When I first started eating without sugar and flour, I happily
went right along with the recommendation not to mention certain foods to other
sugar-free and flour-free folks.
Anything with
substantial sugar or flour in it was referred to as “not-my-food” or “NMF” so
no one would be triggered by the mention.
I also avoided any situations where
NMF was served and kept my eyes off the NMF aisles at the grocery store. In
meet-ups and phone calls with fellow plan followers, I strictly avoided ever
saying the actual name of a food that might trigger someone to eat off plan.
And certainly I never, never, never posted a photo of a cupcake or milkshake
because that might trigger someone.
But it always bothered me. However much I tried to live in a
world where I would never again ever be reminded of trigger foods, I was always
pushed back into the real world. As soon as I stepped out my front door, I
always come up against the reality that we do not live in a triggerless world.
In fact, it’s the opposite. We live in a world flooded with
food marketing. Driving to work, I pass billboards trumpeting sugary snacks,
trucks emblazoned with photos of sugary drinks and radio ads touting sugary
foods.
Being abstinent from sugar and flour is a unique thing in this world.
And this world is not built for and doesn’t really care much about people who
are trying their best to avoid these foods.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand why people get
triggered about food. I can understand why people want to seal themselves off,
protect themselves, and build a world that is as free from triggers as
possible.
Some people can even do it long-term. They can live happy, fulfilling
lives by avoiding as much as possible any sight of or discussion of or mention
of sugary or flour-y foods. They eat at home mostly. They have someone else do
the shopping. They might even avoid watching TV. They don’t have friends who
eat crap, or at least not ones they hang out with much.
At first, it was useful for me to do the same thing.
Especially in the early weeks when it took everything I had to not pick up a
snack or a dessert.
But now that I’ve got some momentum, I’m increasingly
uncomfortable trying to live in a trigger-less world. I’d rather take what I’ve
learned and use it to negotiate living in the real world. I prefer living as a
non-crap-eating person in a world that eats a lot of crap. After all, this is
the world we live in. It’s a lot easier when you can live in the real world.
But my reason goes deeper than that. I also want to live in
the real world because this is a world I’d like to help change.
I think we need
to see more non-crap-eating people out there living, enjoying restaurant meals,
hanging out with friends, having fun, celebrating holidays – and none of it
with crappy food.
We need more non-crap-eating people who are celebrating and
enjoying life in a world where people think you can’t celebrate or enjoy life
without crappy food.
I didn’t give up sugar and flour so I could hide away at
home or only attend events where no cake is served or eat every meal at home
for the rest of my life. I didn’t get free of sugar and flour so I could tiptoe around the
substances that ruled my life for years. Food doesn’t get to dictate how I live
my life any more. I want to live life to the fullest.
So I’m out there in the real world. I go into grocery
stores. I pass billboards. I see foods with zero nutrition all the time.
I
don’t pick them up – but not because I’m forcing myself to not look at them. Because
I know they offer me nothing. They have no value for me, nutritionally, emotionally,
or in any other way.
Sugar and flour served a purpose. Avoiding triggers served a
purpose for a while. But now I want to be out in the real world, being me.
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