Do I have a problem?

[Seren]

I try over and over again to eat even just mainly raw food and I just can't seem to do it. There are certain things that I slip up on, the main things being oats and bread.

Do I have a food addiction?

When I consider having muesli ( :confused: strange I know)I just can't control my compulsive need to have it. My sensible brain switches off and suddenly I really don't care about being raw, and even about the fact that I'm not hungry :mad:

Could somebody give any insight, suggestions or anything to this please?

Love Seren xXx

[faith4u]

Have you ever tried to eat something raw first at those times? Even if you aren't hungry some raw treat or fruit or something might re-create a new "addiction".

Or

allow that to be the one food that you won't give up yet. I remember reading Nora Lenz had two things in the beginning that she would allow herself to have....baked potatoes and popcorn.

[Sharon in Colorado]

This is something we all face. With me it is chocolate. It would help if you get rid of the muesli in the house, and if you are living with others who eat the muesli, then ask that for a week it can be out of the house.

As for your sensible brain, there are a lot of factors to consider. You may not be hungry and want something you are addicted to out of habit. Detox may cause you to crave such things as well. Also there's comfort involved, so it's just not the brain, there's a whole physiological thing going on.

You'll need 3-5 days all raw and you should have it under control. You may want to start undergoing a project during that time, maybe de-cluttering or painting or something that will occupy you mentally and physically. Even stay off the computer as much as possible.

So set your calendar, or just do it now! You will be so glad you did!

[Seren]

Thanks for the speedy replies guys!

I think it is most definately a psychological thing going on. ugh. I will take both your suggestions and try keeping preoccupied so that I don't give into my craving, and if I still get the cravings, then have something raw first.

You know, the stupid thing is, I had just had a whole plate of food (cooked I may add :( ), but now I am in pain because of the muesli.

I WILL kick this habit!!

Thanks again :)

Love Seren xXx

[protea]

Seren,
I'm having the same trouble - it's seems almost like I'm rebelling against raw food at the moment:confused: I know that once I'm all raw for 3 days I'll be fine, but to get there... :rolleyes: I think the suggestion of first eating something raw will help - I will definitely try that. It must be an addiction when you KNOW raw is the best food for you, and all the other 1000 benefits that come along with it...but you STILL cannot (read: don't want to) do it?! :( Maybe we should do a mini raw challenge (3-5 days) and go from there...
I HAVE to do this - lately I've been extremely irritated and I know how calm I feel on raw. I'm at the point where I'm being unreasonable...

[Seren]

Yea I too am being completely unreasonable, like that I will have cooked food even if I don't feel like it (WHY???)

Shall we start a mini challenge then like you suggested? Lets say 3 days to start with? If we have eachother to support us then it will be easier I think. What do you think, you in?

Love Seren xXx

[MaryWalker]

Do you have a deyhdrator? or a good mixer like a vita-mix? With these two items, you can create raw food that is slightly warmed. Try some making some pasta by using sliced (using a potatoe peeler) summer squash or italian squash, then in your blender, mix up a tomatoe sauce using fresh tomatoes, sun-dried (& soaked) tomatoes, garlic, basil, a few dates and sea salt. When you blend this up enough, it starts to get warm, just don't let it get too warm and kill the enzymes.

Also, there are some simple receipes out there for nut burgers, nut loafs, etc that you can make in your dehydrator that will help the mind set of eating raw vs. cooked food.

If you have Alissa's book, use the receipe from the Eggplant pizza, only I LOVE the topping to this receipe spread on flax crackers instead of the Eggplant slices. OR, even spread it on thinly sliced italian squash, jicama, or ??? This receipe can be warmed in the dehydrator, or just eaten at room temperature and it is a GREAT substitute for PIZZA!!!!! It's cheesy (because of the pine-nuts) and wonderful.

I hope this helps you. I have been 100% raw for 8 weeks and 2 days now and it gets easier everyday, REALLY! I started at 100% raw and never looked back. YOU CAN DO IT! :)

[Seren]

Thanks Mary Walker!! That's really helped :) I don't have a Vitamix or a dehydrator but I think I will try and stick it out with fresh foods as I love the feeling they give me and I also have a pretty good blender so I could use some of those other suggestions of yours.

