I am and I will always be, the optimist, the hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams. I told you at the beginning that part of my health issues are depression and other emotional issues which sometimes are so bad I don’t want to move. I am heading that direction now.
I want to eat. Donuts, cake, pie, McDonald’s anything with sugar and high carbs to stop the pain, but I can’t. There is nothing in the house at all, and I made a promise that I wouldn’t.
So today I live with the pain. I don’t bury it under a mound of white sugar, but stay with the pain and stay with the program. I can do this. The Bible says with God anything is possible and I must hold on to these words.
To give you an idea of what is happening to me I am going to tell you the words I sent to a friend in a text a while ago. “I feel like all the good is being drained out of the world and that it will never come back.” I feel despair and hopelessness.
All I can do is pray and hold on, knowing that this pain will not last. It will pass.
I am going to pull myself away now and relay to you some good advice I received last night. I was talking with a friend in a church small group that I attend on Wednesday night and he taught me the key to healthy shopping for food. Shop the outside circle of your supermarket.
Most super markets are arranged in almost the exact same pattern, with all the healthiest food along the walls. For instance, when you walk into my favorite market, immediately along the wall and the in that section are the fresh fruits and vegetables, this section is immediately followed by the salad bar. It does get a little dicey as next comes the deli counter and deli meats are not so good for you. Cheese on the other hand has its merits. In this section though, you will also find imported cheeses and olives and other actually healthy deli products.
Moving along the wall which crosses the back of the store is the fresh and frozen seafood and usually a fish monger to help you. After that comes the butcher and the meat department.
As we turn the corner and go along the far side we see the dairy department. This will consist of milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, butter and other associated products. Here though we must navigate carefully, French onion dip and cheese whiz are not healthy choices. Here you will usually find the chilled juices as well. Juice isn’t necessarily bad for you. Bu the truth is that once juice is extracted from the fruit is digests differently and so it may not hold all of the nutrition you are looking for. However, high pulp juices can be good.
At last we come to the last section of the store, the bakery. The bakery also has to be moved around carefully as well. You already know what’s off limits but there are some good choices here. Whole grain, freshly baked breads roles and bagels aren’t bad for you and you may find some new types of bread that you may enjoy, like whole wheat flat breads.
So here is the key if you want to eat healthy, walk around the outer ring of your super market.
The next morning: I slept well last night and the nightmare of yesterday had passed. I didn’t cheat at all.
