How to remove temptation from your diet
In case you missed it, food has changed more in the last 30 years than it has in the last 3000.
Cows no longer eat grass; vegetables are grown in water by means of hydroponics; chickens are no longer free to roam to eat bugs; fruits are being restructured by genetic modification, and 90% of grains are being sprayed with harsh chemicals. Gee, I wonder if any of this could have an impact on how we feel?
To add to the problem, the vast majority of foods found on supermarket shelves are now processed. Processed “foods” might have started off as real food, but somewhere along the way, they took a wrong turn. Once foods cross over to the dark side they get to live inside a metal can, a cardboard box, or plastic wrapping along with their preservatives.
As soon as the production line has finished adding “stuff” to them, a third party turns up to collect them with the sole purpose of selling them on to you for a tidy profit. While I’m not opposed to anyone making a profit, I can’t help feeling this style of production works best for the automotive industry. As you read this, keep in mind that whenever food is out of the farmers hands and into the hands of shareholders, most of what you are told about nutrition is probably wrong.
Here’s where it gets tricky …
To ensures that shoppers keep coming back for more, sugar is systematically added to everything from baked beans to salad dressing, from milk to crackers. But just to keep the public on their toes, sugar goes by lots of different names. At the last count, there were more than sixty ways to hide the word sugar from the label. Either way, it doesn’t matter whether they call it sucrose, barley malt, dextrose, maltose rice syrup yadda, yadda, yadda, sugar is still sugar. It’s also more addictive than cocaine. No really, it’s true.
To add to the problem, many of these heavily processed foods have been linked to a wide range of health problems. ADD, obesity, depression, heart disease, joint pain, and diabetes to name just a few. And while processed food is, admittedly, convenient — illness in all it’s many forms is certainly is not.
The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.
– Ann Wigmore
Processed foods are high in calories but low in actual nutritional content. They won’t flood your cells with key nutrients, instead, they add to your toxic burden, it’s Frankenfood. In short, processed foods are the wrong fuel for the engine.
Here’s where it gets easy …
Since the beginning of time, the human body has been designed to run on clean water and whole food. Whole foods are easy to identify because they are made from only one ingredient. Whole foods do not grow in boxes or cans. If you are still unsure, anytime you see food ask WTF? (Who’s-The-Farmer?).
More than ever before in our history, people are now reacting to the foods they eat. Once our health begins to suffer, the solution is always going to be the same. We need to stop eating the wrong fuel. Am I right?
We could go around in circles all day long to make this same point sound more intelligent or complicated than it needs to be. But that heavily processed food you eat will either make you sick or keep you sick.
So here’s your first golden rule: if it was made in a plant don’t eat it, if it came from a plant then eat it. In the history of mankind, there has never been a single recorded illness relating to a deficiency of processed foods. Seriously, never. Fortunately for us, this makes the whole transition process really quite simple.
Heavily processed food = bad.
Whole food = good.
Processed foods = more than one ingredient.
Whole foods = have only one ingredient.
As we learned earlier, processed foods are addictive, destructive and darn right deceptive. With that in mind, quitting them is easier said than done, hence we need a plan. And I just know you are going to love this!
And here’s where it gets interesting …
As any recovering alcoholic will tell you, it’s far easier to avoid temptation than it is to resist it. Okay, there is no easy way to do this. What say we rip the band-aid off right now and get right to the solution? It’s the time to take greater responsibility for your health. Ready?
CARDBOARD
Up until this point you have gotten off pretty light, but now the oven mitts are really coming off! If you want to stop making poor food choices then I’m about to show you the absolute best way to do it.
First, go to the store and buy several medium-sized cardboard boxes. Fear not, the nutritional content of cardboard is of little value to us here, the boxes are needed to put your toxic food in. Once you have your boxes open them up and begin placing every single item of processed food into the box.
I know right, this guy is crazy, but keep reading anyway; I promise it gets better. As Carl Jung once said,
“Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you.”
Once the cardboard box is full, check to see there is a neighbor in your street who leaves a dog out to bark at night (who does that?). If so, simply gift the box to them (Or anyone else you hold a grudge against). If not, draw a skull and crossbones on it and put the damned box out for the garbage man.
I realize that this is a bold move and for some, it might be a bridge too far. If this is you, I’d like to assure you that what we have just done is absolutely critical to your success. Look at it this way, if I’m right, you get your health back, if I’m wrong you lose a little money and the annoying neighbor with the barking dog gets sick. Too bad so sad.
Here’s why the cardboard box diet works.
● All temptation is removed
● There are no more labels to read
● No more calories to count
● Food sensitivities, be gone
● No complicated diet to follow. Hoorah!
Still not convinced, huh?
Maybe you are fighting me on this because times are hard. If that’s the case, stop and calculate the cost of the food in your cupboard. Got the figure? Perfect, now stand back and ask yourself, is that all your health is worth to you?