Thanks again.

Love Seren xXx

[D'vorah]

I think it is most definately a psychological thing going on.

I don't think it's psychological, I think it's a physical drug withdrawal, bread is repeatedly my downfall:

http://www.alphanutrition.com/eatingdisorders/addictivefoods.htm

TRIGGER FOODS AND OPIOIDS

We notice similar patterns of addictive behavior with food, alcohol and drugs. Alcoholics and drug abusers frequently have atrocious dietary habits. So many of them grew up dysphoric with bad chemicals in their food and environment.

Addicts often report they first felt well when they had their first drink or injected the initial dose of heroin. Opiates, like other molecules, are effective but temporary remedies for dysfunctional body-mind states. The drive to maintain an opiate level is less to "get high" and more to feel "normal" and mostly to avoid the terrible experience of withdrawal.

The digestion of food proteins may produce substances having opiate or narcotic properties. There are also a number of regulatory peptides feeding back to brain control centers to form the brain-gut axis. A stop signal to the brain when enough food is eaten is important for appetite control and may be defective in compulsive eaters.

Exorphins

Pieces of milk and wheat proteins (peptides) can act like the body's own narcotics, the endorphins, and were described by Zioudro, Streaty and Klee as "exorphins" in 1979. Other food proteins, such as gluten, results in the production of substances having opiate- (narcotic) like activity. These substances have been termed "exorphins." Hydrolyzed wheat gluten, for example, was found to prolong intestinal transit time and this effect was reversed by concomitant administration of naloxone, a narcotic-blocking drug. Digests of milk proteins also are opioid peptides. The brain effects of exorphins may contribute to the mental disturbances and appetite disorders which routinely accompany food-related illness. The possibility that exorphins are addictive in some people is a fascinating lead which needs further exploration.

Another mechanism, similar to dependency on food-derived neuroactive peptides such as exorphins, would be a dependency on gastrointestinal peptides, released from the bowel during digestion. Deficiencies in the bowel production of regulatory addictive peptides, such as endorphins, would likely be associated with cravings and compulsions to increase food ingestion. Eugenio Paroli reviewed the peptide research, especially the link between food and schizophrenia. He suggested: "The discovery that opioid peptides are released by the digestion of certain food has followed a line of research that assumes pathogenic connections between schizophrenic psychosis and diet."

Milk and wheat proteins have been studied and shown to yield active peptides. These substances may be numerous in the digestive tract after a meal and several effects could occur in sequence. The absorption of larger peptides may be irregular, with variation in symptom production after meals, making the interpretation of milk and wheat disease difficult. Other foods are likely to yield similar peptides.

From our basic understanding of protein digestion, we should predict that there will be regular traffic of peptide information passing from food digests into the body. Ingestion of normal food may result in information-molecules streaming into our bloodstream from stomach or small intestine with all the impact of narcotic drugs! A "Gluten Stimulatory Peptide" is also described with narcotic (opiate) antagonist properties. It has been suggested that gluten hydrolysates, digests of wheat protein, have mixed opiate agonist-antagonist activity and, like two drugs with mixed narcotic activating and blocking actions (nalorphine and cyclazocine), produce dysphoria and even psychotic symptoms. Loukas and colleagues have derived the structure of cow's milk-derived exorphins: Opioid activities and structures of casein-derived exorphins. These two peptides carry information by finding and binding to brain receptors which ordinarily respond to endorphins. The message is go to sleep, feel bad, but go back for more.

Arg-Tyr-Leu-Gly-Tyr-Leu-Glu (exorphin, digested from alpha casein)

Tyr-Pro-Phe-Pro-Gly (exorphin, digested from beta casein)

Chocolate

Chocolate is an interesting psychoactive food. Chocolate and romance have been inseparable. Chocolate artistry is one of the truly admirable pursuits in food preparation. If nature had been more kindly disposed to us, chocolate confections would be an authentic pleasure, free of any penalty. Chocolate begins as the cacao bean of South American origin. The botanical name, Cacao Theobroma, means "food of the Gods". One of the medically useful methylxanthine drugs, theobromine, is found in chocolate as well as coffee and tea. Theobromine is related to caffeine and is useful as a treatment of asthma.

