THE BULL MUST DIE …

In Spanish-style bull fights, or “corrida de toros” as they are called, there are three matadors (bullfighters) and each fights two out of a total of six fighting bulls with the use of thrusting capes.  These bulls each weight at least 1300 lbs and are at least four years old.  

Well, a few days ago, a friend, Tom, was describing this amazing ritual that is practiced in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Southern France. In Greece, we have a similar sacrifice with the killing of the Minotaur, which is actually symbolic of a bullfight. Anyway, Tom was in Venezuela and had attended a “corrida” and at the end of it all, he was so intrigued by this spectacular tradition, taking place in an arena that he had to go and talk to one of the matadors.  He asked him how he felt about killing the bull and the blood that is involved and the matador simply replied: “The bull must die…”

When Tom was describing his experience, I could see a spark in his eye, the spark that you see when people actually feel what they are talking about and you can sense their blood pressure going up … I was looking at him with fascination, but the anger and fury that was being emitted through his expressions and words made me think of the annoyance we feel about our selves when we are on a diet, we lose control and end up eating whatever is in front of us at the moment … and then we regret it but … it’s too late.  The calories are already consumed and being absorbed by the body, being turned into fat!

So how do we fight the bull?  How do we insert a barbed wooden decorated stick into the bull’s neck muscle to take his life away? How do we destroy the demon inside which causes the food cravings that make us want to kill for a piece of chocolate? 

Primarily, we need to start by understanding the demon and the many reasons that make us crave different foods. And here it is: sometimes we crave a particular food for comfort or a means of escape, other times we use food as a way to get quick energy or we have become addicted to a food for a number of reasons. However, we may also crave what our body most needs. Food cravings can be the body’s way of trying to correct a chemical imbalance or point to a lack of vitamins or minerals. Lastly craving certain foods may indicate a weakness in certain glands, such as the pancreas, the adrenals or the thyroid.

But here’s a bit more that you may find interesting and ... helpful:

Evolution predisposes the body to crave high fat, high sugar foods. When food was scarce, the body wanted food that was packed with calories or food that could be used quickly for energy. Pleasure chemicals, like dopamine, are released in your brain when you eat high fat, high sugar foods. This is why eating chocolate and ice cream actually “feel  good.” The body responds positively to this chemical release. 

Kicking a food habit can be more difficult than kicking cigarettes or drugs. Cutting a food from your diet is not easy—especially because you cannot give up eating. What do you do? Realize you may need to give up your food more than once. Let people know what you are doing to help yourself in avoiding temptation. Substitute other naturally sweet foods. Until refined foods became plentiful, most people satisfied sweet cravings with cooked carrots, a sweet potato, or fruit. Usually sugar cravings diminish in three to five days after elimination. Realize that food cravings do lessen over time. 

A craving for sweets may indicate a lack of minerals in the body. Are you craving sweets all the time? Your body may be looking for more minerals. If sweet cravings are especially difficult for you, try adding trace minerals to your diet and look at what happens! 

People with an overgrowth of yeast in their intestines often crave sugar. Yeast that lives in the intestines feed off simple sugars and an acid environment. Eliminating sugar and overripe fruit from the diet while eating more vegetables, makes the environment less hospitable for yeast and can decrease sugar cravings. 

Hidden ingredients may be the cause of your cravings. Read the ingredient list on the label of your favorite “healthy” snack. It may look as if you are getting more energy from all the B-vitamins in a product, when the real source is the caffeine listed as an inactive ingredient. Oftentimes sugar, caffeine, or other chemicals are added to foods to keep you coming back for more. 

Craving salty foods may indicate low adrenal gland function or low thyroid function. Salt regulates water retention in the body through the kidneys and adrenal glands. It is high in iodine, which is a mineral needed for thyroid function, therefore If you are craving salt, it may be your body asking for more iodine or potassium, or pointing to a fluid imbalance. 

You may crave a food to which you are allergic. Your body often develops sensitivity to food items you eat everyday for years. Food sensitivities can lead to symptoms similar to allergies.

              Part of optimal health is being free of food cravings and addictions. This does not mean you can never have another piece of chocolate, but it does mean asking yourself: What part of me is craving this food? Why am I craving it? When you eat a food you are craving for, ask if the craving goes away or gets stronger. Who is in control? The food or you?  And when you do answer these questions, and inevitably manage to control your cravings, then … you have successfully killed the bull!!!!