24 November 2008

Strict Limitations

I gave up white flour about a month ago. At the same time, I limited sugar and dairy and essentially became housebound during mealtimes.

It's hard being one of those people - I used to make fun of people like me. Finding a good balance between what I want to eat and what I should eat proved to be more difficult than I had ever thought. I now regard cakes and pastries with the same mistrust as I regard Stephen Harper with.

It's funny how simple saying that you're going to cease and desist with eating a certain substance is in comparison to actually doing it. Do you know how many delicious things white flour is a part of? And sugar - sugar is literally in everything. The North American diet is a very sweet one indeed, as if sugar isn't in something then high fructose corn syrup is. Crushed tomatoes have sugar. Even sweet things like peaches have sugar added when they're made into juice. I've necessarily given up on processed foods and now spend a great deal of time blanching, peeling and de-seeding various fruits and vegetables in an effort to avoid the sweet stuff. There are often pots of bones boiling on my stove now. It's like I live in the 19th century.

The light in my food world is that I can still eat french fries. I don't think I could have given them up. I also don't think that I would have kept this up if I hadn't seen such dramatic results from these dietary changes. Honestly, rice is my friend and sushi can be a treat. Thai food is a coconutty, holy basil-rific delight. But I've also dropped about 10 lbs and my normally irritated and grumbly stomach is singing me pleasant songs of satiated delight. I've finally committed to yoga at least once a week, and don't need daily doses of painkillers for headache.

And I think I've taken to proselytizing, heaven help all my friends and anyone reading this.