Many people swear that eating a good breakfast is the key to a successful life. Maybe it is just that whatever we become accustomed to eating during our formative years, stays with us. Personally, I could not possibly face eggs and bacon until mid-morning at the earliest. My motto has always been to eat dessert first. This may sound flippant, but I assure you, I am not obese and I am exceptionally healthy. I make all of my own meals and breads – and I eat salads nearly every day. I do not eat candy other than organic dark chocolate. A homemade dessert or a piece of pie tastes far better in the morning with a cup of coffee, than it does when I am already satiated from a big meal and my test buds need a rest. Whenever I have eaten out at a restaurant, I am too full for dessert, so I like to get a “to go” box and eat it for breakfast the next morning. This is something that I do only occasionally and surely, it is no worse than those people who eat donuts and sweet rolls every morning, followed by fast food for lunch.
I have followed the Buddhist teaching of the “middle way” for most of my life. I listen to my body and it tells me what to eat. If I have a craving for a particular food, I know that I am in need of the nutrient that food provides. When I feel full, I stop eating. If I eat cookies, I limit myself, usually to two. I do not count calories or become obsessed with fat or protein content. I have not owned a bathroom scale for more than forty years. If my clothes become uncomfortably snug, I cut down on my food intake and exercise more. I do not diet. If I were to try dieting, it would have a reverse effect and I would gain weight simply because knowing that I cannot have something, causes me to want it that much more. I verged on anorexia during my first marriage. My husband at the time threatened to leave me if I ever became fat. I realized later that it was actually my mother who instilled this fear in me. My sister had large bones and was built like my “fat” grandmother. My mother constantly chastised my sister for being overweight. I wonder how many people who suffer from obesity and diabetes have inherited these problems from family members. Eating habits are developed from the moment we are born, and eating, along with water and air, are essential to our survival.
Obesity seems to be more prevalent in those places where there is an over-abundance of food. Sadly, there is an alarmingly large amount of “non-foods” available for low cost and free to the poor and struggling minorities. These are the people who are suffering the most with medical problems directly related to the foods that they consume. They may be filling their bellies, but they remain starved nutritionally and emotionally. The fear of hunger can thrust these people into a lifetime of poor eating habits that are difficult to change. I eat mostly organic foods – even my desserts! I garden organically and raise my chickens and my pets on organic foods, as well. I no longer worry about the cost. I have created the habit of eating well and I would rather eat less and eat nutritiously, than eat those things that will ultimately compromise my health. We are what we eat, and creating good eating habits is vital, not only to our own bodies; it is vital to every living thing on this planet.
