Previous post on food and weight: No sugar cravings.
Apparently each type of cell has its own life cycle with certain kinds cells lasting a few days (colon, sperm) and others lasting weeks (skin), months (red blood) or years (white blood). This means the body is constantly regenerating and producing new cells. However it works out, my health practitioner tells me that after I’ve stayed off the processed sugar for three months, my body will have learned the new way of eating and fueling itself, and after that it won’t take any effort to maintain my current habit of snacking on protein and fruit and skipping dessert.
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| Location of the spleen |
This is a huge relief because being off my drug of choice feels very new, like I’m wobbly on the training wheels. I was at the supermarket yesterday and I looked at the slices of frosted cake and wanted one. But I remembered that while I used to impulse-buy that stuff, I don’t do it anymore. It wasn’t hard to pass up, but it did distract me for a minute.
One thing that helps reinforce my better way of feeding myself, is thinking about my spleen. It’s an organ that many don’t think of as important, but they’re wrong. The spleen is key to digestion, immune function and the lubrication of joints and tissues (nose, mouth, vagina, etc). Apparently I inherited a weak spleen that needs a lot of help to function well, and there are specific things that strengthen and weaken it. The spleen does not like cold foods or chilled drinks. It doesn’t do well with spicy foods, leafy dark green vegetables, pistachios or cashews. It’s strengthened by warm foods and hot beverages, root vegetables, peanuts, almonds and grains such as rice, oats and quinoa.
One thing that definitely weakens my spleen is wheat. The spleen does not like wheat and that means I greatly restrict bread, pasta, pastries and everything made with wheat flour. Some people have spleens that are strong enough to handle wheat products every day. The spleens of others can manage some amount of wheat. But people like me really have to avoid wheat most weeks out of the year if we want a well-functioning spleen.
Some of the complaints I get from my spleen when I indulge in too many dinner rolls or hamburger buns are gas stomach aches, itchy skin and lower back ache. Fortunately, I’ve never been a bread or pasta lover, and I can go a long time before I’m in the mood for a sandwich or some pizza.
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| I want a happy spleen |
It takes commitment to support my spleen like this because it goes against the American way of eating which is processed sugar and wheat-flour-based foods all day long. But I’m stepping away from that lifestyle. Now when I look at a layer cake in the supermarket, I can imagine not only my body suffering from sugar overload, but my spleen recoiling from the prospect grinding through all that wheat.
Next post on food & weight: How to overcome addiction.
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