“Be attentive to nutrition. Your body is fashioned from earth, and from the earth’s harvest it draws well-being.”
-Steve Iig

Many people fear the possibility of weight change when they stop using, (outside of the munchies) sometimes cannabis will affect or lessen appetite. Now is the time to be aware of the extra food you may be allowing yourself to soothe cravings in place of getting high. Too often, people who stop using focus on the feeling of being deprived and turn to food as a reward. While you can use food to deal with the urges, you must be very conscious of what you select and the calories involved. Good choices include:

• All the water you want. Flavor it with a twist of lemon or lime, if you like.
• Fresh fruit.
• Cut-up pieces of fresh vegetables. Carrot sticks, radishes, green beans, green peppers, broccoli, celery, and cucumbers are great. Prepare a large plateful to last a few days and keep it handy in your refrigerator.
• Raw vegetables are a great low-calorie snack when you’re watching television.
• Unsweetened fruit or vegetable juices.
• Any kind of bouillon. Add slices of fresh vegetables for variety.
• Skim milk, cottage cheese and plain yogurt.
• Low-calorie crackers.
• Unshelled sunflower seeds are great when you want to keep your hands and mouth busy. You can’t eat too many — it takes too long to shell them!

It’s most important to guide your eating with common sense.

• Eat slower and get up from the table when finished.
• A sugar-free candy or mint can help take the edge off your sweet tooth. Don’t forget cinnamon sticks, plastic straws, and toothpicks.