Really excited to share this huge huge topic today, one that everyone has had troubles with, everyone has experienced, Drumroll….
Emotional Eating, Binge Eating
And Finding Peace and Ease!
I myself can say..
“Hello World, I am a Emotional Eater”
and really..
growing up in today’s society its easy to see why.
I really hope you love the video, Share it with loved ones, Friends and even people you don’t know too well on Facebook or Twitter ahhaah But really do share it, I really feel this simple video can help any one on any diet experience higher levels of peace, contentment and ease, not to mention tip them off to the raw diet and simple raw recipes!
So Emotional and Binge Eating, Where to start…
Well.. in the Video I share a Story about my Own Struggles with Emotional and Binge Eating, but..
you will have to watch the video for that one…
This really is a huge topic, one that could take a whole book or series of books. A reality that effects us all and has been pre programmed into us since birth..
Lets start there.. The Why..
When we are babies and cry, what happens..
We are given the boob.. Ok We are given Mothers Milk…
Mothers milk contains amino acid chains that are but one link off of Opium, literally, The reason for this is to bring ease, calm, sedation, relaxation. A really useful thing for the mother who doesn’t want a chomper ahah but also a potential set up for using food to numb and sedate.
As we get older, when we have a Owie, a Celebration, Break up with a Girlfriend/Boyfriend, Have a tough day, have a Great day.. What do we do or are told to do..
Eat, Drink, turn to instant Gratification, Stimulation or Sedation in any form..
Child Crying…. Waaaaa..
Mommy… Aww have a Ice-cream Cone…
We carry this behaviour with us all the way into adulthood, often times compounding it with Extra Stress for the action, choosing more destructive habits like drinking, smoking and drugs. Making choices based on this feeling of dismay that effects others through relationships, sex and emotional manipulation.
Stress really sets us up for a host of issues within and without, Tightening our entire body at a cellular level we create toxicity and become stagnant. The constant onslaught of Stress from our emotions and Physical stress from our less than optimal food and lifestyle choices all adds up, effects us on a hormonal and chemical level. There is a awesome Book called “The Pleasure Trap” by Dr Doug Lisle and Dr Alan Goldhammer that really goes into depth on the chemical reactions and Phycological addiction that we have with Instant gratification and sedation, foods being the point of focus.
When we are out of Whack and using food as a major coping mechanism, especially Poor Food Choices, its easy to see how a Binge Eating Cycle is started along side Guilt and less than idea results.
I think its helpful to really look into what Cravings are, why we experience them so that we can move through them with grace. TO the largest extent what we call cravings are simply symptoms of detoxification. Think about it, we don’t “Crave”, that is feel urgently drawn to, Healthy Whole foods. Have you ever felt like.. “Ahhhhhhh i just gotta have a banana” haha NO, I doubt it. Cravings are generally had for Foods and Substances that have a high toxic load, like cigarettes, Drugs, Processed foods, Animal foods. Food that leave debris and acidic substances that the body needs to clean up or store if it cant handle it in the moment.
When we embark on a cleaner diet, whether vegetarian, vegan, raw food, raw food vegan or simple a improved holistic lifestyle, we optimally are providing the tools and surplus energy and enzymes to actually detoxify instead of storing wastes. We enter deeper cleaning cycles when the body has the time and energy to do so.. Hunger is not urgent painful or anxious, it is calm, relaxed.. The former states are one of detoxification, a symptom of wastes being processed and moved through the bloodstream to be finally dealt with and excreted.. Rejoice!
Another huge aspect of Emotional and Binge eating is the Separation between what we Think we should do and what we Really Want to do. You may read a diet book or look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I Have to Go on a Diet!” That’s all fine and great but if you really are attached to your current lifestyle and diet, if that’s what you want, No amount of Should, or Need to will make a difference, you will find yourself in that YoYo position of Binge eating, Guilt and Shame thinking your the one to blame.
Really that explains Emotional Eating in a Nutshell, The want to sidestep or avoid strong emotion with food. We create a separation with what really is true in the moment, rejecting it and instead try to force what we want.
To the Solutions!!
To me the #1 solution to freeing oneself of Emotional Eating and Stopping Binge Eating is to learn to be more Present, to learn to let go of stress. Stress is as huge a factor in our over all health and joy in life as food, In fact I would say its a bigger factor than food.
- Stress as a generality comes from separating oneself from the moment, Choosing to fear the future or live in the past keeps us in our mind and in the “what if” or “only if” mentality. A state of fear and rejection. The thought, “I must be raw vegan forever” really puts on stress and comes from a rigid energy.. We all know what happens to the rigid tree in the storm.. Learning to instead be in the moment, see feelings and stress as a Sign post, Something to take note of, to see the Needs we have behind the feelings and try to fulfill those needs in a way that fits us better. So often we treat stress as if they were rocks to put in a bag we gotta carry, eventually we get weighed down and have a sore back.
I really like the book, “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, really delving into the creative potential and power we have in the now and the truth that stress is created from being outside of that flow, the now, the Present, and in our minds.
