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Even with the best will in the world, the Junk-Food Demon can make your transition to ultrahealth quite a challenge. But follow the next ten steps and you'll gradually leave the Junk-Food Demon behind to eat his own cream cakes, chocolate bars and soft drinks. You'll also start to experience the energy and fun of food.
Willpower
The first two barriers to overcome concern attitudes, for instance: 'I've tried to give up junk-foods before - but I just don't have the willpower' and 'I know they're bad for me, but I really do like the taste of the "no-no's".' If you happen to feel this way your 'willpower' is not innately 'weak', nor is it under the tyrannical control of the Junk-Food Demon. It may surprise you to know that when the old 'should I?/ shouldn't I?' conflict arises over a chocolate bar or ice-cream cone it is quite possible that your reason for wanting it is some sort of biochemical upset in your body such as a deficiency in one or other vitamin or mineral, or just a disturbed digestive system. When a body is in real harmony with itself you are usually indifferent to even the most voluptuous chocolate sundae. So forget the battle of the will. Stop blaming yourself and look to strengthening your overall state of health and raising your energy levels instead.
The rewards
One of the most important aspects of any change in lifestyle is being aware of the rewards it will bring you and enjoying them as they arrive. What are the junk-free diet bonuses?
1. Sparkling eyes and clear glowing skin.
2. String shiny hair.
3. A firm, well-toned body.
4. A vanishing pot belly.
5. Clear mind.
6. A fresh positive outlook on life.
Are you a Mars bar?
One of the greatest incentives to rid yourself of junk-foods once and for all is the startling realization that you really are what you eat. By understanding even the most rudimentary biological facts you will see that the food you eat becomes the building blocks of the cells in your body. Take a step back next time you are presented with a plateful of chips, sausages and beans and ask yourself, 'Am I really proud to be a greasy chip?'
The Dreadful Cravings
You can't pretend they just don't exist. As Snoopy says, 'It's hard to keep your mind on a diet when your stomach just sent out for a pizza,' so what can you do? First, understand why you have cravings. Many cravings come in the form of a sweet tooth - the feeling that you just must have something sweet - a chocolate bar, some biscuits etc. Then there is the craving for a cup of coffee. As different as they appear, these two are actually linked. They both stem from a need for a boost in energy. You feel a little tired and need pepping up, so you eat chocolate or drink coffee. An hour or two later you find yourself even more tired and with an even stronger craving. And the cycle goes on as you put yet more strain on your pancreas to regulate your blood sugar and deplete your body of yet more of the important vitamins and minerals. Then there are the allergy cravings. You need a doughnut or an ice cream and not just one, but several. Food allergies can leave you feeling ravenously hungry even after eating a large meal. Again, take a step back, and acknowledge your cravings for what they really are - you will not die, nor will you even suffer, without that quick junk-food snack, and the sooner you realize it, the better.
Substitutes
It's all very well denying yourself this or that, but what do you eat to fill the gap?
1. Replace refined grain products with wholemeal ones such as bread, pasta, crackers, noodles and rice.
2. Replace ice cream and milk shakes with fresh fruit sorbets, frappes and yogurt.
3. Substitute healthy snick-snacks made by grinding nuts and dried fruit and forming into little balls instead of chocolate bars.
With a little imagination and experimentation you will find that giving up junk-food is no sacrifice at all.
Exercise
One of the ways to lose your dependency on junk-food and to do away with cravings is to get plenty of exercise. Exercise will quickly rid your body of metabolic waste products, the presence of which make you crave the junk-food monstrosities. By increasing the amount of oxygen supplied to each cell of your body a regular exercise regime helps cleanse and strengthen your system and finely tune it so that you can no longer stomach junk-foods
Drink Like a Fish
Another very helpful way quickly to eliminate toxins from your system is to flush them out by drinking lots of liquids. Spring water is great _ it cleanses the digestive tract, liver and kidneys. Unless you practically live on a diet of all raw foods, drink at least four glasses a day. Fresh raw vegetable juices are even better for cleaning your cells. Water drinking breeds energy to bum in the body too - as several studies in which athletes were forced to drink large quantities of water show. Herb teas are very useful too. Apart from having their own specific therapeutic properties they are helpful in taking the edge off your appetite when you crave a certain food or feel like a snack.
Snacks
Probably the time when you are most likely to confront the Junk- Food Demon is when you decide to 'grab a quick bite to eat' to sustain you between meals, or to replace one. If all you can find for a snack is a chocolate bar or packaged apple pie you are better off.
Junk the Food
You can't tell every fast food restaurant to close down or every street vendor to move his cans of fizzy drinks out of your sight, but what you can do is be responsible for the food in your own home. Don't take the attitude that as you bought that large chocolate cake you ought to finish it anyway, and don't let it sit around staring you in the face. Get rid of it, or give it away. The sooner you eliminate 'tempting' foods from your own kitchen, the easier it will be for you to forget about them altogether.
Going hungry. Missing a snack, or even a meal for that matter, is no terrible sin. On the other hand, if you are hungry, you are hungry. Try to make sure that you have good snacking material at the ready - a piece of fruit or a bag full of crunchy crudités is ideal. Sunflower seeds or unsalted nuts are a good energy sustainer, but make sure they are really fresh and remember they are also high in fat so you may not want to eat them too frequently.
Steer Clear of the Traps
Don't let yourself get into difficult situations socially where you are forced to eat bad foods. Anticipate the junk-food traps and be sure to either bring your own foods with you or avoid eating altogether.
These ten points are not only helpful for the 'junk-food addict', but even for people who eat an average 'good' diet.
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