When I used to drink (pre 2015) I would arrive at wine o’clock and start the ‘will I won’t I’ battle.

These days it’s more likely to be ‘will I won’t I’ eat another row of chocolate!

If you’ve struggled with any addiction you’ll know what I’m talking about.

In my experience, emotional eating also falls into this category.

What is it for you?

Will I won’t I have…

• an afternoon chocolate bar?
• a bowl of ice cream after dinner?
• those chocolates in the fridge?

I’m currently (August 2021) doing a potato experiment…which means I’m only eating potatoes and sweet potatoes all month.

I learnt about eating only potatoes when I interviewed Andrew ‘Spudfit’ Taylor an Aussie bloke who decided to only eat potatoes back in 2016, when he had hit an all-time emotional low and an all-time high of 151kg.

Andrew had tried every diet under the sun and knew that he had a food addiction problem.

After a lot of research, Andrew wondered how he could use the addiction model of abstinence.

This is possible (although NOT easy!) if your addiction is alcohol, drugs, or smoking…you just stop.

But it’s a little more difficult with food!

Enter potatoes.

Yes, you can get ALL of your protein requirements from potatoes.

If you ate sweet potatoes as well you would meet the majority of your nutritional needs with the exception of B12.

Andrew was monitored throughout the year, with quarterly blood tests that showed perfect health.

While Andrew achieved a healthy body weight, he will tell you it wasn’t about the number on the scales.

It was learning about his food addiction that was the icing on the cake.

Having battled bulimia in my youth, I understand addiction.

I think most of us do understand food addiction to varying degrees.

Whether it’s not being able to eat just ONE square of chocolate or just a few chips or one glass of wine…we feel the pull to keep eating or drinking more.

Please consider yourself lucky if you are one of those lucky ones who are able to happily moderate…I have only met a few in my line of work.

So during my experiment of only eating potatoes, I realised after a few days that the ‘will I won’t I’ mental chatter was quiet.

It has been so peaceful not doing the mental gymnastics…which I usually win…but it’s still there in the background.

It will be interesting to see what thoughts come up when I resume my whole foods plant-based lifestyle.

PS When you do Andrew’s program he recommends you do a ONE-month potato reset and then transition on to a whole food plant-based lifestyle. I can definitely see the benefit in this as you are bringing awareness to your relationship with food. There are no rules, you just eat potatoes when you want to for the whole month. So far 99.9% of people lose weight but gain so much more as they regain control of their health.

You can check out Andrew’s website here .