The cacao tree produces melon-sized pods full of beans. The pod is split and the beans removed and fermented until they turn the characteristic deep brown color. Dried beans are then roasted and processed by grinding and heating. The powdered fraction is the water soluble cocoa powder. The bean fat is separated as cocoa butter. Chocolate candies are all based on some combination of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and diverse other ingredients. Drugs in the cocoa powder make chocolate addicting. Chocolate enthusiasts often admit they are addicts and find it difficult to resist cravings and binge with unpleasant consequences. Chocolate confections are complex mixtures of milk, sugars, nuts, flavors, including cinnamon and other spices; they present drug and allergenic effects simultaneously. Post chocolate symptoms include anxiety, angry outbursts, migraine headaches, abdominal pain, joint pain, mental agitation and depression. Chocolate addiction is more socially acceptable than it is healthy. Some chocolate eaters become quite ill and quite obese.

Women often report chocolate cravings in the premenstrual week. Chocolate also serves as a surrogate for companionship or affection. The addictive molecules in chocolate include caffeine and another speed-like drug, phenyethylamine (PEA). PEA is related to our own catecholamine neurotransmitters and their amino acid precursors, tyrosine and phenylalanine. PEA has arousal properties similar to catecholamines and may be one of the pleasure substances in the brain. PEA has been called the "love drug". Most PEA absorbed from the bowel is destroyed in the blood or liver by the enzyme MAO-B.

Coffee and Tea

Coffee makes us speedy, irritable, sleepless, and often causes heartburn or ulcers. The removal of caffeine is supposed to reduce some of these undesirable effects. Coffee is an addicting beverage. If you consume more than 2 cups per day, you are likely to experience unpleasant withdrawal if you stop. The minimal suffering includes a headache, irritability, and fatigue. The popular idea that the bad effects of coffee are caused by one chemical, caffeine, is misleading. The 500 or so other chemicals in coffee include aromatic or phenolic chemicals and many are probably neurotoxic; other chemicals are allergenic. Coffee is also a crop with high pesticide residues. Coffee is definitely allergenic and makes some people obviously sick. Chlorogenic acid is one of the allergens which coffee shares with oranges.

Black Tea and coffee have much in common, although they different plant products from different geographic zones. Tea contains caffeine and other members of the drug family, methylxanthines. Tea also contains tannin, a good tanning agent. The caffeine dose in a cup of coffee ranges from 100 to 160 mg. A cup of tea has 20-60 mg per cup and 12 ounces of regular Coca Cola has 45 mg of caffeine. The symptom complex produced by tea parallels coffee, although overall, tea is milder and better tolerated. Green teas are the mildest of the caffeine drinks and have beneficial phytochemicals which make their use more attractive.

Daily coffee ingestion induces a 24 hour cyclic disturbance with morning arousal, irritability, difficulty concentrating, subtle levels of disorganization, clumsiness, and forgetfulness. As the day progresses, 3 or more cups later, a heavy fatigue sets in by mid to late afternoon. Further coffee doses may rouse one a bit, but then further collapse is inevitable by evening. Irritability may evolve into disproportionate or inappropriate angry outbursts, pleasure-loss, absence of good-feelings, or empathy anesthesia.

It is likely that the subtle pyschopathology of moderate to heavy coffee consumption contributes to the production of unnecessary conflict and dysphoria. The subtle cognitive and memory deficits which appear after coffee intake should alarm employers who expect their employees to think, remember, or carry out skilled, coordinated acts. It may be that coffee facilitates dull, routine, rote tasks where thinking, skill and initiative are unimportant.

[Sharon in Colorado]

I love that mini-challenge idea.

I think this will help many folks who have trouble starting as they are seeing 30 days as too much of an effort.

You can do a phase one 3 day challenge, then a phase two, then phase three - people fasting and cleansing can join in!

