Part 5 (1/2)

END YOUR.

DEPENDENCY.

ON COOKED.

FOOD.

Step 1.

BECOMING AWARE OF.

THE PROBLEM.

”And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.”

-John 8:32.

The first and probably the most difficult step is to closely observe oneself, to explore if one has a dependency on cooked food, to evaluate the level of this dependency, and to admit that there is a problem. We cannot fix a problem without knowing what the trouble is. To diagnose correctly is very important. Imagine that your car has stopped in the middle of a bridge. You wouldn't start changing the tires or pulling the engine apart without specifying the problem first. Most likely, you would gladly pay money just for the diagnosis alone.

Similarly, when people feel the need to quit eating certain foods, and they have not yet realized they have developed a dependency on these foods, they start acting without adequate tools and are likely to fail. In order to help you clarify for yourself whether you are able to manage your eating habits, I have developed a special questionnaire.

Cooked Food Dependency Questionnaire.

Please answer ”Yes” or ”No” to each of the following questions. If you want to answer ”Sometimes,” ”Maybe,” or ”Rarely” then answer ”Yes.” Please be honest.

If you are not hungry, but someone offers you your favorite delicious food, do you accept the offer?

If you know that it is not good to eat before bedtime, but there is some delicious food on the table, do you eat it?

Do you eat more food than usual when you are stressed?

Do you continue eating until your stomach feels completely full?

Do you eat when you are bored?

Do you notice restaurant signs even when you are not hungry?

If you are made an offer for a free dinner, do you always accept the offer?

Do you usually overeat at all-you-can-eat restaurants?

Have you ever broken a promise to yourself not to eat before bedtime?

Would you spend the last $10 in your pocket on your favorite food?

Do you reward yourself with food for accomplis.h.i.+ng achievements?

Do you eat extra food rather than letting it go to waste?

If you know that eating a certain food you really enjoy will make you feel ill later, do you still eat it?

If you answered ”Yes” to three or more questions, then you may have a dependency on cooked food.

Raw-fooders also sometimes answer ”Yes” to more than three questions. For several months and even years after adopting a rawfood diet, most people continue viewing food as a comforting element. Then, little by little, they begin to create other sources of comfort and pleasure in their lives, and their focus might s.h.i.+ft away from food after a while.

In this first step we are only searching for an indication of a dependency in our eating patterns. If you notice signs of it, please observe your behavior without any judgment, feelings of guilt, or remorse. This program is not aimed at dumping your self-esteem, but rather finding the best possible ways of coping with your eating habits, and eventually building up healthy relations.h.i.+ps with food. This is only the first step.

Here is another questionnaire for you. Please answer the following three questions. It is very important that you do so quickly and honestly. It is even better if you answer these questions with a friend.

Have you ever overeaten in your life? Yes or No?

Did you like how you felt afterwards? Yes or No?

Can you promise me here and now that you will never do it again? Yes or No?

To tell you the truth, I have yet to meet the lucky person who has never overeaten in his/her life. If you are not that fortunate being, then please try to recollect in detail your bodily experiences after a big meal. Perhaps you didn't like how you felt after overeating. You probably felt as if you had a brick in your stomach, had nightmares later that night, and looked puffy the next morning. Maybe you even swore to never overeat again. But when I ask if you would do it again, you will most likely nod, ”Yes!”

Often we act as if food has become our main pleasure. To celebrate our birthdays, anniversaries, or other occasions, we organize fancy and abundant feasts. When we attend a birthday party, we expect to be nicely fed. How would you feel about a party where no food was offered?

”Food” has become synonymous with ”celebration” and ”enjoyment.” For holiday dinners we plan delicious meals, spend extra money, and prepare the most mouth-watering items to eat. We even have an a.r.s.enal of special festive dishes such as tortes, chocolate truffles, ice cream, and candy, along with an extended a.s.sortment of appetizers. Often we look forward to eating as if it were the most essential part of the entire celebration.

We try not to think of how we are going to feel the next morning. Naturally after a big party we feel tired, sleepy, and even sick. In many cases we attempt to fix our poor condition with coffee or medicine. However, all this suffering doesn't stop us from planning our next holiday meal. Such an irrational performance clearly demonstrates many people's inability to manage their eating behavior, or in other words, a dependency.

To better understand any possible challenges you may have encountered in the past in your efforts to maintain a healthy diet, let us bring to light some of your previous experiences with food. Please answer the following questions, preferably on paper. Take your time, as you need to collect as much information as possible to properly evaluate your relations.h.i.+ps with food.

Have you ever tried to quit eating any particular food (bread, chocolate, meat, popcorn, ice cream, coffee, cheese, sugar, etc.)? Yes or No?

Did you try to stop eating this food more than once? Yes or No?

If yes, can you think of why you had to make more than one attempt?

To quit eating certain foods is not as easy as it seems, even in cases of lethal danger. We all are aware of people who undergo life-threatening surgeries, have their stomachs stapled, take questionable diet pills, or smoke dangerous substances to suppress their appet.i.tes. Millions of others force themselves to throw up after they overeat, or fast for a few days on water, only to go back to binging. If there were no dependency on cooked foods, these drastic measures would be unnecessary.

Once I was helping for nine months as a volunteer at the Creative Health Inst.i.tute (CHI) in Michigan. During this time 132 people who had cancer went through the program at CHI. All these people were placed on a strict raw-food diet with an emphasis on greens and sprouts (a diet developed by Dr. Ann Wigmore-see Chapter 3). Most of these guests felt better within a matter of weeks. Their tumors began to shrink, and they had more energy. Some of them even applied for new jobs and submitted applications to college. When our guests returned home, they continued on this diet for a while. But when the holidays came, they all slipped off. All of these people died because they couldn't stay on a raw-food diet. They left children and loved ones behind because they were not able to resist their cravings for cooked food. I knew each one of those people personally. I was teaching them to grow sprouts and drink wheatgra.s.s juice. I talked to their families, which were supportive because they witnessed a positive change in the health of their loved ones. I especially remember Cynthia, a thirty-year-old schoolteacher who had solid support from her whole family. Her three sons pleaded, ”Mom, we're going to make juice for you. Just stay on this raw-food diet and stay alive.” Her husband said, ”Stay raw, we will eat with you.” She couldn't stay on the raw-food diet. Her cancer came back. Cynthia sent me a ”Thank You” note before she died.

These stories show that a dependency on cooked food is often stronger than fear of death. It is more powerful than the fear of disease, no matter how great the suffering and pain. Understanding how addictive cooked food can be helps conquer this dependency. The following exercise is instrumental in finding additional information about your eating patterns that are not always obvious.