[jsvk13]

Dear Ilanit,

Wow...wow. Thank you very much for this very detailed answer! Rather than try to answer everything, though, I will say a few things in response.

1. I eat extremely simply because that is what I LOVE. Too many ingredients turn me off...like having too many appliances running at once. Also, the foods I eat are simple (brown rice, veggies) because of the same reason. I love brown rice and do use other grains very occasionally, but by preference rather than dogma. This applies to the miso, oils (I have a hard time with fat--oil esp.), breads & noodles, etc. I just love whole, unrefined things.
2. I eat the proportions I do again because that is what I like. I would not complain following Oshawa's 100% brown rice diet...but for the sake of nutrition and balance, I include other things. And that is part of the proportion issue...without plenty of rice and higher calorie foods, I would definitely be way under what I need.
3. My "menu" may seem yang, but that is because I am trying to balance a severely yin condition...that yangness is part of my healing, not what I am trying to heal from.
4. Luckily, I recognize that the fear of the evil O (OVEREATING!!!) is mostly in my head. It is tough to eat according to how hungry I am because I have no hunger. Part of my condition...have not actually had hunger consistently for years...maybe it will return as I heal. So I have to eat mentally now to a large extent, which makes it tough because my ego-mind is quite the ascetic monk...hence the proportionality fixation. I am pleased (and think I have recovered a lot) by being able to notice that I can eat what I am eating, whether or not it is "too much" or "too big", and really not feel full at all...indeed, feel like I *could* eat more *if I really wanted to.* The only fullness is in the head, not the belly.

Anyway, thank you again for your help. This is all about exploration and getting back in touch with my body so that it, as my most direct and concrete union point with Nature and Life, can guide me back to holistic health. I am certain that whole foods and natural living can do this for me if I give myself to the process and follow my heart.

Be well.
-Justin