74 the rice diet renewal
determined to eat only food allowed on the Rice Diet for at least six
weeks to see what the average Ricer was experiencing. If I expected
participants to follow this discipline, I felt that I should do so as
well, to fully appreciate what the diet was like in every way possible.
So when I found myself at my favorite bakery, three - fourths of the
way through a big, chunky brownie, I stopped short. It suddenly
dawned on me that the reason for my being in the bakery — with-
out a conscious thought or plan — was that moments earlier, some-
one had hurt my feelings. This was the fi rst time in my life that
I realized that I was totally unconscious of what I was eating, and
that I was eating in response to an emotional upset; I had turned to
my drug of choice — chocolate — to assuage my hurt.
Despite more than a decade of attending nutrition conferences
where we examined unconscious, emotionally inspired eating,
I never thought they were talking about me! I thought this behavior
applied to overweight people, not to everyone to various degrees.
This experience helped me better understand and appreciate that
regardless of our weight, we all eat for emotional reasons at times.
Some people may do this more often and regularly than others do,
but it ’ s the same behavior. And at the root of this behavior is the fact
that our emotions can hijack our brains, prompting us to consume
foods without awareness. The good news is that we can become
mindful and choose to attend to the root of the problem, rather than
perpetuate a habit of numbing out with food.
Most of us are aware of a food or numerous foods that we turn to
for solace, for comfort, or as an anesthetic. You may already be aware
of which comfort foods you prefer for distraction, for celebration,
or to alleviate sadness. Becoming a conscious eater and aligning
your physical responses with your expanding mental and emotional
awareness are all essential steps for choosing a healthy dieta.
One day in a Rice Diet Program group, a man showed up for
a meeting that my husband, Dr. Bob Rosati, was conducting, and
said, “ I don ’ t know what you ’ re talking about in here today, but
I don ’ t believe in all that psychological stuff! ”
Bob said, “ We ’ re just getting to know one another, sharing a bit
about our families and how we were raised. ”