Fighting Food Cravings- a Life and Death Issue
I want to talk a bit today about my father, who passed away about a week ago. I have been thinking a lot about him in conjunction with this blog, as his major illness was diabetes- the disease of chronic, lifetime overeating. It mostly goes hand in hand with food addiction and cravings.
Now as a child and young adult, I never knew of the profound link between diabetes and food cravings or food addiction. In fact, I never knew there was such a thing as food addiction. And my dad and I used to have a grand old time, sharing food and laughs. We liked ice-cream, cookies, donuts, and soda, and there was always a treat involved in a trip to the store with my dad.
In short my dad loved to eat and so did I. It was one of the many levels upon which we met. We were very connected and we loved each other a lot.
But as my dad grew older and I began to learn about food addiction I began to wonder, was it really worth it? Could eating all of those 'goodies' for a lifetime really be worth spending your declining years listless in a chair, unable to walk, see, sing, or even swallow. And wouldn't the 'something special' my dad and I had together still have been as strong even without our constant binging on sweets.
And one could arguably say that he starved himself to death in the final weeks of not even being able to eat.
So what is there to say about all of this? I know for me I lived a full seven years with no traces of sugar, wheat, or flour in my body- as well as a whole host of other ingredients. And it took a lot of work because in truth there is hardly a box, can, or jar on a grocery store shelf that does not contain at least one of these ingredients, and usually they have a lot more than one. Now I live mostly craving- free, perhaps because it also takes seven years for the cells in a human body to replace themselves. Considering that the cells in your body literally become addicted to those substances, I probably don't have any addicted cells left.
During the week of my dad's death, I played in the arena of eating some no-no foods. In some ways I think it was a last and feeble attempt to connect with my dad, who was gone by then. But I can tell you that I don't suggest this as a good idea. I have had my days of intense and unmanageable cravings, and it's not fun. So I know that seven years or no seven years, it is best for me to stay on the straight and narrow.
So here is where I am left regarding this whole issue. My dad could not avoid his fate. He didn't know about food addiction, or what to do about it. And so he followed an inevitable path to destruction. I have another possibility. I can stick to the foods that make me feel healthy and vibrantly alive and that do not cause cravings. And I can educate others on how to do the same. And I can hope that the grocery stores eventually begin to offer us more options. And by doing this, I can most fully honor my father's love- and his greatness. For he was a truly amazing man, in every way.
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About the Author
For more assistance with addictions go to the sites of renowned writer speaker and Second Hand Addiction expert, Lorelei F at fightingfoodcravings and at assistanceful-hints-for-quitting-smoking
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by: LoreleiF
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