I was watching this youtube video last night, a response to a plea for help from a woman who wants to be 100% raw but isn’t because she believes she is addicted to cooked food. And it got me thinking. Aside from the fact that the main problem this woman has is NOT the fact that she eats cooked food but the sheer bloody TURMOIL she seems to have got herself into over the fact that she wants to be 100% raw and isn’t, there are a whole other host of things I don’t like about this video’s topic.
Firstly, there’s the reference to ‘Falling off the Wagon’. I’m honestly going to sucker punch the next person that ever mentions the ‘W’ word about raw food. I’ve already ranted about this here so I’ll save you the diatribe on that bullshit for today.
There’s also a comparison between someone who eats cooked food (or has it in the house) and an alcoholic. I’m actually at a loss as to what to say on that one but I’m quite sure that the impact an alcoholic has on their own life and those around them is a far fucking cry from someone that wants to boil up some pasta. Having alcohol in the house if you’re an alcoholic and having cooked food in the house if you’re a err… human? are totally, totally, totally, utterly, different. End of.
Secondly, is this whole ‘addiction’ thing. I’m taking it on the basis that we are talking about physical rather than psychological addiction. We all know that these are very different kettles of fish.
People that are psychologically affected by what or how or the quantity they eat are suffering from a sickness of the mind (you may find many people with a history of eating disorder in the raw food movement). I don’t think ANY of us in the raw food world are equipped to deal with someone’s psychological addiction or unhealthy relationship with food (cute pun) unless we are a health practitioner. If you find yourself binging on food (as referred to in this video) then yes, you may very well be accidentally starving yourself but if there is mental stress around that and what/how much you are eating then it’s likely that you’ve got a bit messed up in the head and should seek some help – not from someone that tells you to just eat more fruit!
Do you know how many books there are in the world dealing with addiction and addictive behaviours? 40 billion. The complexity of it is so vast that bananas cannot be the answer. There are so many theories and models and we still don’t fully understand it. People get out of control and do terrible things to feed (pun) their addictions like rob banks and kill people. Ok, that’s at the extreme but you get my point.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that there are certain chemicals in certain foodstuffs that play havoc with our brain chemistry – sugar and MSG, anyone? I know that junk foods and such can contain addictive ingredients because it makes them sell. I also know that people can turn in to demons if they have one bit of toast and butter (oh god).
But that’s not what’s being discussed here. Or if it is then it’s not explicit enough in the video or in the information out there in the raw food world. We need to be clear that not all cooked food is poison and/or addictive and I think that to misguide people about this is at best irresponsible, and at worst dangerous!
Damn right we’re physically addicted to food, last time I checked we need it to live (breatharians aside).
So coming back to a physical standpoint if that is indeed what we’re dealing with here.
To suggest that we are addicted to cooked food but not to raw is a bit weird to me. I mean, does that mean that if I heat a food above a certain temperature it all of a sudden becomes addictive? Or are we only referring to certain foods? Are vegetables ok but nothing else?
What if I boil the food? Is that as addictive as steaming it? Or frying it? Are there varying levels of cooked food addiction depending on what I do with it?
It’s common sense isn’t it? Deep fried mars bar versus roasted veg? No contest.
The whole concept of cooked food as addictive is just too wishy-washy for me and that’s why I call bullshit.
You are not addicted to cooked food. You are a product of your culture that loves to do shit with food. To create and enjoy. To fuel your body. You are also the outcome of millions of years of evolution that ate cooked food and didn’t cry like a girl over it.
You do not need to join cooked fooders anonymous.
It’s ok to eat cooked food. It’s great to eat raw food too.
You do not have a problem that needs to be fixed.
All we can do each day is make better choices around what goes in our bodies.
We do the best we can and we are grateful for the food we share.
End of.
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