Is food the missing link?

This is a great post from my personal trainer,  Nicole Irlbeck , on the role of food in our lives.

Food. We have to have it, and yet, sometimes…well, it is a nuisance. Either we just don’t have time for it, or we are obsessed with it, or we simply wish it would cook itself. It is a joy to be able to have wonderful smells, and savory tastes, but it can also get us into trouble when it becomes challenging to stop our cravings or dependence on food to regulate our moods. Food is a fuel. In its most pure form, it is meant to give us energy and vital nutrients to bring us life. However, in the another sense, it is also what brings us joy during times of socialization or comfort during times of stress.

What is food to you? Have you ever thought about it? There was a time in my life where food was an obsession. I thought about it all the time wondering when I would eat, what I would eat, where I would get my next meal, or what everyone else was eating around me. I controlled food as a way to control my environment. Now (at least 90% of the time) food is simply something I need to eat to prevent my stomach from growling. Don’t get me wrong, I like to eat. It’s just I have stopped using food as much as a drug and more as a way to get and keep energy.

Julia Ross, the author of the book The Diet Cure, states that most people eat too few calories, they don’t have a “real’ appetite, and that they can’t discipline themselves because their biochemistry is off. Great! I can finally forget the excuse of laziness or gluttony. I hear it over and over again…it isn’t that people typically aren’t trying, it’s that they aren’t seeing results or they are sabotaging themselves right and left by going back to their unhealthy habits. Julia’s suggestions aren’t easy though. She has worked with addicts for years and has found that amino acids, the nutrients found in protein, are the “miracle cure” for those with eating disorders, weight problems, yo-yo dieting habits, low energy, and many others. Think that describes you? Take her quick symptom questionnaire to start looking at what could be at the root of your problem.

The following 8 steps are her cure for dieting and getting balance back in your relationship with food:
1) Correct brain chemistry imbalances
2) End low-calorie dieting
3) Balance unstable blood sugar
4) Repair low thyroid function
5) Overcome addictions to foods you are allergic to (that’s right…you could be eating something that is at the very least an intolerance, but even more, could be triggering your cravings).
6) Calm hormonal havoc
7) Eradicate yeast overgrowth
8 ) Fix Fatty Acid deficiency

I highly recommend her book, and will be posting more about her tips. Her book is more of a repair manual than an informational tool. First and foremost, as with any 8-12 step program is admitting you have a problem. If you aren’t satisfied with your health, keep focusing on it with a consistent intention. It will only improve if you do something about it!