Food for Thought Friday: Healthy, Whole Foods

It's funny how things happen sometimes.  We don't even see how closed off we are until we are finally open to something, then take a small leap of faith in the right direction and suddenly a whole world of knowledge is opened up to you because you showed you were ready.  Treasures of knowledge that were there all along, but you couldn't see it for some reason.  You weren't ready.  But now...

This is how I feel my 40 day fast to break free of sugar addiction is going (see first post here).  The fast was a definite leap of faith because I was prompted to add meat to it.  At the time I didn't know what meat had to do with sugar addiction.  But it brought about a study of The Word of Wisdom that has helped me see things in a new light.  We're talking former Paleo-believer here.

The Word of Wisdom
Before I get into that I want to explain that I don't believe Latter-Day Saints need to avoid all meat in order to "keep the Word of Wisdom."  It has been defined as abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, illegal drugs, and habit-forming substances. But I promise you, there is SO MUCH MORE depth in that one section of scripture!  You can search it out for yourself here if you like.

The Paleo Framework
Years ago I took a "hiatus" from church.  My health took a nose-dive and I sought anything that would help, including a healthful way of eating.  I came across the Paleo diet (grass-fed meat, healthy fats, no grains, beans, legumes, or processed sugar) and was hooked since this was around the time we were also trying to add whole grains into our diet and noticed a lot of stomach upset.  Well, removing grains like Paleo recommends not only helped that but also helped my PCOS and skin issues.  My husband and I both lost weight and felt better.  Paleo certainly did give me a healthy framework to use.  But I believe now that it wasn't the removal of grains so much as it was the removal of processed foods.  Which brings me to...

Processed Foods vs. Whole Foods
Aah, the phrase we are all so familiar with.  But sometimes we might not think this one through - or, at least, I hadn't.  Maybe because I was Paleo and didn't eat bread to begin with, but this was one of the "ah, ha" moments for me: "whole grain" bread is processed.  All bread is processed.  For that matter canned foods are as well and many other things.  On the other hand, whole foods are just that: whole, as they are found in nature.

Now, immediately our minds go to: "But what about calcium?....protein?...fat?"  Plants have it all built in.  Think about it: "People eat meat and think they will be as strong as an ox, forgetting that the ox eats grass."  The elephant, the rhinoceros...herbivores.  How do they build strong bones and muscles?  Obviously the plants must contain the nutrients they need.

Reading stories of people who reverse cancer, diabetes, and all kinds of ailments is always very inspiring, but I've realized that doesn't have to be our fate.  Why use healthy eating as a backup plan for if we have to.  Why not choose to and avoid so much pain - not to mention lost wages and medical expenses.  Why?  Because it's extreme?  I think we need to redefine our definition of extreme.  Surgery is extreme.  Chemo and radiation are extreme.  Eating natural, whole foods is not extreme.  Eating healthy, whole foods isn't the backup plan, it is the plan!

I will never consider myself "vegan" but I have found vegan recipes extremely helpful.  I like to refer to this way of eating as a "whole food plan." Our bodies are obviously made to be able to eat meat and process the nutrients, but not full time, everyday.  Don't believe me?  Do the research.  If you dare ;-).  You, too will have a whole world of knowledge open up to you.

Food for Thought Friday: Partial Fasting

Our first 40 days has gone by in a flash of amazing insights and greater awareness to our incredible bodies.  I was inspired to begin a 40 day fast for my food addictions: no refined sugar, no refined wheat flour, and (to my surprise) no meat.  The night I opened my fast with prayer and meditation the bright blue full moon rose over the eastern horizon.  This is extremely significant to me because when I began my first 40 day meditation one October morning, the full moon was setting over the western horizon. 

I was also inspired to track my days by adding a charm each day to this bracelet I made.  My 12 year old daughter Hailey is apparently following my progress since she noted yesterday how many days I've gone without sugar by counting the charms and followed by a sincere "Good job!".  This is a big deal. She has her own food issues that came on over a couple choking crises. So now I'm realizing the bracelets significance: it doesn't only serve as a reminder to me of my commitment, not to mention a little motivation, but it is a visual representation to others that might need inspiration.  Here's what the bracelet looks like if anyone thinks this idea might work for them:

I can't tell you how many weeks, how many days - I've started and "failed" and started over again to try and eat healthy.  Turning it into a "partial fast" has made all the difference.  I didn't even have any of the typical withdrawal symptoms like headaches and a general cruddy feeling for the first few days from not having sugar.  And 6 days in I've realized that it's not about 40 days anymore - well, not exactly.  I know that after 40 days my addiction will be broken.  But I will need to continue this way of eating if I truly want health physically and spiritually.  

