Some mornings, I work at a little, quaint beach restaraunt. We serve an amazing breakfast menu that offers a healthy, fresh fruit salad, or fresh eggs and multi grain toast, smoked salmon or even eggwhite omlettes. Furthermore, we offer a choice of chocolate chip pancakes, bagel and cream cheese or a belgium waffle, and even eggs benedict. So for the beginning of the morning, I'm disihing out what ever it is my guests are ordering, I have no say in what they eat. I might have to smell homefries and bacon under my nose for 2 hours before I get a chance to eat. This means that if everyone is eating like little piggies, I'm getting all the aromas of Belgium waffles, sausage links, syrup and bacon. All these aromas are getting into my senses, into my brain and eventually rumbling my stomach and making my mouth water. So unconciously, I walk over to my computer, touch my fingers to the order menu and punch in my breakfast, with out even thinking about "what I want". I know what I want; I want eggs benedict and pancakes with bacon and syrup, because thats what is making my mouth water and tummy grumble. However, after my fingers touch the screen a couple times, and swiftly, with- in 10 minutes I have my amazing breakfast before me. 2 eggs scrambled, dry multigrain toast, no homefries, sub fruit cup. I eat like a robot, not even thinking about how much I really want to stuff two pieces of bacon in my throat, because if I did, I would, because I'm thinking about how good it will taste. But if we don't think, and we just do what we know is better for us, we may find it a lot easier than dealing with the indigestion and feelings of guilt and the extra pounds in our jeans.
Easier said than done? Abso- friggin- loutely! I am no angel when it comes to junk foods! Trust me! I may have some in depth knowledge on how our body deals with foods and how foods change our bodies, but when it come to the mind, I am not worthy. Our minds, over the years of growing up, dealing with stress, boyfriends, girlfriends, family members, family gatherings, friends and cook- outs etc...the list goes on...all the "moments" create memories. Because food is fuel, a good percentage of our memories revolve around food, we just may not realize it. Growing up with an Italian father, food was everything. You aren't even hungry and you have atleast two different people stuffing food in your face. Food is health, wealth and happiness. Sharing meals and cooking is the centerpiece to most families, and with these "moments" come emotions. We link happy thoughts with "happy- meals" B.B.Q's, Thanksgiving Dinner, Sunday Pizza night. You name it, there is an emotion behind it. We compound all the years of egg- nog and chocolate- chip cookies around Christmas time and you can betcha that there are more good memories attached to cookies and egg nog than there are bad....So what is my point? Stop thinking about how good food tastes, and ask your self.."is it really good for me, or does it just taste good?" and further that by considering the other habits we may hold on to. Smoking. I smoked for 10 plus years. Many people do not know that abut me. I still can't believe it sometimes, but I did. I don't anymore, though, and my reason: it's not good for my body.Period. Exclamation point. Do you need a better reason to prevent you from basically killing yourself. Yes your addicted, because you're doing it everyday, despite the necessity for oxygen and antioxcidants and despite the minerals that it is stripping from your body. Stop thinking about quitting, stop thinking about drinking more water, stop thinking about not drinking soda or scotch,Just do it already! Life goes by quicker than you think, especially when your struggling with ailments.
