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| (Last updated: February 18, 2008) | ||
FOOD ADDICTS ANONYMOUS-A GUIDE TO ABSTINENCE
Definition of Abstinence We ask for help from our Higher Power to abstain from those substances we find ourselves craving, ever mindful of our addiction to sugar, flour and wheat. Feeding our bodies with a plan of sound nutrition will allow us freedom from the insanity of this disease. With honesty, an open mind, and willingness to share our experience, strength and hope, we can recover from this disease-ONE DAY AT A TIME. Of course, to the new recovering person, this appears as another diet. But we who walk this path of recovery know that this program of eating is unique. One of the obstacles you may encounter in early recovery is the temptation to alter the food plan to suit yourself. It is our experience that deviations recreate our old food problems. To guard yourself against the tendency to rationalize, it is suggested that you discuss any additions or subtractions you may think are necessary with a sponsor or someone in the program who is abstinent. 1. Weigh or measure all food as specified. Volume can trigger the disease. Eating larger or smaller quantities of food than recommended on the food plan can cause the physical cravings to reappear and can lead us back into the disease of food addiction. Eating added volume or restricting is often the beginning of the relapse process. Invest in measuring cups, measuring spoons and a good scale. Since this is NOT a diet, wide variety and attractive presentation of your meals will help you stay abstinent. Make it interesting! 2. Look for hidden or additional names of sugar, flour and wheat in the “Ingredient” section of the label on all packaged or canned foods, drinks, marinades, dressings, and spices, including salt. Do not confuse this with the “Nutrition Facts” section, which may list naturally occurring sugar. For example, the label on a can of tomato paste may list tomatoes as the only ingredient and yet under the “Nutrition Facts” section it may list 3 grams of sugar. The 3 grams of sugar naturally occur in the tomatoes. Check all labels regularly as manufacturers often alter ingredients. The only acceptable sugar substitute is saccharin. 3. Low calorie, lite, light, sugarless or sugar-free on a product label does not imply that the manufacturer has not added sugar in one of its many other forms. It is absolutely necessary to read all labels. WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT! 4. Fresh is best. If fresh fruit is not available, use frozen fruit or canned fruit packed in water or in its own juice. If juice is used, include it as part of the measurement. 5. Never use cornstarch or other thickeners. 6. This meal plan may help alleviate elevated triglycerides and elevated cholesterol levels caused by excessive carbohydrates and fats. For those with elevated cholesterol levels, limit eggs and red meats to three times a week. 7. Red meat should be limited to three to five times per week. Other sources of protein include tofu, tempeh, beans, chicken, fish, low-fat ricotta and low-fat cottage cheese. 8. If constipation is a problem, eight 8-oz. glasses of water per day added to your meal plan will help. Exercise, even walking, will also help. Two teaspoons of ground flaxseed on your cereal is also useful. 9. Tomato juice or vegetable cocktail juice without sugar may be used as a cooked vegetable substitute, 1 cup juice = 1 cup cooked vegetables. 10. Caffeine is an addictive stimulant and should be avoided. Suggested drinks are decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated tea, herbal tea, clear diet soda, carbonated water, and water. 11. Two or more proteins may be combined to equal one protein serving. For example, two ounces of cooked ground meat and one-half cup of pinto beans equals four ounces of protein. 12. For abstainers with high blood pressure who are prescribed a low sodium diet, fresh is best, frozen is the next best. Always read the label for sodium content as well as sugar. "Instant" anything has a higher sodium content. 13. You may use part of your milk allowance as a coffee lightener. One percent or skim milk may be used in this plan. PRIOR PLANNING PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE IF YOU FAIL TO PLAN, THEN YOU HAVE PLANNED TO FAIL. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING ABSTINENCE 1. Following the FAA food plan as written will allow you to become well physically, mentally, and spiritually. The FAA food plan balances proteins and carbohydrates to support steady, stable blood sugar levels and a steady metabolism-essential to prevent triggering cravings and binges. The recommended time between meals further supports this. Do not skip meals. This schedule works best: Breakfast + 4 hours = Lunch + 5 hours = Dinner + 4 hours = Metabolic Adjustment DO NOT SKIP MEALS! 2. Active participation in the fellowship through service is one of the best ways to help keep your commitment to recovery. 3. See your doctor. Have the doctor review this program of eating. Follow your doctor’s suggestions concerning this plan. 4. Your food should be written down. By writing your menu for a week, shopping is easier. Planning helps eliminate chaos and last minute choices made when hungry. Going over your meal plan with your sponsor daily will help you feel comfortable at planning nutritious and interesting meals and will affirm your commitment to remain abstinent. A daily log of everything you eat is an additional reinforcement. 5. DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF more than once a month. If you are over or under your ideal weight, you may expect to lose or gain weight on this plan safely and appropriately. 6. If something listed on this food program is or becomes a problem for you, eliminate it. 7. SIT DOWN FOR MEALS AND EAT SLOWLY. 8. Include fish or poultry in your food plan daily if possible. 9. We suggest one vegetarian day per week. Try soy protein (tofu or tempeh). Check meat substitutes for wheat. 10. Beware of products advertised as low-calorie, low-fat, or fat-free. They frequently contain sugar or flour in some form. 11. When eating in a restaurant, ask questions. It’s OK to ask for what you need! 12. We suggest taking a multi-vitamin daily. Check vitamins for sugar, flour and wheat. Ask the doctor or pharmacist to recommend medications that are free of sugar, alcohol, flour, and wheat whenever possible. 13. Do not repeat the use of any starchy vegetable or grain more than THREE times per week. We can become sensitive with overuse. 14. The following food plan is a way of eating that is free of sugar, wheat, and flour. The food plan eliminates the basic components of our binge foods: sugar, flour, wheat and inordinate amounts of fat (sticky, greasy, pasty foods). This is not a reducing diet because it is not severely restricted in terms of basic food groups. However, it does reduce fat intake to an appropriate level. BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER METABOLIC ADJUSTMENT 1 protein 1
protein 1 protein The daily requirement for oil is one serving for women and two servings for men, to be divided among two or three meals. Men need to add to the amounts shown on the list two ounces of fish or poultry or one ounce of red meat at each meal. At lunch, add a serving of one of the following: a fruit, a grain or a starchy vegetable. This food plan is designed for adults. For children who need to address food addiction, we recommend that your pediatrician evaluate this food plan to determine your child’s needs. Clear soup is permitted before lunch OR dinner. Long term abstinence may require total elimination of all artificial sweeteners because of our carbohydrate sensitivity. (Caution: all sweeteners can be abused like sugar.)
ROTATE ALL FOODS. This food plan is designed to allow you to live in the real world. We learn how to eat to live instead of living to eat. We can fill our emotional needs from sources other than food. COOKED PROTEIN SERVING SIZE
beef 4
oz. VEGETABLES 1 cup of any of the following:
artichoke
greens: beet, collard, dandelion, STARCHY VEGETABLES SERVING SIZE baked potato
(white) 1 sm., 6 oz. FRUIT SERVING SIZE
apple 1 med. GRAINS 1 cup of any of the following, measured after cooking: amaranth Any non-wheat, sugar-free, dry cereal such as: puffed brown
rice puffed millet DAIRY (May also be used as a protein)
buttermilk 1 cup If you are dairy sensitive, eliminate dairy and substitute 2 oz. of any type of protein. FATS Polyunsaturated oils are essential to good health. Women require one fat per day and men require two. The fat requirement is normally divided between two or more meals. Choose from the following: oil - 1 tablespoon margarine - 1 tablespoon mayonnaise - 1 tablespoon salad dressing - 2 tablespoons CONDIMENTS Any sugar-free, alcohol-free, wheat-free spice or sauce including but not limited to mustard, tamari, salsa, non-fat yogurt, lemon juice, etc. Limit spice and condiment use to the levels recommended in recipes or no more than 1 teaspoon per day of any one spice and no more than two tablespoons per day of any one sauce. This initial food plan has been the most successful for our members to obtain abstinence, enabling them to begin to have clear thinking. Eating the prescribed food plan also offers us a chance to heal our organs and learn the basic fundamentals of healthy eating. To maintain abstinence, an open mind will be required while our bodies heal and our needs change. The most important aspect of maintaining abstinence is to totally eliminate sugar, flour and wheat from our daily lives. Most food addicts do achieve and maintain a healthy weight by following this plan. Nonetheless, we would like to address the question of what to do when a person following the food plan continues to lose weight after reaching a healthy weight or when a person who is underweight when they begin the program fails to gain. This guide is intended to focus on recovery for food addicts as a whole rather than to address specific situations that arise in recovery. Although unusual, if weight loss or failure to gain continues over time to an inappropriate level, any changes needed to stabilize one's weight should be developed with the assistance of a sponsor, physician or other qualified professional. The most important thing is to maintain close contact with one's sponsor and remain totally honest about what we are eating, how much we weigh, how our bodies are functioning, and how we are feeling physically. Continued: SUGARS
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