Last week, a colleague told me that she will not eat sugar for one month to purify her true self or something like that. She said we all need to cleanse our bodies every couple of months. It vaguely reminded me of the way R's father explained confession and sins over Sunday dinner so many years ago, when he was still hopeful to have me properly baptised and saved and all that.
I like the idea. Cleansing sounds good. During my final exams at uni, I fasted for 16 days, just tea and a bit of carrot juice. I wanted to impress this guy, a former bf who was studying medicine, he called every day to cheer me on and check my blood pressure. Much later, he confessed that I was one of 12, that I had been part of a study for his PhD thesis. His experimental design was a bit flawed regarding the informed consent but I remember feeling great, apart from very cold feet and a furry taste on my tongue.
Every morning I take five different medicines, two of which I also take every evening. On Tuesdays, I take medicine number 6, on Thursdays, number 7 and on Friday, I add number 8. I keep the crumpled up instruction leaflets to each of them in a box somewhere. Early on, R offered to make a spreadsheet of all the possible side effects. I begged him not to.
But I wonder. What if I just stop them for a month to purify my true self. To rediscover my body raw with illness, to watch what happens, to find that thin line again, between what's left of myself and being ill.
I mentioned this to one of my learned friends, someone with years of medical research behind her. I told her sort of by-the-way, as if I was telling a joke. I even laughed. She just put her hand on my arm to stop me and silently shook her head.
So yes, I hardly eat sugar anyway.
Oh dear god. People here in the USA are constantly going on about no-sugar, no-white flour, no FLOUR (gluten- which we are all suddenly allergic to) and master cleanses and so many supplements and of course, only those rich enough to be able to afford organic kale and carrots and beets (which we must juice in our $$$ juicers) are interested in doing any of these things.
ReplyDeleteI just don't know. Of course we should not eat crap. I highly doubt you're eating much of any sort of crap though.
We go on, we muddle through. Last night I ate ice cream. It was so good.
I can see the appeal - but you need to do what you can to stay as well as you can, so you can have as much fun as you can in the circumstances. Going without doesn't feel like fun at the moment.
ReplyDeletemy husband announced he's going sugar free for a week. it's incredible hard to do unless one eats only protein and vegetables, dressed by nothing but a little salt and pepper and nature. sugar hides everywhere, and is the devil.
ReplyDeletesugar definitely doesn't help my joint pain.
I'm glad your medical friend shook her head so kindly.
In 1987, when I had just turned 38 years old, I stopped eating sugar, and the majority of my lifelong health problems improved. Previous to that I had frequent headaches, severe food and environmental allergies, debilitating depression, bulimia and anorexia. All foods began to taste better to me when I stopped eating sugar. Everything tasted sweet and delicious. My life became sweet. I found that I didn't need sugar. My remaining health problems improved when I stopped eating grains about 3 years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy perception is that sugar is like alcohol. Many people can enjoy alcohol, while others suffer and die from alcoholism. There is no reason for most people to stop eating sugar or drinking alcohol, when they bring so much joy and pleasure to life but for some of us, reasonably good health depends upon completely staying away from those foods.
I don't have a juicer and live on very little money, and I eat nothing except fish and other seafood, generous amounts of a wide variety of vegetables with olive oil and coconut oil and salt, and occasional beef, pork, chicken, and turkey. I couldn't enjoy food more than I do. I love food! It brings me joy and pleasure!
We all have to find what works for us and our body chemistry.
Ms. Moon -- I wish I could eat ice cream, too. I have wonderful memories of ice cream. Good to know that you enjoyed your ice cream last night! It is a sweet pleasure.
Sending love to you, Sabine, as you find what works for you.
I don't really subscribe to any particular diet, except that I haven't eaten red meat in 45 years. I try to eat things that have not had all the real nutrition processed out of it, and all the fake flavors processed in. We each have our own very specific body chemistries, so what works for some won't always work for others. I understand your desire to want to purify yourself away from the medicine regime. I also really appreciate your friend shaking her head "no." Now I am wondering what your favorite, most delicious and nutritious meal is.
ReplyDelete(o)
ReplyDeleteThere are no ways back, only ways forward, I think.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of not eating sugar sounds nice, but it's really hard to do in this day and age. I find the whole "cleanse" craze a bit excessive, actually. It seems to me that it's wise to just eat a variety of food in moderation and leave it at that. (Unless one has specific allergies and that kind of thing.)
ReplyDeleteAs for medication, well, it's there for a reason, right? But it's always helpful to review it all with your doctors periodically. Maybe it really would be possible to wean from some of it with their supervision.