that feels completely wonderful to your body before, during, and after eating. Plant this image as what you want to experience.
You'll be amazed at what happens when you consciously replace previous negative images of indigestion, being over-full, being out of control or "unconscious" when you eat, or being at the mercy of the desires or influence of family members, friends, or advertising images with a very clear and powerful image of yourself feeling thoroughly good about your eating experience.
Whatever food-filled event is next for you, let celebrating abundance mean trusting enough in the infinite supply of good food in the universe that you can gratefully afford to have the perfect experience of "just right" every time.
I would like to share share an article written by Dr Alexandra Gayek in her e-newsletter which can be subscribed at http://www.scienceofbeingwell.net/
I have been through a lot in terms of diet since March. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I become a total vegan overnight. Vegan are more strict then vegetarians because we don't take eggs either. I don't find it difficult; the switch was painless and easy. But my weight loss of nearly 20kg could be attributed to this sudden change, on top of surgeries, medication and of course the tumours themselves. They seem to be able to grab nutrients before normal cells do.
Not only was I a vegan, I also totally avoid sugar and salt. Some may not able to imagine what life would be like without these two condiments, but it's was ok with me. The natural taste of food is enhanced. I remembered friends and my oncologists are very worried with this seemingly "fanatical" change in diet. I told them I am not a wide-eyed food fundamentalist; I will change if this doesn't work. I started to take eggs in June at the urging of Dr Yong my Chinese physician.
Now, I have eased off the strict diet. It may have helped me initially, but now somehow I want to push the envelope; to see what happens. I am now taking the occasional fish and it product such as fish cake and yong tau foo. I also take the occasional chicken.
The recent Raya saw me taking lontong, ketupat with kuah kacang and Raya cookies at Mariam's open house. And I actually celebrated my final brain radiotherapy with my die-hard kakis Simon and Fong with banana leaf rice lunch at our favourite Indian restaurant; Bigreen Leaf in Seremban. I took chicken & fish curry and vegetarian dishes....Yum yum! :)
I have also taking outside food when I go to KL, of course choosing carefully the dishes. No fried stuff and red meat. Nothing too oily and cleanliness of the restaurant is important.
OK, let's move on to the article...
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE IN EATING (It may not be what you think!)
By Alexandra Gayek, ND, Seattle, WA
"Don't tell my cardiologist," whispers my friend as he returns from the buffet line with a plate piled high with greasy onion rings and a big, juicy steak.
"You didn't see me eat that," he continues, as he makes his way through his third dish of ice cream.
Even when people don't know I'm a naturopathic doctor, I hear this kind of remark from someone almost every time I'm in a social situation involving food. When they know my profession, people often look at me as if I'm the "food police," judging their every bite.
I shudder to think of how true that used to be. But despite the fact that I'm not judging now, there's no doubt that THEY are judging their OWN every bite! You too?
Even now, I'm consistently told that the part about what to eat is surely the most difficult part of practicing The Science of Being Well.
It doesn't have to be.
You may be expecting the "inevitable" experience of overindulgence (or at least temptation of it) that is often
associated with the coming winter holidays. If, like me, you'll be celebrating Thanksgiving this week, your assumptions may be so ingrained that it may not have occurred to you to challenge that common expectation of gaining five uncomfortable pounds in a single day!
But a different experience is easily possible.
If you are finding yourself feeling guilty when you eat what you really want, and feeling deprived when you eat what you think you *should*, you've missed the most important point in practicing The Science of Being Well.
That point is to FEEL GOOD!
If you focus your attention on FEELING GOOD about every possible aspect of eating, instead of trying to perfectly follow any other rules about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, you will discover something very interesting. You'll likely wind up doing something very close to what Mr. Wattles teaches.
Think about it for a minute.
You joyfully anticipate your trip to the store or restaurant or home or your friend's house to get delicious food that you love and that you know will feel wonderful in your body. You are grateful that you can get what you want, smile at those involved in selling it or preparing it for you.
You thoroughly enjoy every single bite -- the taste, the feel in your mouth, the idea of it, where it came from, how satisfying it is in your belly.
When you finish your meal you feel perfect. It was just right. Hours later, you still feel good.
Here's a question for you: Does guilt feel good?
Not to me!
And another question: Does deprivation feel good?
Nope!
And a third question: Does it feel good to feel sick, disgusted, or regretful later about an earlier choice you made?
NO!
So if the only rule is to feel good all the time, there are two ways to go about it:
1. Don't do what feels bad:
- Don't eat stuff that makes you feel guilty now, or sick, disgusted, or regretful later.
- Don't avoid stuff you like if avoiding it makes you feel unhappy and deprived.
OR
2. Choose to feel good about what you do:
- Drop the feelings of guilt and deprivation and ENJOY every bite of what you have decided to eat.
- Forgive yourself IMMEDIATELY if you discover that what you enjoyed before doesn't feel good now. - Feel good about your new decision to do something different from now on.
Why is this so very important?
YOU ARE A CREATOR! That means you create the impact of your food on your body with your thoughts and feelings about it.
If you think while eating something that it will make you fat,you are giving your body that instruction. If you think while eating something that it is in any way bad for your health, you are giving that instruction to your body. This is true even if you are enjoying the taste of the food. The negative thought cancels the good feeling.
What about thinking something is good for you while you eat it,but simultaneously disliking it or resenting the fact that you have to eat it or can't eat something you'd prefer? The negative feeling cancels the positive thought.
What to aim for is a positive thought-positive feeling combination. Ask yourself this: what can I eat that makes me feel thoroughly good?
As you head toward any event involving eating, especially if your previous experience is that you tend to eat too much, or are unable to resist eating or drinking things that you later regret, try asking yourself that question in advance.
Allow yourself to remember the full physical experience of eating the perfect amount of something you love that feels completely wonderful to your body before, during, and after eating. Plant this image as what you want to experience.
You'll be amazed at what happens when you consciously replace previous negative images of indigestion, being over-full, being out of control or "unconscious" when you eat, or being at the mercy of the desires or influence of family members, friends, or advertising images with a very clear and powerful image of yourself feeling thoroughly good about your eating experience.
Whatever food-filled event is next for you, let celebrating abundance mean trusting enough in the infinite supply of good food in the universe that you can gratefully afford to have the perfect experience of "just right" every time.
posted by Hee Boon at 5:59 pm
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