Heck I'll join in as well, I've been on a 721 for the past 2 days, transitioning to the 811!

You may need to start a new thread though so people will recognize it - I think tons of people will go for it.

[Seren]

Yeah great I think this will be fun! Off to start a new thread . . . .

[pdx kris]

Here's something that really works for me, maybe giving it a try could help?

When I am having a food craving, I allow myself to have it, instead of getting mad at myself about it. We grew up eating cooked treats, and let's be honest, things like bread taste good!

Once I've welcomed the craving, I think about where the craving might be coming from. Am I hungry? Am I in a movie theater and smelling popcorn? Does the food on someone's plate look really good? Am I stressed out and wishing that I still believed gummy bears made me more relaxed? If it's just that I'm hungry, well, that one is easy, I just eat something raw. :) The others are can be tricky, so here is what I do. I decide that if i still really want to eat, I can eat it tomorrow.

I also used this method when I quit smoking, and for me it is very successful. Generally, I've forgotten about the craving completely 24 hours later, but if I haven't, I find that that craving existed in that one moment in time, and I don't have it in the present.

Yes, it's a method that takes a few minutes and a little bit of introspection, but I've found it has been indespensible over the years for breaking my reliance on "comfort foods" and learning to deal more effectively with my emotions and tendancy to self-sabotage.

Good luck! Cravings really can be the pits, especially when you're first starting out.

[Seren]

Wow That is a really great technique!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

I will definately be using this technique :D

Love Seren xXx

[Dimond]

Buying raw oats like Alissa sells is a solution for your oat cravings.

[Seren]

Yeah thats an idea but I live in the UK so its pretty hard to get them!! Thanks for suggesting though :)

I think I will just try and give them up, they are too much of a trigger food for me, once I start, I just can't stop!

Love Seren xXx

[rawfigure]

I try over and over again to eat even just mainly raw food and I just can't seem to do it. There are certain things that I slip up on, the main things being oats and bread.

Do I have a food addiction?

When I consider having muesli ( :confused: strange I know)I just can't control my compulsive need to have it. My sensible brain switches off and suddenly I really don't care about being raw, and even about the fact that I'm not hungry :mad:

Could somebody give any insight, suggestions or anything to this please?

Love Seren xXx

Seren, I read something interesting in regards to food addiction/breaking the addiction that made so much sense to me. It was more technical but in simple language it talked about how the body remembers what is ate the day before, and desires and craves it (remembers) what it ate the day before. So you naturally grab for that same food. (For me it is almonds and chocolate, coffee) It suggested that you not eat the offending food for 3 weeks and that the body will forget during that time. So I did try it and it worked for me.. I did it successfully with Oatmeal (before I was Raw) & recently Coffee and I no longer desire them at all. Now I am doing same with Almonds, I am Day 4..and when I am over almonds I will move on to Chocolate !

[RawMorgan]

Why don't you try to create a raw museli for yourself. If you take soaked almonds and chop them up a bit, throw in a handful of raisins, ( or dates, dried strawberries, cherries, apricots etc) and pour some sweetend almond milk over it, I'll bet you'll never miss your museli again! Try it with a variety of nuts and fruits which don't require a dehydrdator. Enjoy! Morgan

[RawMorgan]

FYI regarding food addictions: The reason recovering alcoholics frequently crave and eat junk food like bagels, donuts, cookies, etc is because the grains and refined sugar begin to ferment in the stomach upon eating, essentially creating an "alcohol" substitute for the body and the addiction is satisfied. Also, the rise in Seratonin from the grains puts the person in a better mood temporarily. Morgan

[StudentforLife]

I make a raw oat meal with soaked oat groats, apples, maple syrup and cinnamon. When I was starting to crave breads I made this and WOW! With the first bite my cravings were put to rest.

I understand if you want to totally give them up. I have an addiction to sugar so I will do everything in my power to never eat a candy bar or baked goods again.

