Buddha taught the Middle Way.  Part of that Middle Way teaches that body functions should be respected insofar as health requires but that concern for those functions should never be allowed to obstruct single minded progress towards liberation.

The famous Fire Sermon expresses in vivid form the need to turn away in utter aversion from everything in our nature which is on fire with craving so that we may achive the "coolness" of Nirvana.

I thought this might interest some people and I thought that it kind of ties in with the fitness and healthy eating threads that have been popular here of late.

This is an article from the CBC website about all the various ways that the processed food industry very scientifically does everything it can to make their products effectively addictive. Although the food industry seriously goes out of their way to avoid using that term.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2013/03/05/f-vp-crowe-food-addiction...

How do you handle your food cravings?

What causes yours?

What foods do you tend to crave?

While travelling, my ability to fast as strictly from Bovine and Porcine fat has been limited.  No-fat cheese and yogurt hasn't always been available, and my control over the ingredients that go into dishes, sauces, and drinks hasn't been as good as it would be in my own kitchen.  At first this caused me pain as my lent is flawed.  I felt poigniantly my failure to acheive the standard that I set for myself.  However, this 'benchmarking' had its own failures.  The need to reach perfection, to be thoroughly discipined and succeed are all forms of contro