Wednesday, October 26, 2011

DAY 299 -- Focus on what I CAN eat.

During work yesterday, a co-worker learned that I don't eat sweets.  Stunned, he questioned me, "You don't eat sweets? Then what do you eat?"  I answered, "Food.  I eat all kinds of delicious food."

I recited some of the fresh wonderful food choices available consisting of vegetables, grains, fruits, protein...which made me think about the "food pyramids" we see.  Even though "experts" juggle the sections of the pyramid around from time to time, the groups remain basically the same, and refined sugar is either a very tiny portion of it, or not even listed. (Here are a couple examples.)






When we look at the food pyramid, we see numerous kinds of food!  Yet, too often the "world" wants us to focus on what we can't have, or can't do, or can't partake of, making it seem like if we don't partake of something then we are soooo restricted and confined.  But the truth is there are numerous things we can have, can do, and can partake of, we actually have lots of freedom and abundant choices.

The author of the focus-on-the-can't-haves and focus-on-the-don't-haves, is old "what's his no-face."  He presented that attitude to Adam and Eve.  In Genesis 2:16-17 it reads "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it..."  (Kings James version, italics added) 

Then the "serpent" comes along and brings the focus onto the one tree they can't partake of, rather than on every tree that they may freely eat.

Now, I'm not saying that eating sugar is a sin.  I'm not saying those who question what I can eat, or act like I need pitied because I don't partake of sweets, are evil people.  What I'm saying is, I have lots and lots of choices.  I can choose to eat refined sugars if I so desire, but I don't desire that.  I have far more freedom and health by choosing to decline.  No need to make myself miserable by focusing on the one tiny and sometimes non-existant section of the food pyramid I don't partake of...sweets... when there are abundant food choices to take delight in.


2 comments:

  1. Yesterday I passed up a piece of cake (it was store bought) and felt good about it. I got hungry in the afternoon so I hit the fridge and ate the rest of the hummus and veggies I had leftover from lunch. Although I ate more hummus than I probably should have, I felt like it was a better choice. You're right ... there are so many choices and my personal experience is that I have a lot of "old tapes" running in my head about what to buy and eat. It's hard changing those "tapes".

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  2. Susan... you are so right, it's hard changing those "tapes" like eating certain foods for certain occasions, or eating at certain times. Good choice going for hummus and veggies rather than cake!

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