Food Addiction Recovery – #21

Food Addiction Recovery – #21

Food addiction recovery has required me to learn to be a critical shopper in the supermarket. I learn how to read the labels for nutritional content, especially calories, fat grams and sugar. Nowadays, nearly everything has a standardized label, so it’s pretty easy to compare between items and brands. Even if you’re not buying “sweets,” keep in mind that processed foods have a lot of sugar—even things like pre-packaged dinners and sauces. So as a food addict I really need to be vigilant when I shop so that I don’t wind up buying things I shouldn’t be eating. My general rule is any sweet ingredients have to be at 4 or later on the ingredients list before I will consider buying it.

Food Addiction Recovery – The Ideal Option

Ideally, you should gradually try to shift your eating more and more to natural foods (such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grains) that hardly need labels at all.  You would want to eat a diet as close as possible as advocated by the National Health Association and the American Natural Hygiene Society is my take.  Of course I am not even close myself but I know it is the ideal.  Here is a quote from their mission statement:

The mission of the National Health Association is to educate and empower individuals to understand that health results from healthful living. We recognize the integration of all aspects of health—personal, environmental, and social.

We communicate the benefits of a plant-based diet, exercise and rest, a healthy environment, psychological well-being, and, when indicated, the use of fasting. We take a leadership role in advocating health freedom issues.

I suggest you give them a look anyway.  As they say, progress, not perfection is the goal so I don’t beat myself up for not hitting the ideal.  Hope you don’t either!