Carb Comfort

One of the most frustrating things about eating low carb is when the carbs come back seemingly out of nowhere. Recently, I didn't realize that I was drinking A LOT of carbs (and sugar), and only noticed it because my weight started to creep up. At the time I write this, there's definitely a lot going on in the world around me; it's winter (in the mid-west), and I find a general unrest and anxiety within me. After being low carb for almost 6 months prior to this, I found myself looking to carbs for comfort without even realizing I was doing it. Consuming carbs for comfort is such an old habit and way of coping for me, that when I start to feel an increase in anxiety and depression, I struggle to stay on track with optimal eating habits and forget that carbs are not real sources of comfort.

I found myself looking to carbs for comfort without even realizing I was doing it.

One of the reasons that I didn't realize I was looking for carb comfort was because I started incorporating carbs via coconut water, milk, and cocoa powder, which wasn't the typical sources of carbs I'd look to in the past. Sure, some of those old foods, such as potatoes and pasta came to mind, but I knew they weren't the best for me and I still wanted foods that were natural and potentially healthy, so I said no to potatoes and pasta, but yes to the others. With the coconut water, I knew they had natural electrolytes, so I was justifying the carbs and sugar that way. With the milk, I was using a regenerative organic A2 milk, adding butter, and making hot cocoa with stevia. Because milk and butter have some good nutrients, especially the butter in this case, I was justifying the regular consumption of the delicious and comforting beverage. Before I knew it, I was drinking cocoa nearly every night for almost a month. Not only was I having coconut water during the day, I was having hot cocoa with dinner - both of which were higher in carbs and sugar than I realized and led to me unintentionally consuming a high carb diet.

I had to consider if the benefits of the these drinks were worth the negative consequences, such as increased weight and a few pimples (which, pimples are not common for me). And I couldn't help but wonder after everything I've been learning, is my increased anxiety actually because of an increase of carbs? Is my resilience to cope lower because of the increased carb consumption? While I'm pretty conscious of my body, these are questions I won't necessarily know the answer to because I'm still fairly new to tracking my symptoms and when there's a lot going on all at once, it's hard to know what's causing what issue or even being aware of the issue as soon as it starts.

I want turning to carbs for comfort to be a thing of the past, but that requires a lot of intentionality and a lot of work to make it so that carb comfort will stay in the rear view mirror. I believe it's possible, but I also believe it's difficult. I'd love for a magic pill with no negative side effects to be the reality to all our health problems, but alas, that doesn't exist. Losing weight and healing the natural way is difficult. It takes a lot of mental work on top of the actual physical work to create lasting positive changes. Trust and believe, sometimes the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is cook, but I have to cook at home. Cooking at home is the only way I can assure I am eating the way that is optimal and least toxic to me, which is crucial in these early healing stages. Trust and believe, saying no to carbs at work, at home, during the holidays, or when walking through the store can be such a struggle. So, I pause and remember why I am healing and why I say no to carbs. It's okay to admit that it's a struggle, but "treating" myself is actually cheating myself of optimal health and a better life. I know, easier said than done for those like me who struggle with a coping mechanism of consuming, and likely an addiction to, carbs and sugar.

if you struggle with looking to carbs for comfort, you are not alone...

The point here is that if you struggle with looking to carbs for comfort, you are not alone, especially if you are in the newer stages of your journey. Yes, we listen to people who say they've been okay without eating carbs for years and that they are no longer or are rarely tempted by carbs, and that's amazing for them, but for us "newbies" to the low or no carb life, it can be so hard to envision that way of thinking as our future. Healing is hard, but it's important. Changing our lives after decades of eating a certain way is hard. That's okay. In this modern world where we want everything to be easier and faster, it's okay that something as important as healing can be difficult and slow. It's progress, it's natural, and it's the best thing we can do to improve our quality of life. We must embrace a new way of living so that we can have a new way of healing and teach our bodies that carbs aren't true comfort.