GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. We avoid discussion of political issues. If you are quitting or even thinking about quitting, please -- join us!
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Good morning, GUSsacks, supporters, and cartoon-watching onlookers.
The first time I became aware of the effects of food upon my body was in my mid-twenties, when I found that a steak dinner followed by club dancing made for a panting, sweaty mess of a pretty fit kid. Yeah, yeah, I know. My smoking is the problem.
"Well... yeah, shortness of breath, of course," my partner at the time told me. "But what's causing you to sweat so much is your body working overtime to digest your steak." Was this common knowledge to anyone else at age 25? It was a news flash to me.
That same year, I worked part-time as a mobile disc jockey, both solo and as assistant DJ for larger functions. At one ritzy wedding reception on coastal Old Saybrook, CT, I partnered with a senior record-spinner/royal-card-on-the-wedding-mic who was also taking a course in nutrition. A vegetarian as well, he described our digestive systems as primarily built to metabolize foraged goods; nuts, roots, berries, and the like. We're just not set up to properly digest meat, he said. It made some sense to me, though I offered the possibility of further evolved digestion in certain cultures whose diets contained more meat.
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At a meeting of a mens' empowerment group I have attended for eight years, I arrived late, straight from work, and hungry. A half-hour into it, I snapped and dropped Missile FU on a brother who had done nothing more than ask me if I had dinner, and offer to me this factoid: "The reason you are angry right now is because your body is low in blood sugar and nutrients." The truth hurts, but my response was much worse.
It took about a minute for remorse from my outburst to set in, and I apologized. Not only did this man accept my apology with grace, but has since introduced me to vegan and raw foods, along with the basic concept of slow cooking, whereupon the natural nutrients within the food are kept intact. He poured both of us a a shot of rich, dark green chorophyll, which has a taste you might achieve by dumping grass clippings and mud into a blender. Surprise of all surprises. Not only did it taste much better than raw eggs, but the chlorophyll boosted my energy in such a manner that worked through my afternoon project without needing my usual two or three caffeinated drinks.
Since then, even though I haven't yet justified dropping $20 on a bottle of exotic chlorophyll, I have made it a point to put aside my usual fast food lunch for one that is more balanced towards whatever fruits and veggies grab my eye, in addition to a tuna fish or deli sandwich (so far I love vegan dishes, but as of yet am not technically a non-carnivore). Also with this overall energy boost, I have found that two-three cups of coffee in the morning is enough for the day. This is a vast improvement from my thirty-year habit of swilling an entire pot of coffee upon awakening.
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All of the above anecdotes are just a time-line of slowly-awakening realizations about nutrition, and the physical/mental/emotional ramifications of my own food intake. Given my history with alcohol and other mind/mood rollercoasters, it's no wonder that the issue of food remained the more modest Merry-Go-Round, a carnival ride I rarely hopped aboard. Nowadays I want to ride it for what its worth. See, if I can just get used to feeling better, I bet it would be a great long-term deterrent to a cigarette.
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Today I had lunch with fellow Chicago GUSsack MillieNeon, whose February diary GUS: Quitting Smoking & Healthy Sleep gave me the spark needed to write today's entry, while venturing further into vegan dining. The two of us are both veterans of recovery rooms, and over fine dishes and exotic-tasting smoothies, we talked about (amongst many other things) health, addictive habits, and feeling better in the literal sense.
Much of our conversation manifested thought that wound up here today, and this is where I stop typing and post. Before I do this, I want to pass along best wishes to you from Millie, who gives her love to all you GUSsacks, and aims to be back here this summer, after returning from Europe.
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In writing about food, I want to issue a shout-out to our sister group WHEE (Weight, Health, Eating and Exercise). You can find today's WHEE diary just two diary spots down from here, along with healthy eating tips and interesting recipes. Another food resource mentioned in the comments by new GUSsack msmacgyver (welcome!) is beach babe in fl's Kos diary series, Macca's Meatless Mondays.
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OK, this has nothing to do with smoking or healthy eating, but it's really stupid, silly, and will hold mass appeal for fans of 1987's uber-violent futuristic fascist satire Robocop.
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Rollerblading Instructor, Landon McKeester (NPR's Car Talk)
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