I try to be a ‘conscious’ eater. But, if you eat processed and refined food, you may not know exactly what you are eating. Who wants to read ingredient lists all the time? Not me. The ‘go around’ is eating plant based whole food. Why? You always know what’s in it. There is never a hidden ‘ingredient list’.

‘Vegetable intake decreased the risk of severe food addiction [1]’.

So, what do I mean by being a ‘conscious’ eater? It’s similar to going to the store hungry. We buy what we know we shouldn’t because our stomachs take over our minds. We go ‘unconscious’. Therefore, it’s a good idea to eat a full meal before you go shopping. I use Instacart® now, so I don’t have to worry unless I am hungry ordering online!

“In my early 20’s I wanted to get muscular and strong, so I worked out with weights (I read Arnold Schwarzenegger’s book ‘Pumping iron’.) I drank gallons of milk because the dairy industry said that ‘every body needs milk’. That wasn’t true, so they got sued and don’t say that anymore”

I know that people, including myself eat what we know we shouldn’t when feeling depressed and anxious. But, I believe if one eats plant based whole food 80-90% of the time, it will help curb his appetite for ‘forbidden’ foods that made him overweight, and unhealthy, thereby shortening his life.

‘I think I wore out my Hibachi cooking meat every night on the back porch steps’

No one is perfect, including me. I struggle with food all the time. The vast majority of us have eaten wrong food for most our lives, so it’s understandable quitting our bad habits will take time.

‘I used to eat so fast I hardly remembered I ate a burger, fries and drank a shake’

What I’ve learned is when I eat beans and potatoes, I don’t have the craving for sweets. But, when I do I know I can eat grapes and pineapple to solve the sugar problem. I do occasionally buy snack and junk food, but soon after I eat it I am reminded why I stopped with those mysterious aches and pains returning the next day.

‘In the early 1970’s after a hard days work I came home and filled my pitcher full of Draught beer and brought out the chips and dip! It’s truly amazing I’ve survived as long as I have…’

Source- 1 Burrows, Tracy, et al. “Differences in Dietary Preferences, Personality and Mental Health in Australian Adults with and without Food Addiction.” Nutrients, MDPI, 15 Mar. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5372948/.

Note- consult your doctor before you change your diet.