Renee Rothberg's Blog, page 31

The Ebbs of Life

“War, displacement, societal upheaval, familial upheaval, accidentsthat result in maiming or impaired mental functioning, and natural disasters—these events drastically affect health. Some people survive these events with perception and sense of self intact; most people do not. The normal responses to difficult events are grief, blame, withdrawal, or incapacitation. To survive unscathed is unusual; to be weak, unpredictable, suspicious, fearful, hurt, sad, cautious, blameful, indecisive, or...

Bringing Personal Change through Adjusting Relationships with Others

Often when we think about making changes in our life we think about personal goals like losing weight or getting organized. Personal goals are thought to bring us the most change.

How about looking at bringing personal change from a different direction–from bringing change through our relationships with others, rather than from change just within ourselves.

Contracts for an Exemplary Lifeoffers ideas for bringing change throughMe-with-Others contracts. Here are examples of Me-with-Others con...

Compassion vs. Hostility

The previouspost presented thecompassionateapproach. Today’s post presents approaching with hostility. Each approach has its supporters. Each approach has its repercussions.

See which approach suits your viewpoint and your actions.

Meeting Hostilely Scenario

A couple (man and woman) are sitting in an outdoor café when a homeless woman approaches them asking for money. The man and woman had been deep in a conversation, and the interruption is jarring. The homeless woman wears tattered and sl...

Compassion vs. Hostility

The next two blog posts will present these two different approaches: compassion and hostility. Each approach has its supporters. Each approach has its repercussions.

See which approach suits your viewpoint and your actions.

Meeting Compassionately Scenario

A couple (man and woman) are sitting in an outdoor café when a homeless woman approaches them asking for money. The man and woman had been deep in a conversation, and the interruption is jarring. The homeless woman wears tattered and sligh...

Tangy Banana Ice Cream (dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan, raw, and gluten-free)

Giving up sugar doesn’t mean giving up sweet treats.

A couple days ago, I signed a contract to overcome cravings by giving up sugar (see the post “My Contract for Overcoming Cravings“). I still eat fruit and use sweeteners such as unprocessed honey, agave, and maple syrup.

Here is a recipe for a mock ice cream that doesn’t feed the sugar beast, and satisfies the desire for sweetness. It’s on my Yumtritious Eating! blog.

About one and a half cups, for 3-4 small servings Ingredients

2large fro...

My Contract for Overcoming Cravings

Recently, most of my blog posts have been about the problems with sugar and sugar substitutes. Spiritual Presence shared the facts about sugar and sugar substitutes, and although I am the one receiving this important information, I was ignoring it. As a matter of fact, I found myself eating more of the things I was learning are so destructive–and craving them more then ever!

After yesterday’s blog post “A World without Cravings”I finally realized that I have to cleanse myself of sugar because...

A World without Cravings

Before sugar was refined, cravings existed but they did not rule existence. Yes, there were other addictions but they had different influence because of the body’s processing.

Refined sugar overrides the body’s ability to digest properly. Digestion when sugar is present becomes crippled. The sugar speeds some processes and halts others. The body absorbs the nutrients it can while defending itself from the onslaught of altered secretions and excretions that are different from their natural st...

Fathers and Sons, a poem

The relationship between a father and his son is fluid. So many factors affect their interactions. Here is a poem I received about this fluid and important relationship. “Fathers and Sons” is published in the book of poetry, Unfolding.

Unfolding—A Collection of Wisdom Poetry can be purchased through amazon.com stores:http://amzn.com/1508828229

Child Abuse with a Spoonful of Sugar

My childhood contained many spoonfuls of sugar. It started off with sweetened formula. There were doughnuts and ice cream, sugar cubes and sodas. Lollipops and candy canes were gifts at doctor appointments and my parents’ business friends’ offices. Halloween provided weeks of sugary treats. The other holidays had their special sweet treats and customary sweet dishes. My family’s snack drawer was full of snack cakes, cookies, and sno balls. At school, lunches included a sweet treat and the fo...

The Facts: Living in a World of Sweetened Sustenance

Life in modern societies entails navigating sweetness at every food-intake turn:

Sweeteners are added to foods that don’t seem to be sweet. Sweeteners are added to sweet foods to sweeten them more. Advertisements urge us to desire sweet foods as a way to live the good life. Retail establishments place sweets near checkout counters to up the items we buy from them. Sweets are viewed as appropriate gifts for those who are ill or grieving. Sweets are viewed as expressions of love and caring. I...