Transitioning to RF: Dealing with dairy attraction (WAS: Milk attraction)

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rawfood [ <rawfood >

rawfood ]

On Behalf Of Alicia Richards

Friday, August 11, 2006 5:48 PM

[Raw Food] Re: Milk Attraction

 

Hello, everyone!

Elchanan, I found your posts regarding milk and its addictive properties very

interesting, and

enlightening. For years, if I've gone for a few days without having milk, I used

to get this

real, physical craving for it. I didn't understand it. Joking, I would tell

friends that I

needed my " milk fix. " After reading your posts, I now know why I felt that way.

 

I talked with Audrey yesterday about going 100% raw again. I've been doing a lot

of writing and

pondering, and I think milk and other dairy is going to be the hardest for me to

give up. Does

anyone here have any suggestions? I hear lots of talk about nut milk. How is

that made, and

which kinds would most resemble real milk in taste/texture? Basically, what is a

good raw

replacement for dairy?

 

Alicia

________________

Greetings Alicia and all,

 

For those who wish to learn more about why we humans seem to be so attracted to

dairy products,

chocolate, and other " foods " , may I recommend the book Breaking the Food

Seduction, by Neal

Barnard, M.D. Dr. Barnard serves as president of PCRM (Physicians Committee for

Responsible

Medicine), and he has done a nice job of gathering and presenting relevant

research findings.

Having some high-quality, well-presented information can be quite helpful.

 

Now Alicia, I wish to address your question about giving up dairy products, at

least from one

perspective. Admittedly, my perspective on this that may differ from what many

others teach. For

background, I have observed -- only my own, personal observations -- that the

vast majority of

people (perhaps more than 90%), who approach some form of RF diet and lifestyle,

ultimately give

up on it. In other words, the approach being used by RF teachers across the land

is largely a

failure.

 

People give up on RF for various reasons, but a few of these reasons come to the

fore most

frequently. For example:

 

1. Lack of knowledge

2. Lack of self-awareness

3. Lack of support

4. Lack of self-love, self-confidence -- faith in one's self

 

There is a tendency in the RF world to focus on food, food, and more food. Need

ideas about how

to attend a party? Ask for a recipe. Have a craving? Seek " alternative " foods.

You get the

picture. And as my writing about mammalian mothers' milk clearly conveys, I do

acknowledge an

important physical component to our food attractions, cravings, etc.

 

But what is given lip service, yet really almost completely overlooked, is the

emotional aspect

of all this. Speaking only for myself, I have had to admit to myself that food

was my best

friend, quite literally. For decades, food was the only " person " to whom I could

turn, day or

night, that would never " abandon " me, etc. Food was also my drug of choice -- I

learned at an

early age how to use food to numb out almost any feeling imaginable, no matter

how intense.

Food seemed interesting -- it provided an alternative to boredom, to loneliness,

and so forth.

 

So whenever I would try to just " give up " this or that food (or some

combination), I would come

face to face with whatever feelings lurked beneath. And until I finally gained

the tools I

needed to move through these underlying issues within me. there was simply no

way I was going to

move past certain foods. Oh, to be sure, I did let go of many, many things. But

a handful of

foods -- all creamy, gooey, cheesy, sometimes a bit spicy -- persisted with a

vengeance. I felt

frustrated, even to the point of utter hopelessness at times.

 

What's my point in sharing this? I have come to believe that we cannot

successfully use force

against ourselves. If we are using a crutch to deal with some aspect of life,

something within

ourselves, and we remove the crutch, then we MUST either resolve the underlying

issue, replace

the crutch with a different one, or restore the original crutch (or something

similar). Nature

abhors a vacuum -- this we cannot change.

 

Recently, a couple of people have shared that they experienced great success

once they let go of

salt and spices, onions, garlic, etc. But these people did not do so on day 1,

to my knowledge.

Occasionally, I encounter someone who can just " let go " of the old foods; but

for the most part,

people face challenges from within.

 

So as you approach cheese, or whatever other food seems difficult to " let go

of " , instead of

trying to force yourself forward in one area (food alone), I encourage you to

consider moving

yourself gently and lovingly forward in a more holistic, integrated way. Allow

your

self-awareness to grow ... focus, for example, on what you were experiencing and

feeling moments

BEFORE a craving arose. Allow yourself, over time, to face and know yourself.

 

We are taught, " Love thy neighbor as thyself. " What many misunderstand is this:

that one CANNOT

love one's neighbor, friend, partner ... not fully ... until one learns to love

oneself.

 

Just food for thought (so to speak).

 

Best to all,

Elchanan