- Really coming to honor all your choices, knowing that it isn’t what you choose but your thoughts, judgements and view of “good” “bad” “right” and “wrong” that for the most part brings you stress. If instead we can come to see all choices, all our wants as perfect, as what we need to move through in order to fully experience all we came here for, the easier that flow will become. I fully believe we are simply experiential beings, here to experience everything and learn to Love everything. Its truly only through loving and being fully conscious in the moment with our experiences that we grow with and through them, coming to know if we want to choose them again.
How often have you eaten something mindlessly only to wonder, where did that go, how/when did I eat all of that? So Often we find ourselves repeating the same behavior again and again saying, “I don’t know why i keep doing this, I cant stop!”
Well..
I believe it is because its in particular those habits that we think we “shouldn’t do” and feel we are “bad” for wanting, that we emotionally reject, we do them unconsciously and divided between the present and another moment. This in my viewpoint is why we are doomed to that Binge Cycle, because we are not allowing ourselves to experience these feelings, choices and emotions fully, to Love them and grow through them so we can let them go..
If you want to let go of a behavior, Love it, Choose it with full presence, being fully conscious in the moment. Its through this Conscious Experience that we can come to really find out if it really serves you.
For me this was and is a game changer bringing the realization, I can do or eat anything I want, What do I want to Choose.
- I feel its powerful to understand and see that all of the habits we have created were done in the moment with our best interests in mind, moving with the information and experience we had. When we come to outgrow those habits or really notice the effects of them we experience stress and want to change them. This is Great!
Having gratitude for your feelings, for stress, seeing it as that signpost, as a opportunity to actively be a creator of your own experience. We have limitless options, I find the more options we try out and identify with the better equipped we are in any given situation. For instance we can choose to have a glass of water when stressed or are thinking about Binge eating, We can take a walk in nature, connect with a loved one and really share what your feeling, meditate, take a few deep breaths, go for a run, do yoga, play with a animal, listen to your favorite song, Journal, Do a dance, Do a Pouty Pants Dance or any sport you love. The Options are really endless and the more you see these stressful moments as Gifts, as signposts and opportunities to use that Stress/old habit/ old thought as a Spring board to really deeply root new habits that serve you better, the more growth and positive change you will see.
- Another really huge way to serve yourself better with Emotional Eating and Binge Eating is to adopt a diet and lifestyle that really supports your goals, is in alignment with your wants and needs and you can enjoy with no restriction what so ever. Some people may say.. No such diet exists!! To them i say, you haven’t tried a Raw or High raw Plant based Diet.
If you know me you know I really live and promote a 100%, or high raw Vegan Diet. Truly I feel this diet/lifestyle is one of the most profound ways we can change our lives, i often call the raw diet a “vortex of Positive Change”. The reason i say so is because when we learn to eat from mother natures gifts, these foods that are the highest in the nutrients we need per calorie, naturally high in water and volume, match our macro and micro nutrient needs better than any food on the planet with the lease amount of digestive energy, time and effort, the lowest toxic load of any foods.. Our whole essence starts to change, we start to let go of old physical and emotional toxemia, stagnant energies. We start to feel better, want to move more, see and feel things in a different way, become more aware of our emotional and energetic bodies, we start to see the corruption and lies surrounding food and education, coming to question everything. With all of this change in our physical and emotional bodies as well as on a mind level with perspectives, its normal to have some stress, some bumps and side paths along the way.
Enjoy the dance of life, on average it takes people 3-5 years to fully fully adopt a fully new raw lifestyle to the point where its automatic, just like breathing! Really i find the easiest way to apply a raw diet is to
a) Come to understand Cravings, true hunger, food combining and the principals of 80/10/10
b) when hungry eat the fruit you love the most with no restriction, if you would enjoy more.. eat more
c) when you feel “sweeted” out reach for greens.
d) keep fatty foods whole and on average only a few days a week as the last meal of the day. For most this is 1/2 – 1 avocado or a small handful of nuts or seeds with a salad meal.
e) have a repertoire of simple and delicious raw recipes That yo Love love love!! (you can find a lot of free recipes on my site as well as some of my recipe ebooks by donation at http://TheRawAdvantage.com
f) have a adult sized portion of self love, acceptance and patience for yourself, it took a while to develop your habits and will take some time and experiences to move to new habits that serve you better.
- And finally to tie this all together, something i find immeasurable in finding peace and ease in your lifestyle is to choose to find peace and ease in what you Truly Want, seeing what you Think you should do as a Direction, as the goal and what you want as the pathway to get there. Love it all, Be with it, Trust your self, your wants, experience, enjoy the tools that have been laid out in this post all in there perfect place. You are always in the perfect place to make your next choice, that’s all there is.. Choice, choice, choice..
Whatever you choose.. its perfect, you can choose to grow with and through it in conscious love.
I really hope this post brings you some renewed peace and ease, do share it with your friends loved ones family social networks, I really feel it applies to everyone and can help everyone no matter if they are looking to switch their diet and lifestyle or not.
p.s check out my new book in the shop ahaha
Much much
PeaceLovenSeasonalFruit ck