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Living Maxwell

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Do I Ever Cheat?

Last week, I was asked by a friend of mine if I ever cheat.

No, she was not asking if I ever cheat on women but rather wanted to know if I ever cheat on my diet.

While I was taken aback by the question and didn’t have an immediate answer, she followed up with “Don’t you ever eat a doughnut?”

“No, I never eat doughnuts,” I quickly responded. That was an easy one to figure out. The thought of putting a Krispy Kreme into my body never ever enters my mind.

The larger question about cheating, however, really got me thinking and this is what I came up with.

1) My friend asked me this question because she (and probably many others) may perceive me as someone who is depriving himself of certain types of food.

Yet, almost never do I deprive myself of food. I eat raw organic ice cream or chocolate (sweetened with maple syrup or palm sugar), both of which taste as good and as sweet as anything I’ve ever eaten.

Pizza was one of my favorite foods but I have eaten it so little of it over the past few years that my taste buds for it have most likely disappeared. Yes, there is organic pizza but I just don’t have the burning desire to eat it.

The one food that I love(d) and have not been eating is popcorn. It is high on the Glycemic Index but I am thinking about making it with coconut oil one of these days. So, popcorn may be the only exception.

And if I eat popcorn and it doesn’t resonate with me for any reason, it is out.

2) I eat what is good for me. I like to put things into my body that are good for me and that are going to keep me healthy.

The only thing I eat or drink that does not taste good is wheatgrass. The taste of wheatgrass is pretty brutal but I also know that it may be the healthiest food on the planet.

3) I eat what is going to make me feel good, emotionally and physically.

Since the summer of 2004, I have eliminated all refined sugar from my diet. It used to get me massively depressed, so I don’t eat it anymore.

This realization about the connection of food to my emotional well-being plays a major role in my decision about what to eat on a daily basis.

Furthermore, this is another reason why I eat organic food. Eating food that has been sprayed with chemicals, is filled with growth hormones or has been genetically-altered in a laboratory is not food that will make me feel good.

My body knows what real food is. GMO or pesticide-laden food is not real food in my book.

IN CLOSING…

While many people may look at my diet and think it looks quite unappetizing, I don’t view it that way at all.

I very much enjoy what I eat, and it makes me feel good. As a result, the notion of cheating would be eating unhealthy foods that I don’t like.

And why would I want to do that?

A message from Tradin Organic

Why Tradin Organic is Prioritizing Regenerative Organic Farming

At Tradin Organic, we believe that regenerative organic farming is key to growing healthy and nutritious food ingredients — for now and for future generations.

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Living Maxwell

Personal

Depression and Antidepressants – What They Don’t Want You to Know

In the summer of 2001, after being on Prozac for more than a decade, I made the life-altering decision to go off of antidepressants.

Despite what doctors and nearly everyone else around me were saying – that I had a chemical imbalance and that antidepressants were essential to keep me going – I believed otherwise. Intuitively, I knew that there was a better way to live, yet almost no one in my support system was in agreement with this line of thinking.

For the millions of people facing depression and who have similar doubts about medication being the only answer, a book has arrived that completely validates our concerns.

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A message from Tradin Organic

How Tradin Organic is Helping Coconut Farmers in The Philippines

For more than a decade, Tradin Organic has been working with local partners in The Philippines to bring a diversified range of organic products to the market, such as coconut oil, tropical fruits and even cocoa.

The company is helping to support local farmers by assisting them with technical support and organic certification, in addition to paying Fairtrade premium on top of the organic premium.

Learn more.

Living Maxwell

Personal

The Repercussions of Going on Antidepressants

As I mentioned the other day, there were tremendous repercussions for me going on Prozac during college. Yet at the time, I didn’t have any idea that they would be so disastrous.

What influenced my judgment to go on antidepressants was a real desperation to feel better. And to feel better quickly. Worrying about how this would impact my life 5 or 10 years down the road was of no consideration whatsoever. I wanted relief and I wanted it immediately.

These are the key repercussions:

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Living Maxwell

Personal

Am I Being Too Rigid with My Dating?

Last week I wrote about dating a non-organic woman and the challenges that it creates. A few questions that I grapple with are these — Is my very strong desire to be with someone who eats organic eliminating many great women with whom I could have a relationship? And, is my rigidity causing more harm than good?

Over the last few years, it has become increasingly clear that health is one of my most important values. Almost everything I do revolves health and eating organic food is a huge passion of mine.

My values are what they are and they are not going to change. The only woman with whom I am going to have a successful and happy relationship is someone who shares this same value. Does this mean that she has to be as passionate or into health (organic food) as I am? No, because she may never have been exposed to this lifestyle and doesn’t know much about it. That is perfectly understandable. However, she needs to be open to this way of living and eager to embrace it.

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