Tag Archives: nutrition

Poem: Sugar is Not Love …a Haiku

Sugar is not love
It’s just a crutch I lean on
When I am not strong

–

About the poem:

Emotional eating is the vice I have to keep an eye out for. Having gained 30 pounds twice in my life, and lost them, I know it’s sugar, not whiskey, not cocaine, and not cigarettes, that is my weakness.

Today was Teacher’s Day. I usually don’t buy much in the way of cakes, so was kinda looking forward to some. But alas, there was none.

On a day like today, I teach six hours in a row with 5 minute breaks between classes, and handful of almonds to keep me going. So, I’m a bit low sometimes by 9:10 pm when I finish.

So, when I went home, and made myself a little brownie thingy (I have no oven, so I used the skillet), I can label this accurately as emotional eating.

I recently heard Dr. Christian Northrup say, “Emotional eating is the not the problem. It’s the solution.” That’s what it was tonight. I know that eating a brownie has nothing to do with love and appreciation. But, I couldn’t figure out a way to just get past that. So, I added ground whole grain muesli, and egg for more protein, so it was as nutritious as possible.

When I am weak, a brownie is a crutch. It doesn’t give my body what it’s really craving, which is nutrition. And, I know it’s not love and I’m not gonna wax poetic about a gooey processed concoction.

When I am stronger, I eat something that is actually good. Something that actually is love, like some veggie-packed dinner or juice, that helps me get stronger. And that I can wax poetic about, and sometimes do!

Double it!

image

This past week I improved life with a simple change: Double it!

I’ve been making green juice once or twice a week. Also, this month I have a new schedule working six hours straight with only five minute breaks between classes… I often arrived home wiped out.

From a video I watched by Kris Carr and  the same advice from a friend, came the idea, why not
make an extra juice to drink at school! I added this to my standard snack of walnuts and almonds.

I did this yesterday, and have mine all ready for today. I arrived home feely nourished and calm. And this self love also helps me be fun and loving even for my last class of the day!

Amazing to me how encouraging words, an open mind and small steps can continually improve our lives… In leaps and bounds.

Are you doing some small positive action in your life? Could you double it?

Cheers! Gumbae!

Popcorn and movies don’t go together

There was something about eating at the movies that seemed like a free pass. At home, there’s no way I would have made myself a huge bucket of popcorn and poured artificially-colored yellow motor oil on it. (Buckets at home were used for cleaning up …the other way.) And at home I never conjured a 2-quart bucket-ette of Coca-Cola, or sat down with a box of Red Vines for myself.

I also never ate Good & Plenty’s anywhere but the theatre. And I never bought huge, expensive but surprisingly empty boxes of Raisinettes, except there. And as theater movie evolved, I’d try just about anything. Rolo ice cream. Nachos, you name it.

Paying exorbitant prices for it and eating it in the dark, in my mind, somehow paid the price up front. So, I didn’t think about the calories or crappy ingredients. I settled into my seat in the dark, and ate and ate and drank without thinking about it. It was magical.

That is, until I joined a weight loss support group (PRISM).

In that program we committed to eating only nutritious food, in various phases and stages. And we wrote down everything we ate and computed the caloric and other values. Really, it was the other way around. We computed the calories, then decided what to eat.

At first, this totally ruined the moviegoing experience for me. Knowing that I couldn’t eat all that stuff and having been so conditioned to do it, I couldn’t concentrate on the movie itself. I kept looking around for something to stuff in my mouth or sip on. At first.

But about halfway through the first movie, I realized that this new way was not a prison. It was freedom.

How many times have you been biting into a warm, gooey snack just as they pan to the scene of the recently found murder victim. Ewwwww!

Or, the vampire is sucking blood from her neck, just as you realize the last sip on your straw is the icy bottom of your monster Sprite.  Eck!

Without food in the movie theater, the experience is refreshingly about seeing the movie.

This is what doing things mindfully means. It’s not a preachy, boring way to live. It’s the opposite. It’s the liberated, totally alive way to experience what you’re actually doing. Sure, have a little food just for fun now and then. But as a way of life, it’s not very fulfilling. (Just filling!)

I was almost a little upset with peacemaker Thich Nhat Hanh, the prolific Buddhist monk. He wrote the book (with Dr. Lilian Cheungh) that I wanted to write next:

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

I’m okay with it though, haha! It’s a message that can’t be stated enough or in too many ways.

Eating mindfully is part of our spiritual path. That means when we’re noticing what the heck we’re eating, we’re going to make better choices for ourselves and the planet. And you’re going to avoid any more of those moments when blood is dripping on the  screen, just as a glop of nacho cheese lands on your chin.

Ch30 Appendix: Resources and Inspirations

Here is a sample of favorite inspirational teachers that took me by the hand and guided me. On your journey, reach out to these and other authors, support groups and classes that fit your life! Find a teacher who was learned to overcome the problems that you want to solve.

These writers have helped me learn what my inner circle of family and friends mostly did not know, or else, we all began learning together. These authors have written several books each. I list one or two of the more well-known titles, but peruse and you may find something that more directly suits you.

Louise Hay

You Can Heal Your Life

101 Power Thoughts

Lack of self love is the root of all of our problems, Louise explains. Her sweet voice comes through in her stories, affirmations and insights, like that wise, loving older sister we could all benefit from. For a simple overall affirmation series, listen to 101 Power Thoughts morning and night.

Byron Katie

Loving What Is

I Need Your Love, Is it True?

Ms. Katie provides four simple questions to help us unravel the rationale we use to make ourselves miserable! Listen to the audio to hear real-life examples of how this process works. This is a simple system you can apply daily to help you laugh at your serious side, and enjoy life more.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life

Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series

Jon Kabat-Zinn has a way of writing and talking to beginners in a manner that is inviting and convincing. Try a slim book or an audio CD. If ‘meditation’ sounds too daunting, try a book on ‘mindfulness’ for starters.