What do we have? Maybe a couple of hundred bucks of toxic food? I’d bet the farm that any illness would cost more in weekly medications alone.
If you need to save money, sacrifice something else, sell your hat or sell the cat. It’s time you and your loved ones stopped sleepwalking into illness. Let this bold, decisive call to action serve as your wake up call. It’s time to bite the bullet, not the biscuits.
The idea here is that we are looking for a clean slate to work with, new habits bring new results. Old habits got you into this mess! If you really want to liberate your health, put all of the processed food in the box. We both know if it remains in the house you are going to eat it.
Why is this important again?
Think of it this way, you live inside a body, if you don’t take care of it, may I ask where you are going to live?
Once you clear out all that junk food, all those hidden food additives, and deceptive sugars are no longer a threat to you or to your colon (did I mention death begins in the colon?). On the flip side; once we have whole foods in the house this is what you will eat. It’s a WIN-WIN.
I get it, new challenges bring resistance. And if frozen pizza has been working for you, then more power to you, if not, maybe we need to try something different.
PHOTO
If you need motivation, find an earlier photo of yourself looking healthy, or having fun or driving a motorcycle. Once you have an image that means something to you pin it to the fridge. Obviously, the photo needs to represent something bigger than your temptation, it could be a photo of your spouse or if applicable, your kiddo’s.
Find something deep inside that matters more to you than a couple hundred bucks’ worth of toxic food. Do this and the rest is easy.
I’m not doing this to be mean, I really do want you to succeed. Done right, this is going to work for you because this is a plan like none other you have tried. Think about it: alcoholics who successfully recover don’t sit in a house full of booze.
HOW TO FAIL IN THREE STAGES
1. Keep processed food in the house.
2. Don’t have a plan.
3. Repeat step one.
You might be asking, “Hey, does this also include all those condiments?” Yes, remember it’s do or die, and the “do” part always seems like a much better option to me. This is a whole fresh start, with fresh food. While you are at it, send that bleached iodized salt to the box, pink Himalayan salt is better for you beyond comparison.
In case you were wondering, I’ve actually done this in my own life. I found it much easier to do it without thinking. Just keep putting that “food” into those cardboard boxes and this will be a breath of fresh air to your health, I promise. Now take a deep breath as we take one of those cardboard boxes and approach the fridge. I know, right? Not the fridge too!
MILK FROM A COW
Yes, obviously, this includes that block of mucus forming cheese, yes that sugar spiking organic orange juice (that’s probably owned by one of the cola giants), and yes that carton of milk even if it is “fortified” with vitamin D. (D for Don’t get me started.)
Now you dunnit! Milk is absolutely packed with wonderful nutrients if you happen to be a cow. Are we a cow? I think not.
Humans and the only mammals on this planet that drink a different mammal’s milk. I know right, what’s up with that?
But, seeing as we humans are so much smarter than the cow we have to take it a step further by taking their milk and heating it up and killing all the beneficial enzymes in the process. We then add sweeteners, and to top it all off, we stick it in a toxic BPA plastic container for its 1500 mile ride to the store. It’s only use now is to make the mind boggle … and the food manufacturers have the audacity to call this healthy!
If you want your health back you have to fight for it, so yes, this step is important and we don’t want you to be even an eenie-weenie little bit tempted.
If you simply can’t throw food out, then seal the box and have someone save it for you for thirty days. Your fridge should now look just like it did the day you bought it. Empty!
PUSH BACK FROM FAMILY MEMBERS
If you happen to share a fridge, I accept this step may be more challenging, so you now have two options for you. First, get the whole family on board, maybe even get them to read this (hello family member) this way everyone knows where you are coming from. Getting family members on board would be an ideal solution. It wouldn’t kill them to eat healthy, whereas eating toxic food certainly might!
However, if you are feeling a certain amount of pushback, or your family members refuse to cooperate, I have a simple fix. Simply unplug the freezer for a few hours and say, “Hey guys, we lost power and I had no choice but to throw all the food out!” The point is this: if you are determined, you will find a way, if not you will find an excuse.
Okay, almost there, just one last important thing to know in advance. Whenever you set about to change your life, people will inadvertently attempt to derail your attempts. It’s just the way it is.
As sure as night follows day, the second you remove all temptation from your home someone is going to knock on your door and offer you cake.
Knowing that people are going to try to tempt you in advance gives the power back to you. This power comes from within and you should not count on the support of others for your success. Remember the rule. The cake is coming, but do not accept the cake.
At this stage, you may be forgiven for saying, “Gee, after I do all this cleaning out, what the heck am I going to eat?” I’m so glad you asked. Stay tuned because it’s actually so simple even a fat burning caveman could do it.
What did we learn from this?
When faced with illness treat anything that comes in a box, a can, or a packet with suspicion. Removing all processed foods from your cupboards not only removes temptation it takes all the guesswork away.
Homework: Check out this book
