Friday, March 25, 2011

A Farewell to Frydays

Sometimes I'm a very bad girl... but only sometimes.

When I tell people I'm 90-95% Raw, they inevitably want to know what the 5-10% is. I'm sorry to admit that the answer isn't terribly glamorous.

Most people have a vice or two, something in their diets-of-the-moment that can be exceptionally difficult to give up for good. One of the things I've loved most about having gone Raw is the 180-degree perspective shift. Suddenly, the majority of the things I might otherwise find tempting seem more like poison to me than a reward to which I'm somehow
entitled... And I struggle to see how giving up poison is much of a sacrifice.

Because of this shift, my transition into the Raw lifestyle has been considerably less difficult than I initially imagined it would be... But I am not perfect. Ninety to ninety-five percent of the time, I am not even tempted. Every once in a while, though, I'll be overcome by a craving or circumstance against which I feel powerless, and I may allow myself a concession. Sometimes the concession helps me avoid causing a fuss or being a source of stress in a social setting. Sometimes it helps keep a merciless, albeit rare, craving at bay.

Last week, for example, after resisting the urge for a grilled cheese sandwich for several days, I eventually buckled and bought one for lunch. My reward was not a happier countenance, nor easier digestion, nor a lesser need for insulin. Instead, I enjoyed the first few bites, and then quickly became disillusioned by the cheese's unnaturally orange color, its plasticy texture and the oily bread. My palate began to protest, followed quickly by my stomach, and later, my energy levels. I had a headache for the rest of the day, and thanks to this experience, I'm pretty sure I won't be as tempted in the future to indulge any such craving for grilled cheese sandwiches.

It's true I learned a great deal from this experience and may learn again later from experiences like it, but my plan is not to be in school forever. What is the point of learning, after all, if not to go and apply the lessons outside the classroom?

I believe in application. My mind will begin to remember what my body already knows - that these types of foods (where the term "food" is used lightly) do more harm than good, and they neither expand my life nor advance my purpose. And as both my mind and body continue to crave healthier alternatives, so will my everyday choices continue to reflect that deeper understanding.

It's just enough savory truth, as it happens, to leave a bad taste in my mouth even when I'm chowing down on my current favorite edible indulgence - a shrimp & chips basket from the delectable lunch truck that stops near my workplace each week. Every Friday for the last several months - even since I went Raw - I've allowed myself this one recklessly deviant meal, where I demand nothing of myself at mealtime but pure enjoyment of flavor. The problem is I'm not enjoying it anymore, and I'm not enjoying it anymore because I know I can make better choices. Not only is this deep-fried meal neither Raw nor organic, but it's also probably one of the least healthy food choices anyone could make, especially someone with diabetes. And is this really how I want to spend my weekly "indulgence"? Is this really the kind of thing I want to continue trying to justify to myself? Is this really what I want to feed my body as fuel?

No, it's not... Not anymore, anyway.

Regardless of the circumstance, the source or how much charm is used in its packaging and sale, I can no longer justify the ingestion of poison into my life. No matter how deceptively tasty you make it, poison is the exact opposite of what I'm currently pursuing.

The ill effects and direct discomforts my still lingering minor misdeeds have had on my general sense of health since my nutritional repentance have caused me to take a new, clearer-minded look at the few concessions I do make when it comes to food. I have come to realize the perpetuated inclusion of poisons into my life (however infrequent and seemingly harmless) does not expand life for me more than it causes harm. In other words, by continuing to tolerate the presence of poisons, I believe I am actually allowing them to weaken my resolve, encouraging and enabling their lengthened stay, and quite probably, facilitating their halt (at best) of the healing I've worked so hard to begin. And the last thing I want is to get any further in the way of my own progress.

Sashimi Tuna Tacos
(my shrimp truck's 'raw'lternative)
And let's face it: Even my favorite lunch truck has healthier items on the menu.

Let this post, then, serve as a contrite confession of these sins and a final farewell to the noxiously deviant behaviors which shall hereafter be put to rest...

Adieu.



4 comments:

  1. Eating clean and doing clean mean feeling clean.

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  2. Yes, and a gradual shift toward clean is probably more practical and less daunting than attempting to abstain cold-turkey from our less healthy habits. That's been my experience, anyway.

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  3. Hi Miss Angela! Would love to chat w. you about doing some food photography....sorbet, fruit, honey, coconuts....have I tempted you enough?

    Ciao!
    Kippy

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  4. Kippy, my dear! I am so tempted!! I'll follow up with you shortly.

    ReplyDelete