Learning to abstain and eat well is a long process. So the first step is to forgive yourself if you make mistakes. I think the simplest way to begin the program is to buy only raw, non-refined foods. In other words, just basic veggies, fruits and proteins. Then you don't have to read labels. In general, these foods are on the outside ailes of the supermarkets.
I am a newcomer and at first the changes seemed so overwhelming. I could not wrap my head around the whole thing. I decided to make small changes. Right now I am working on getting rid of s/f/w in their most obvious forms. I'm starting to use grains instead of refined carbs and avoiding obvious sugars. I know there is more to come, but I am doing what I can now and believe the food will get "cleaner" as I continue along. I have noticed less cravings and I am calmer.
Purchasing abstinent food is challenging and may, at times, seem overwhelming for the newcomer. Fortunately, our "allowable" foods are much easier to obtain than they were when FAA first started.
Most areas now have stores that contain an organic section and are adding more and more grains, froxen vegetables, fruits, etc. Farmer's markets, grocery stored like Whole Foods, and health food stores generally provide lots of choices.
I believe that one of the first things to focus on is abstinence from sugar, flour and wheat. This will entail reading labels, which may seem confusing at first. It is helpful to take a copy of the food plan with you, as well as the pamphlet containing the various names for "sugar". This will be time consuming at first, but if you are patient and consistent, this "burden" will become second nature for you!
If you have any questions, it can be very helpful to call or e-mail an FAA member who has long term abstinence and is familiar with the ins and outs of the plan. When you get a sponsor he/she will be helping you with this, but until then, most members are more than happy to help.
Keeping it simple will be one of the most helpful strategies during early abstinence. Although there are a lot of suggestions in the food plan regarding rotation of foods, limits on red meat or eggs, etc., I
have reduced a lot of stress over the details by mainly focusing on "No sugar, flour or wheat". This generally meant that I would be using a lot of the same foods for a while (sometimes several weeks) until I had some abstinence under my belt and became more acclimated to the plan. Another consideration at this time is the added stress of going through withdrawal, the severity of which differs from person to person! An earlier sponsor used to suggest that I treat myself very gently during this time, and treat myself as though I had the flu(of course with the exception of any of my old comfort foods!). And I think that is good advice.
Most of all, reach out for help and support. We are all in the same boat. Go to meetings and don't quit, no matter what. IT WILL GET EASIER!
kimswife1980
Thank you so much for the great info and advice. I am very grateful.
I am trying to come back after a 6-month relapse. When they say that "there is nothing worse than a belly full of food and a head full of program," they are right. I thought I rocked in the program, and I thought I had it all figured out: the shopping, the cooking, the planning, etc.
But I was very proud and really scared to look inwards. I kept trying to fix others and take the spotlight off of me. I started shopping for more and more sophysticated foods, on the brink of the food plan, tried all kinds of different stuff. Not that there is something wrong with diversifying, but I was starting to drift. Soon, I began "testing" certain deli meats and flavored rice cakes, and my head began swimming with ideas again. I was again living to eat as opposed to eating to live.
So, I appreciate the advice given to keep it simple and stay with clean raw ingredients, while at the same time allowing for variation and not becoming rigid. I like the FAA cookbook, but I got carried away with it too, and so I will take it slowly, not introducing more than one or two new recipes per week.
:)
I have been abstinent for almost 5 years. Shopping has really changed. I shop for my meats at one store, my fish at an international market, and my fruits veggies are mostly organic. If someone would have predicted this 5 years ago, I would have thought they were nuts. I didn't cook. I ate a lot of processed foods. Now I make most of my meals. I have taken my lunch to work everyday for almost 5 years.
Stick around, don't get overwhelmed and be open to miracles. The main thing is to stay abstinent-don't eat any sugar, flour or wheat. When you are off these substances, miracles can occur and things that used to be overwhelming become easy.
As a newbie, I too found it difficult to do the shopping... I was at the store for nearly hours and only bought 6 things! I spent the entire time reading labels! As a very over weight person I felt self conscious doing this, my mind kept reeling about how people probably thought I was on a fad diet or something. Made my hatred of grocery shopping even worse!
I then found something WONDERFUL!
I found shop.safeway.com!
You register for their site (you don't have to use your real address only need the city and zip of a place they will deliver to in order to register... it's a site for them to delivery food to your door) I signed up for this, first for budget purposes, but than realized that if you click on the items it brings up another window that has ALL the information on that product INCLUDING ingredients!
I now make my list using this site, paying close attention to the ingredients, and now when I go shopping it's so much faster because I just write down the specifications of the product like "Silk plain unsweetened soy milk' (even though I don't think that one is abstinence friendly, it's just an example) and when I go to the store I know EXACTLY what I am getting and no need to sit there and read the labels while I shop! (I do skim it just to be sure)
It does take some time, but you can do it in your free time, in the comfort of your own home.
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