Fasting is Feasting
Fasting is a discipline that can be very helpful.  It has been used for ages as an advanced aid in spiritual awareness.  Fasting can quicken your pace and open you up spiritually because you are putting off the "natural man" like nothing else.   Fasting is feasting for the soul.  When we have addictions of any kind our body and soul are out of balance.

Food is fundamental and it carries with it a ton of psychological weight.  When we deny ourselves or cut back it unleashes all the unmet needs that we are using food to cope with.  We are suddenly left  with an opportunity to sit with those feelings and learn that the Lord will provide and that all is well.  

Much of what we have grown up to know about fasting in the LDS church (going without food and water for 24 hours) is highly advanced and now that I have learned about partial fasts and its power, maybe a little limiting.  Not only that but many don’t know how to properly prepare the body for something so strenuous physically and emotionally that I think we end up missing out on the spiritual part of it.

Resistance to Fasting

Going without food and water is not appropriate for everyone like pregnant/nursing women or people with blood sugar issues – BUT that makes a lot of people think that’s them because they feel they might be a little hypoglycemic and they skip it all together because of this. There’s a lot of limiting beliefs surrounding fasting.   Anyone who is on a steady diet of sugar (incliding processed, refined foods like white bread)  and caffeine is going to feel hypoglycemic when it comes to changing your diet suddenly.  And when we break a fast by eating a large meal any emotional and physical benefits that might have occurred will be undone immediately.  In contrast, if we can eat consciously while breaking a fast, that can go a  long way in terms of carrying that consciousness throughout our day and our lives. 

Partial Fasting

There are other ways to fast besides 24 hours without food or water: as long as you combine a fast with prayer and intention it can be really powerful.  A partial fast, or mono fast, is when certain foods are cut out of the diet and a person only eats certain foods.    A partial fast doesn't mean that it's another diet cleanse dressed up as spirituality. It should be done with prayer and intention.

You could do something similar to lent when you choose one food, or one food group to give up based on a predetermined amount of time.  You could do something called The Daniel Fast where you give up meat, leavened breads and sugars.  You could fast just one meal. There’s juice fasting… …if you wanted to break an addictive habit like sugar you could do one day, then the next time 2 days and so on.  One could fast only food and allow water.  Or maybe just fast between meals if you tend to be a grazer.  But it doesn’t have to be food -you could do an online fast, or a Facebook fast….the list is endless but it certainly means all can do something.  Fasting is much like Kundalini Yoga and Meditation – it can meet you where you are at.  

Ideally it’s a sacrifice of some kind…If you don’t like chocolate to begin with that’s not something you need to give up. ;)

Facts About Fasting

Fasting doesn’t send your body into “starvation Mode” and there are actually many benefits to it:

1. Improves insulin sensitivity 
2. Gives your digestive system a rest energizing the body's metabolism to burn through calories more efficiently
3. Promotes longetivity
4. Regulates the hormones in the body so that you experience what true hunger is
5. Improves brain function because it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)
6. Helps us practice self-control and strengthens willpower
7. Fasting allows us to feel better both consciously and physically. With a lighter body and a clearer mind we become more aware and grateful for the things around us. With no food in the digestive system, this makes room for more energy in the body – the digestion is one of the most energy absorbing systems in the body.

There are many wonderful promises found in Isaiah Chapter 58, one of them is to "loose the bands of wickedness" and "undo heavy burdens".  I take that to mean addictions and things that hold us back.  Fasting will release our attachments to anything that we think we need.

If you want to add fasting to a 40 day journey, pray about it and see what comes up during meditating to find what is right for you.  Fasting is truly a great tool to help us balance our spiritual and temporal needs.

If you liked this post I will be posting more every Friday about the body and its relationship to food as I dive into a study of The Word of Wisdom, the temple body, and our modern way of eating.

Sat nam,

Samantha