[Raw Magwene]

I was having a real problem with sugar/bread/grain cravings earlier this summer, when I was not raw. The problem for me at the time was that i have an allergy/intolerance to sugar, wheat, rye, spelt, yeast, etc. I talked to my nutritionist/herbalist last time I saw him and I told him straight up "I cannot not eat sugar and bread, I crave it so badly" He diagnosed a possible mold or yeast overgrowth in my system. He gave me a nutritional supplement to combat that. That was 3 weeks ago, and since I started on the supplement, I haven't had any cravings for starchy or simple carbohydrates. I am done with the bottle and don't have to take anymore.

I'm especially impressed by these results because my whole life, I have had a notorious sweet tooth (read:sugar addiction)

Sometimes, when you have a yeast/mold/parasite problem, those organisms stimulate false cravings for things like starch and simple sugars.

[Nenyath]

I think many of us have something like that Seren, so you are not alone! For me it's bread with cheese (I know, dairy, keep far far away and I do my best! :o ) Good thing it is "only" wheat.. I believe we can weane off it, sometimes we slip, but with every firm NO, we grow stronger.. Good luck!

Fly forever free..

[Seren]

rawfigure: Thats really great that you have managed to let go of all those addictions! I managed to give up all things with added sugar (not including "savoury " things like tinned beans or whatever) but I havent had cakes or biscuits or anything like that with added sugar for nearly two years! The problem was then that I got temporarily addicted to sweetners!! :rolleyes:

RawMorgan: Thats a good idea, Ive tried this before though and it just made me crave it more surprisngly because I couldn't help comparing it to the other oat filled muesli :rolleyes: I think the idea of replacing it for something else though is a good idea, just maybe I will do it with something that doesnt resemble muesli ... cool I will try that :)

Raw Magwene: That thing about craving starch/ simple sugars... perhaps Im not over the sugar addiction yet even though I gave it up nearly two years ago (!), and the oats and bread are probably keeping my sugar cravings going!! Oooh if I give up oats maybe I won't get such bad cravings for sweet things like bananas or dates, or most inportantly, oats and bread! Thanks for your ideas, they've really helped me understand my situation more!

StudentForLife: When I gave up sugar nearly two years ago (well, candy, chocolate etc), I had tried many times before and failed. What made it easier for me that time I think was that I put it as one of my new years resolutions, I think that made me not want to ruin the beginning of a new year, and it was something that I had wanted to do for ages anyway. ..... I just had a thought, I think maybe this is where my muesli addiction stemmed from - Im not 100% sure but I think I used to have muesli when I was craving sugar. ****! Replace one bad thing with another! At least its not as bad as having refined sugar I guess. So yeah, if you want to give up sugar (I really think it was the best thing I ever did), then try putting it as a new years resolution! And replace it with something non addictive, so not oats!! Possibly your favourite fruit or whatever. Good luck :D I will do this with oats if I dont manage before new years to give them up, but if I do manage then I will do this with bread, if Im not already a raw foodist :p I can dream...

Oh also StudentForLife, I find than when I have maple syrup it makes me crave sugar like MAD!! So if you're trying to give sugar up, my advice would be to stay away from the maple syrup :)

Nenyath:I know exactly what you're going through, in past attempts at going vegan I have ended up craving cheese like crazy. I have no idea why because when Im not vegan I am so not fussed on cheese, I would never eat it! Well Ive been vegan for a few days now, possibly a week and Im not craving it hardly at all! I think it was that video by PETA posted on this website a little while ago, it turned me vegan there and then, and Im never going back and supporting the dairy industry! Ive been vegetarian the majority of my life so I didnt have to try and give up the meat at the same time, that would be hard. Lucky for me I want brought up on meat so I never liked it!! I support you 100% in trying to give up bread, I will do it too so you are not alone!! If you want to join the other thread of the mini 3 day challenge, go ahead! Today is the day we started but we will be continuing with lots of succesive 3 day challenges so you can jump in any time!! This will hopefully help with getting off your bread and cheese cravings.

Love Seren xXx

[Nenyath]

Hi Seren.. I saw that video too and vowed to be vegan. I have not touched the meat and have no desire to. But that cheese.. At least it's organic :o I've been all raw today so far though, so I'll join you in the challenge!

Fly forever free..