Someone close to me is a recovering alcoholic. He usually does well, and is clean and sober. However, during stressful times, unhappy times, depressed times…his body and mind tell him otherwise. We’ve talked about this, and a statement he’s made to me: “Part of being a recovering alcoholic is learning to be a non-drinker in a drinking world” is incredibly applicable to the CE lifestyle.
“Part of being a Clean Eater is learning to be Clean in an Unclean world. “
If you think about that statement – “…learning to be Clean in an Unclean world”, it becomes clear that changing your diet is as much a mental change as it is a physical one. Our bodies are remarkably adaptable, and when we give our body junk food, it adapts to accepting this lower grade “fuel” by adding fat, slowing the metabolism, and generally running poorly – but it runs. The change that causes the physical change to take hold is purely a mental one; understanding that in order to be healthy, you must exist “apart” from the eating world around you.
In order for me to be healthy, I have to accept that I can't eat like others eat.
In order for me to be healthy, I need to make some choices for myself which others might not understand or accept.
In order for me to be healthy, I need to remove processed foods from my diet.
Every bite counts. Every one either supports the CE choice I've made, or takes me away from it.
Coming to terms with Eating Clean in an Unclean world is ( as Lao-Tzu said famously ) the first step in a thousand mile journey. Having started down this path, I recognize the value, and see the path as only wide enough for a single person at a time. It's something I have to do for myself, by myself.