"addiction" vs. "listen to your body"

[ruffsongraw]

i know there have been a few threads about raw cacao being controversial. i have a few thoughts that i'd like some feedback on...

when you have a GS every day and then "crave" or think you need one when you havent had one, is that addiction?
when you get/feel revitalized/energetic from GS's, is that dependency?
if you feel icky after not having one, is that addiction?

too much of anything is probably not a good thing. and "too much" varies from person to person & i am not addressing those that have had issues/sensitivities/reactions to raw cacao (i have not).
but what is the difference between listening to your body and being addicted to something?

if raw cacao is a super food, and if it has benefits to it, why do some say it is bad to consume it at all?
if raw cacao gives energy (and i dont mean hyper/bad energy) and makes a person feel good, how is that different than exactly what all raw and living foods do?

"addiction" is a word i associate with bad things like cigarrettes, alcohol, heroin, meth. coke---all bad. then there is the "addiction" to SAD foods and coffee, etc, which are also bad. i dont see how "addiction" to a super food (or is that in question as well?) can be bad.

what about being "addicted" to raw foods? where is the line between being addicted to something and liking the effects of it?

i dont think anyone is going to rob a 7/11 to steal money to support their raw cacao habit....or feel the need for re-hab if they use it more than 3x a week....
admittedly, i have not read all the studies on it. i hate reading conflicting info and there is plenty on both sides out there to read. i have an ample supply of raw cacao and have some about 2x a week. i have no bad side effects from it. i dont pine for it when i dont have it, the actual taste doesnt do much for me. i bought a huge container of it when i first went raw and will finish it out before i read all the awful things about it b/c it was too exp to throw oute i think i was "addicted" to PEpsi several years ago. i dont feel about raw cacao the same way as i did about Pepsi---dying to have one.

any thoughts or answers anyone can offer?

: )

jen

[Aleesha Sattva]

addiction is when you NEED something in order to function and the thing you NEED is not good for you (mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally)

listening to your body and gifting it what it needs... is a gift not an addiction.

personally i have raw cacao... i'm looking to LIVE my life to the fullest and healthiest i am able. i'm not into perfection cause honestly... what is perfection and who is going to set the standard?


addiction is a state in which the body depends on a substance for normal functioning and may occur along with physical dependence, as in drug addiction. When the drug or substance on which someone is dependent is suddenly removed, it will cause withdrawal, a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. In physiological terms, addiction is not necessarily associated with substance abuse since this form of addiction can result from using medication as prescribed by a doctor. Physical dependence is different from psychological dependence (addiction). The latter is often characterized by a compulsive need for a drug for psychological reasons, while the former is characterized by need for the drug due to tolerance and the need to prevent withdrawal symptoms on discontinuing the use of a drug. Physical dependence however, commonly occurs with both addiction and therapeutic use of drugs.

[RawKnitster]

"A gift is not an addiction." Lovely thought, Aleesha. :)

There is controversy in all areas of life, especially religion, politics, and raw food diets. You can find "facts" to support any side of controversy that you choose to stand on.

I'm doing my best to support my health with the choices I make. If a food bothers me in any way, then I don't want it. I can't eat fresh basil, but that doesn't mean it is poison to everyone. Cacao is special and I use it accordingly.

I've been addicted to many things, and I can tell you for sure cacao is not one of them. Not even close.

[ruffsongraw]

Both helpful and posituve replies. thank you!

i agree you can find "facts" or "research" to support whatever side you want to support.
with all the "raw cacao is bad" lately on here, i just feel guilty now whenever i put it in my smoothie, like i am indulging in something taboo. i am trying to think of reasons in my head to justify it, when i do think it's good for ppl (who dont show a sesitivity or reaction to it.).
thx.
jen

[D'vorah]

if raw cacao is a super food, and if it has benefits to it, why do some say it is bad to consume it at all? . . . . .

. . . . i dont think anyone is going to rob a 7/11 to steal money to support their raw cacao habit....or feel the need for re-hab if they use it more than 3x a week....




"Superfood" is a modern term, one that is not backed by any long-term research. I hear this term being thrown around fairly liberally regarding a number of items. So, what does it really mean? Is chocolate in its raw form a superfood? Is any one edible item that magical and that powerful in its essence? I don't put much stock in "superfoods."

Maybe no one will knock over a convenience store for a chocolate addiction, but I've known more than one woman who fished chocolate out of the garbage the next day after swearing off of it. Raw or not, that's addiction.

[Aleesha Sattva]

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww fishing it out of the garbage? who are you hanging out with?

i love a nice banana, cacao smoothie... it's a treat that i thoroughly enjoy. no guilt at all with raw foods for me. if it's raw... i never ever ever feel bad about enjoying it. ever.