Melody Beattie

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring For Yourself

This is one of those books I listened to in my car. I laughed so hard as Beattie described standard manipulation and guilt tactics that we often use, but are ineffective and often damaging. The humorous part is that I never realized I was doing it, that I could stop, or how much fun life would be without it. I came across this as part of my Al-Anon work, but would recommend it to anyone. As kids, we are all dependent. Maturing and becoming interdependent adults, rather than codependent, usually requires some conscientious retraining. This and other books by Beattie are spot on!

Cyndi Dale

The Subtle Body: An Encyclopedia of Your Energetic Anatomy

Did you know that cultures around the world have remarkably similar descriptions of the human body’s subtle system? Call it chakras or meridians. Use Kabbalah or native American terminology, but cultures agree that there is more to our health than meets the eye. This illustrated book is stunning in its breadth, insights and beauty.

Dr. Daniel Amen

Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Dr. Amen’s many books give you a glimpse into how our brain works. His approach is to consider faulty brains, in the same non-judgmental way we’d consider someone with tennis elbow, or a persistent slight limp. Brain issues are often fixable and can be the root cause of many problems in your life.

Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Now

A New Earth

After sitting on park benches for a couple years, Mr. Tolle finally understood something that he’d been missing in his earlier life. Eckhart Tolle shares his insights about how the only time we ever have is right now. If you’re not a big fan of self-help books, try Guardians of Being, the book that combines pet illustrations from Mutts comic strip artist with Tolle quotes. Learning the power of now from dogs and cats might be our most direct route!

 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama

How to Practice: The Way to a Meaningful Life

How to See Yourself as You Really Are

The Dalai Lama, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, has written dozens of books that relate Buddhist teachings to the social ills of modern Western society. The Dalai Lama retains that joyful, little-kid way of relating to people that is irresistible to me.

 

 

Pema Chodron

How to Meditate with Pema Chodron: A Practical Guide to Making Friends with Your Mind

Did you know that when people first try to meditate, instead of quieting their thoughts, it’s common for people to curse themselves and get angry about it! Well, this is obviously the wrong reaction. Pema Chodron talks about this and instructs beginners to go for gentle amusement rather than any level of achievement. Her voice reflects this. Try an audio CD and hang out with Pema, to experience it yourself.

 

Thich Nhat Hanh

Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

Thich Nhat Hanh has written 100 books, and 40 available in English, so you have many to choose from! He has great ways to show how to experience deep meditative ways in everyday experiences: walking, in the garden or at mealtime. In addition, he writes directly to children, and about social work andenvironmentalism as different aspects of mindful living. Savor, with Dr. Lilian Cheung, makes the  link between eating and mindfulness.

Gay Hendricks, Kathlyn Hendricks

Attracting Authentic Love

This pocket-sized book and audio present an easy way to get yourself ready for a mature, healthy relationship. It gives you a solid foundation for authentic love through: listening to your body, clearing conditioning from your past, and considering what factors a healthy partner needs.

David Richo

How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

Richo presents an approach that feels calm and encouraging. As a Buddhist, marriage counselor, he gives examples of how couples tend to recreate the circumstances of our childhood, and how to accept that and work through that and evolve with your partner. His five A’s system recommends that loving relationships need: Attention, Appreciation, Affection, Allowing, and Acceptance. Would your partner be up for working through this (or a similar book) with you?

Shakti Gawain

Creative Visualization

Living in the Light

It was from reading Shakti Gawain’s Creative Visualization that I solved a recurring afternoon problem I had with my toddler, years ago. This was my first taste of learning a skill from an author, that my friends and family didn’t know. Shakti Gawain has continued to write helpful, insightful books on healing, energy, grief and living large spiritually.

And you?

When will you

begin that

long journey

into

yourself?

- Rumi

 

Most  of these are included in my Amazon.com Listmania List:

http://www.amazon.com/Books-that-help-you-Tune-In-to-Inner-Peace-Transform-and-Enjoy-Life/lm/R2OK9DCKXN7O47/ref=cm_srch_res_rpli_alt_1

Eat your way to inner peace

I just had a refreshing simple salad and some watermelon. In the crock pot, garbanzo beans, fresh spinach, with sauteed carrots, onions and garlic are melding with tomatoes …minestrone is on the way. Aww… wonderful.

Eating is part of my spiritual path. Choosing, preparing and eating mindfully bring me in balance. When I ignore this, I swing out of balance. And the internal  bickering begins, throwing my inner peace out.

When I was in Ghana, there were times we didn’t have a lot of food or money. I was amazed that my friends there would wait for several hours for good food, rather than eat cheap cookies and crappy food. This taught me something about patience and valuing the food we eat.

Eating junk food creates a junk body and a junk mind. Is there any other way it could be?

Snack Attack

I know I’m doomed anytime I go into a gas station convenience store to buy food. That’s why I use the pay-at-the-pump. But the dang card reader wasn’t reading, so I went in. $29.50 for gas and $9.23 for ‘food’.

What is it about these places that breaks down my willpower? I never buy Hostess ding-dongs at King Soopers. The Big-Grab fritos bag …does it mean the serving size or my ass? Sunflower seeds, shell on. Why? They’re a pain in the butt, a huge mess. But it seems somehow romantic or nostalgic or some other unfounded logic.  By then I’m feeling guilty. So I grab an Arizona Ice Tea. What are these things? 24 oz of high-fructose corn syrup and artificial colors. But tea’s healthy right?

It’s too late to do anything but eat and drink it all. But I gotta think of somewhere I can stop to throw out the entire bag of evidence before I get home. I’m single, but even I won’t be able to face myself tomorrow.