Thinking of Food as Energy

[thistlebloom]

Now, just so you know--chocolate is not food. It's medicine. Better than prozac, it is totally necessary to sustain my mental health.

Oh yeah, it's medicinal benefits cannot be overstated, right Journey?

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

So Lucky, eating a bedtime snack is almost a guarantee for me to be waking up with heartburn sometime during the night.

That was what I was thinking, Linn. No, artificial sweeteners - it reinforces my bad habits.

I had 2 mugs of tea this afternoon. I did a lot of this sort of thing last winter and that cut the usual weight gain by half. Thank Heavens because that's how I have added weight over the years: lose 10# in the summer, gain 15# in the winter. If I'd only had a lifespan of a sparrow, that might have been okay.

Some of the simpler herb teas are good choices rather than the frequent snacking. No honey/sugar.

Steve

The artificial sugar might cause the heartburn. My DH, DS, and DF, all had complaints of stomach problems and found out it was aspertame in chewing gum.

 

[digitS']

I am influenced by marketing and probably much more so when I was much younger. If lots of "they's" are saying something is "good," then, I'm inclined to trust that information after awhile.

As a young adult, I had a lot of trouble with rheumatoid arthritis. Anti-inflammatories have always worked quite well for me - for the relief of pain. However, I once ended up in the emergency room because of Alla-Seltzer. I don't know if anyone's stomach has much "tolerance" for aspirin. And, here's the kicker -- if you think that you are taking something that is good for your stomach, and it provides pain relief for hours at a time -- what happens if it is actually bad for the stomach? Over the counter, there's that cute little cartoon guy - surely it can't be causing any problems.

Then, began a long search for something different under the guidance of my doctors. I was taken off every anti-inflammatory that I tried after 6 months or a year. Down to taking them only a few days a month, too much for my stomach to deal with.

I never went for the artificial sweeteners. I do find that my stomach may cause more trouble when I'm eating too much sugar! Still, what is "processing?"

My diet would have to be the simplest imaginable if it was only raw foods. Cooking is processing and, long ago, I even thought that the only way I liked apples was cooked. I kind of realized that having a better knowledge of when fruit is ripe and peeling the apple was all it took for me to have that "apple a day."

I know that simple cooking isn't what is meant by the term "processed foods." And, a simple diet has to be the best for me - Whole foods. Nutrient dense. I think that I am about to rediscover the crockpot and slow cooker. I'll leave the juicer downstairs for the time being and, since I can't get DW interested in Jacques Pepin's "instant" soup, get back into the soup recipes.

Steve