Tues.Food For Thought

November 1st, Food Is Not Love With our heads, we know that food is not the same thing as love. When this face sinks into our emotions, we are released from our obsession with food. In order to reach this point of emotional development, we need to abstain physicallly from compulsive overeating. As long as we are physically addicted to refined sugars and starches and binge foods, we do not have the perspective neccessary to move away from our emotional attachment to these foods. It is easy for babies and children to confuse food with love. As they mature, they learn to discriminate between the two. If we are compulsive overeaters, we need the OA program and a spiritual awakening to bring clarity to our confusion. We have much emotional and spiritual growing up to do. If our early needs for love were not satisfied, no amount of food will compensate. It is by giving love that we are able to fill our inner emptiness, and it is through our Higer Power that we are healed and made able to love. May we remember in our hearts that food is not love. Readings by Hazelden Meditaion Series I am taking a class at our church on marriage. The book we are working from is called, "Getting The Love You Want" A Guide for Couples. By Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. One of the assignments was to go back to our childhood memories and picture positive things about our caretakers. When it came to my Father, it took me quite a while to come up w/something. He was very abusive. I finally thought about how he would have me go to the stores all the time and get him and myself some goodies and when the Good Humor Man came around, he would give me money to buy his fav.'s and let me buy mine! Than we were to write how we felt from these experiences. Can you believe I felt "LOVE"! I finally associated my past obbsession w/sweets. I was trying to feel my Fathers love through these treats. Food played an important part in my childhood. Ironically, I wasn't a fat child. I was quite skinny! My Mother was the best cook going and she made even Liver taste great! I associated food w/feelings of being loved. When a person was as abused as I was, physically, emotionaly and sexually, my only outlet was food. I have an unhealthy relationship with food and I am coming to terms that food will not and cannot bring me the fullfilment that I desire. I feel cheated that I can't enjoy all kinds of food in moderation because I abused and used it for all the wrong reasons. But I am determined to get a healthy relationship w/it. It can't rule my life anymore. I have to take control over my emotions. I am a work in progress and I know I am on the road to recovery. We all are to some degree or another. I hope this has helped those who are coming to terms w/their food issues too. Have a Blessed Day! Jeannie

This is so true, all of the positives that I think of in my childhood was associated with food. Going to my grandma, fishing,eating the fried fish, making homemade ice cream, grilling hot dogs outside over a fire with coathangers, her strawberries in the garden , her homemade desserts, the walnut tree, peach trees, blackberry bush. The family gatherings at my aunts house, food ,food ,food everywhere. My mom was a super cook. Summer block parties and the list goes on. Lord knows, this is why I am obsessed with food. Raven