Food: Getting Joy From Food Not Drink

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Getting Joy From Food Not Drink
Sunday, April 30, 2006

One of the concepts brought up in the Sonoma Diet is that we should get pleasure from our food. There are two parts to that statement, but it is the second on which I hope to focus. The first part means that we should enjoy our food. We should eat slowly and savor our meals. We really should take the time to like our food so that we do not resort to quick, processed foods.

The second part is that we should not get our pleasure from liquids, but from solids. Now that is something that is tough for me. It is probably my biggest fear when it comes to the Sonoma diet and to my eating habits in general. I have been recording what I eat for the past week or so. I have discovered that I get about half of my calories from what I drink instead of what I eat. No, I am not kidding. I was shocked to find that out myself. I drink far too many soft drinks.

So the biggest diet change for me with the diet has been getting rid of soft drinks. Actually I did not get rid of them. They are still in my fridge, but I did that for a reason. For starters, I had just bought two 24-packs of drinks and could not see tossing them. Second, I have the power to choose to drink water instead of soft drinks. I am not drinking water because that is all I have, and that is a good choice to be able to make.

I also bought some herbal tea. I have never been a huge fan of hot tea, but I am learning to like it. I bought a decaffeinated nighttime tea that should help me to get to sleep gently and easily. Then I bought some vanilla hazelnut tea. I have tried the nighttime tea, which is mint. I have not tried the hazelnut yet, but I am looking forward to it. I really think that it is going to be very tasty and a good change from soft drinks.

Of course, the diet still permits me to have my coffee although I have switched to artificial sweetener. My eventual plan is to wean myself to drinking black coffee, but I am taking things one step at a time at this point.

I have not had a soft drink in about 36 hours right now. That may not seem like much, but it is to me. It has been a very long time since I have gone that long without a soft drink. Yesterday things were rough. Mountain Dew was taunting me every time I opened the refrigerator. I was not sure how I was going to get through it. Today, though, I realize that I am able to make it without a soft drink. I do not have the problems doing that I would have imagined yesterday.

Interesting I am finding that the Sonoma Diet is right. I have enjoyed my meals more, and I think that is in part because I am drinking water with them. I am able to focus my taste buds on my food instead of on my drinks. That is an interesting experience.

Yesterday I had only two cups of coffee and then all water. Today I probably will have a cup of tea at some point, but for the most part I am drinking water.

I am ensuring that I have 64 ounces of water everyday. Today is only my second day, so I know that my body is still holding on to the water for a while. It will take about five days, according to what I have read, for my body to know that it can shed the water I am drinking. At that point, you are supposed to lose a good bit of weight in a couple of days.

Overall I am finding that pulling myself away from the sugary drinks and foods that make up much of the American diet is not as difficult as I had imagined. I am struggling a bit, but I feel confident today that I can make it through the diet to become healthier.

By Julia Mercer

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