4/ Who Are You? - Your Self Image

What you choose to eat goes to the heart of who you are and everything you believe. Most people find it impossible to believe that the "healthy diet" they have tried to eat for 30 years might be causing the ill health they now have.

"Eat everything in moderation," sounds so simple and logical, but it's a recipe for disaster. The "balanced diet" recommended by the Dietary Guidelines, doesn't work either. Sadly, too often the "healthy diet" you've been eating for years is problematic.

One of the greatest challenges for each of us it to recognise the culture that molded us, and how that makes you and your close network, "us"; distinctive from other families, other districts and other national groups. Every society makes a great effort to shape it's children, to be "like us." If you are part of the majority culture where you live, (like myself) it may be particularly hard to recognise how much you have been shaped by cultural forces.

There is no medical cure for "diseases" caused by the diet you eat. Fix your diet first.
After that, there is no substitute for quality sleep, exercise and social activity with friends.

Who Controls You?

In his book "The Patterning Instinct" author Jeremy Lent explains that by the time we have learnt to talk we have already absorbed deep cultural understandings about what is good or bad, what to be afraid of, and who is, or is not, important in your world.

The community that nurturers us, gives us the tools of community life. But that also inevitably contains some unfortunate learning's, understandings or behaviours. Families are likely to contain and encourage a strong work ethic, and a respect for education and community service. The same family may also have very strong political, religious or racial views, that are very problematic in a society that's open, democratic and strongly connected with the world through trade, tourism and immigration.

We are human. We are taught to be loyal to "our group", to join together to protect each other. Surely this is good? Loyalty to the group can easily be manipulated by parents, teachers or community leaders who are respected. Eminent people who perhaps are trapped in the beliefs of the past, my not be the best leaders.

While it's commonly said that "You are what you think," it's more accurate to say that we are firstly what we are taught, parents and friends shape us, we are all indoctrinated. That process is more like soaking-up attitudes and understanding from the way our parents and others around us behave.

We reinforce that understanding by our own thinking and action. We develop habits, repeated behaviours, that in the end influence who we are becoming.

In your lifetime, which voluntary groups have you joined? What hobbies did you become interested in? Who were you friends? What sports and games did you play? What subject did you study? What paid employment did you undertake?

Look at the other people in those groups. Is that who you are? Or perhaps who you are becoming? We are strongly influenced by the people we associate with each day. We absorb their language, and styles and behaviours. We are models for each other.

In regards to your health, you are probably like the people around you. Does that help you become more healthy? Or is that way of living creating the health problems you may have? If you need to change your diet, adopt new exercise habits, join new social groups, to be more healthy, that's not a small change, it will take time. Be gentle with yourself.

You have roots, a family and friends, you are part of that social environment.

The question is not so much "who am I", but "who do you want to become?" It's not an easy question to answer. I think you discover who you are becoming gradually, and that begins by making many tiny decisions about what you eat and what you do with your life, which have a general direction toward better health.

What do you understand from this short lesson?

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Keep a brief record of what you have now understood.

Write a short note for yourself, in a document, or in a journal, so that you have a record of what you have understood.

Next Topic: Topic 5/ Don't Start a New Diet

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