food advice...

[FLuwrchLd]

I have a problem... when I am around other people, like when I go out to lunch with some of the girls from lunch I look all inhibitions and goals to stay raw or even remotely healthy. I end up binging on all sorts of SAD foods, fast foods. I don't even give myself a chance to think about it first, I just automatically go for the crap. Any advice please?

[rawmama&baby2]

I was talking to someone about toxins and breastfeeding because I was getting encredable cravings for cooked food, and he said that when you crave cooked food its those toxins you are addicted to releasing into your body and the longer you eat to satisfy your cravings the longer youll be putting those toxins into your body. Last week my mother offored me a borrito and I almost gave in but then I thought about what the guy had told me and I embraced the urge and told my mother that if I were to eat that I would be throwing away everything I have been working for and that I cant eat that. I felt sooooo good after words, I still crave cooked food like crazy but I usually eat something to fill the void before I go out to dinner or lunch and then just order a salad with lemon. After youve over come your cravings you feel soooo good. Good luck.

[juliebove]

Perhaps it is your mindset. I tend to look at most of what is in a fast food restaurant as poison and would never consider ordering it. We didn't have much fast food when I was growing up. So perhaps I wasn't accustomed to eating it.

When I first met my husband, he lived off of fast food and pizza. I'd try to eat the pizza on occasion, but really I never liked that either. It got to where I'd just bring food over to his house to make salads and stuff. When we were out and about he'd always try to stop at fast food places to eat. He is one of those people who does not enjoy his food. He just wolfs whatever it is down, paying little mind to it. Sitting through a restaurant meal is torture to him. But I flat out refused to set food into a fast food place with the exception of a couple of times when we were traveling and really could not find any place else to go.

Then my daughter was born. She had no fast food at all until she was about two. Again, I refused to allow her to have it. But then some of the places began changing their menus so they did have *some* healthy offerings. At that point I did allow her to go, provided she agreed to eat some salad and/or fruit if it was on the menu. If no such things were on the menu, we might get something small to go that would be eaten at home or at the park along with some raw veggies. And mainly it was the toy she was after. Not the food. Now if there is a toy she really wants, we go through the drive through and buy the toy.

I have had to change my mindset on the fast food places though. My husband is in the military so we've made frequent cross country moves. We have a cat who travels with us. A stop for lunch has to be quick so we are not leaving the cat in the hot car while we eat. We have occasionally been able to find a place to buy picnic type foods and eaten at a rest stop so we can take the cat out of the car. But most of the time we wound up going to McDonalds. For some odd reason those are everywhere along whatever the last route was that we took.

Although the menu does vary from region to region, there are always salads on the menu, at least in this country. And although they don't advertise this, you can get a salad composed of just veggies if you ask for it. You might have to phrase is something like, "I want the bacon ranch salad minus the chicken, bacon, and cheese." They will make one up for you and you will be charged less since you are not having the meat. If a small garden salad is the only salad option, you can always have two of those. And many of the fast food places have fruit in some form. Again, you may have to ask for it without the granola, candied nuts, yogurt, etc. The only time you may have trouble getting what you want is at one of the "Express" locations because they do not serve the full menu and the food tends to be made up in advance.

I've read time and again that being the social animals that we are, we tend to eat more when we are around other people. I suppose this is true for most people, but I am the opposite way. I do not like eating in front of other people, although I have gotten much better about it. I think this stems from my childhood. Back then I was severely underweight for no reason the Drs. could find. I ate like a pig and just could not gain weight. I ate and ate, trying to gain weight. If we went to some social event like a potluck and I ate like I normally ate, people would comment on how much food I was eating. If I took only a little food, they'd still comment, telling me I should eat more. I felt like I just couldn't win! So perhaps this is why for many years I would try to get out of going to any food related things.

As an adult, I was diagnosed with diabetes. That means I am on a very strict diet. There are certain things I just can't eat, even though I might want them. At first, the social situations like potlucks were very hard on me. I'd eat first then go. But I'd be secretly seething inside, watching the other people eat foods that gave me problems. So once again, I stayed away. Always some excuse to get out of going.

But I am really a people person and I hated feeling like I needed to stay home when I wanted to get out and socialize. So I began bringing my own food to the potlucks that I could eat. I always brought a ton of it so I would be sure that if there was nothing else other than what I brought, I would at least have enough of it for me to be sure to have some. Restaurants were another matter. Now if there was truly nothing I could eat, as is the case with some ethnic places, I wouldn't go. But even if it meant eating nothing but a small green salad and having to eat the rest of my food before, after, or even during the meal, excusing myself to my vehicle to make a "phone call" or some such thing, I would go.

I just finally decided that I was going to have to make food be a non-issue in my life. This was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done because food used to be my life! If I wasn't eating, I was reading a cookbook or thinking about my next meal. I've had to focus on getting optimal nutrition. And of course I want the food to taste good, but it also must fit within the parameters I've set for my diet and if it doesn't, it doesn't go into my mouth.

When I was working, I would occasionally go to fast food places with my coworkers. I always had a salad. I've never been much of a burger person. They just don't appeal to me. I refused to eat French fries as a child. Now, I do like them. But I know they are not good for me. I won't say that I never have them. I had some on Monday. Three little tiny ones that my daughter shared with me. We went out to dinner. I had a salad. She was very selective as to the ones she allowed me to eat. This was a choice that I made. I don't feel bad about eating them. Now had I gotten a whole order of them for myself and ate them all, I probably would have felt bad! I don't know. I don't think I've ever done that.

I've also not ever been what I would call a binge eater. But I know people who are. Or were. Usually there is a reason for it. They are using the food to replace something that is lacking in their life. Sometimes it's a matter as simple as not getting enough sleep! You're tired. You eat. You feel better. You may not even be aware that you're doing it. You find yourself feeling shocked after you've done it. It doesn't sound to me like you are the type who sits around planning their next binge. Some people do that. It sounds to me more like you are simply eating mindlessly.

Here's what I would suggest to you the next time you go into a fast food restaurant. Do not tell yourself that you will be eating only raw, healthy food. I think if you do this you will be setting yourself up for failure. Instead, look at the menu for healthy choices. Order the best of what you can find there that fit the parameters of your diet, be it fruit, salad, whatever. Then congratulate yourself for making that good choice. Then remind yourself that most of what is on that fast food menu is an oversized portion. Go ahead and order whatever it is you have ordered in the past but in a kid sized or the smallest portion available. If what you want doesn't come in a small size, then get the big one. But as soon as you sit down, immediately cut it in half and offer half to someone else or simply throw it away. Then eat it and be done with it. Don't beat yourself up because you ate something you shouldn't have. Congratulate yourself for eating something you SHOULD have!

If you keep this up, you should eventually be able to phase out those foods that you know you should not be eating. And if you can't, then you'll know at least that you won't be eating a lot of them because you're only having a small portion.