The power of paying attention

I was working at the computer the other day, and overheard an interview on a local news station with an inspiring woman who lost a substantial amount of weight - I believe she was in her 60's, and had gotten into dancing. The reason she decided to try and lose weight was because some of the dance moves she was learning required her partner to lift her up in the air - she felt bad for her poor partner, so made some changes so that she would be lighter.


The thing she did that struck me the most was this - she started paying attention to her hunger. She said that sometimes her life was so busy that she simply ate because it seemed like the thing to do - she learned that if she would simply check in with herself before eating (take a breath, focus, calm the chaos a bit, have a little water), she discovered that more often than not, she wasn't even hungry!

Here is an inspiring video to promote a new book by Dr. Michelle May, who runs a business called Am I Hungry? (amihungry.com). Dr. May is all about intuitive eating, and I am looking forward to reading (and probably wholeheartedly recommending!) her new book. It is a reminder of the power of simply paying attention to what you eat, and making sure that you enjoy it!

2009 - Bring it on!

There are a ton of New Year's Resolution advice articles out there, but I liked this one, mainly because it is great advice from some of my fellow RD colleagues. If they had asked me to pipe in for this particular article, here is what I would have added:

For 2009, commit to yourself to really pay attention to your own hunger cues. If you aren't hungry, wait until you are to begin eating. If you are hungry, go ahead and eat! And, in the middle of eating, check in with yourself - are you pleasantly full yet? Time to stop eating.

While you are at it, approach food and eating with joy only - if that piece of chocolate fudge is truly calling your name, sit down and really enjoy it! Don't force yourself to eat things you don't like, but do approach food with curiosity and openness - be willing to try, and open to learning about new foods and new ways to prepare them.

Happy New Year!

Making it through the holidays

One of the main reasons we gain weight over the holidays is due to all of the dang food available. I have a knack for the obvious, right? Stay with me -

If you are concerned about gaining weight over the holidays, I challenge you to concentrate on just one thing: eat only what you really like, and if you really like it, pay attention while you are eating so that you can actually enjoy it!

There are so many mindless eating (and drinking!) opportunities during the holidays: the candy sitting out at the receptionist desk, cookies brought in by co-workers, fruit cake delivered to your door (maybe this is a lost tradition - I've never actually had this happen, but I hear that it used to happen to everyone), uncomfortable parties where you need to keep busy by eating and drinking, and so on.

This is a great month to practice these steps - before you eat anything, ask yourself if you actually want it. If not, take a pass. You can always come back to it later. After you start eating something, ask yourself if you really like it. If it doesn't taste great, why waste the calories? Save them for something fantastic.

And of course, we come to the question - what about nutrition? "If I eat only what I like, I'll only eat brownies" - if this is you, then think of this as baby step number one out of the diet mentality - you may want to read my earlier posts on the diet mentality.

Now that we are all eating only what we like, is anyone actually going to eat fruit cake?

A broccoli story

We have experienced a success with broccoli in my house.

My six year old is a pretty good eater, but he definitely has his opinions about food. But, I've been following my own advice, and continue to serve him a variety of food while not pressuring him to eat it.

Broccoli has continued to sit untouched on his plate. We serve broccoli at least once a week, as I happen to love broccoli, as does my husband. I've tried covering his with a bit of cheese - didn't work. I've asked him to try it, and once in awhile he will dare to put a little bit on his tongue. So far, the result has been the same. "Yuck".

The boy loves soy sauce, and even prefers it to ketchup on most food. It had never occurred to me before to tell him to try his broccoli with a little soy sauce on it until the other night. Bingo - we now have a magic formula for broccoli consumption.

The moral of the story is to keep trying - in a low-key way. He would never have discovered the yumminess that soy sauce brings to steamed broccoli if I had given up and stopped serving him broccoli. Also, if I had forced him to eat his broccoli when he declared it was "yuck", he would have hated the thought of broccoli by now.

By the way, this works for adults, too - even if you don't like a particular food, it's important to keep trying it prepared in different ways. Green beans out of the can taste completely different than fresh green beans, steamed slightly. There are all kinds of different tricks and techniques that make food taste good, or not taste good.

The only way out of it is through it

One of the hardest messages to deliver to people, as a nutritionist, is this one of "Eat only what you like". The idea that unhealthy food tastes good and healthy food tastes bad is deeply entrenched in our culture, I'm afraid, so that some people think this is reckless advice.

I strongly believe that before people can come to enjoy healthy food and eat right for their own body, they first have to get out of the diet mentality thinking. As long as you eat with an internal struggle going on of "good" vs. "bad", "healthy" vs. "unhealthy", you will never be able to appreciate healthy food because there will always be a certain amount of resentment there; you will be pining away for what you're missing out on, because you're forced to eat healthy.

The only way out of it is through it, and some people may have a time of gluttony as they allow themselves to truly eat what they want. But, on the other side of the diet mentality is the ability and desire to balance. And, as you feel better about yourself and your relationship with food, you're able to start to really appreciate the goodness that is in, say, a sweet potato. Eating healthy is no longer punishment, it's living well.

But what about nutrition?

Another problem people have with the rule of eating only what they like, is that they assume they will never eat a healthy food again if they truly allow themselves to follow the advice.

What I have found is that as people get away from the diet mentality, and stop labeling foods as "good" or "bad", they find they have a fondness for all kinds of food. Rich chocolate cake and super sweet apples. Broccoli with garlic and tiramisu. And, they find that they were eating some things that they really didn't love - maybe they realize that they don't actually like the french fries from Burger King, for example. Or, maybe they realize that they are burned out on boneless, skinless chicken breast for dinner.

It is a leap of faith to allow our tastes to dictate what we eat. However, as you learn more about food and nutrition, you become naturally more interested in trying healthier foods. Some foods we like right away, and some foods we develop a taste for, as we learn more about them.

Also, as we learn to eat only what we like, we end up being satisfied with a smaller amount. Diving into that perfect piece of key lime pie is decadent and satisfying - until about the fourth bite or so. We start enjoying it less, feeling more full, and we have no problem stopping. Wrap it up, waiter - I'll have the rest tomorrow!

You mean eat ONLY what I like?

When someone is caught up in the diet mentality, one of the hardest things to convince them is that it's really better in the long run to eat only what you like to eat. We are a nation that believes that healthy food is no fun and doesn't taste as good as unhealthy food, and that the only food we really like is junk food.

Let me give two personal examples. One day, I found myself eating Tootsie Rolls because they were available at the office, and I was needing.... something. Rest, a break, a conversation, whatever. So, I was "rewarding" myself with Tootsie Rolls. Then, I realized - I don't really like Tootsie Rolls. I mean, they're ok, and I kind of get why some people love them - but I don't. And, in turn, they really weren't scratching whatever itch I was trying to get at.

My other example is from the healthier side. I had made chicken for dinner, and it turned out pretty bland. It occurred to me that my yummy Emeril's honey mustard would help out, but I was too busy powering through my dinner to get up and find the sauce. So, I just "made do" with my bland chicken. When I was finished with my dinner, I was full - but I was not satisfied. I still craved... something.

When we force ourself to eat something we really don't like, we will always keep craving. And when we eat whatever junk crosses our path as a "reward", we'll still keep craving. It's that simple.

Try it - pay attention to what you are eating, and ask yourself if you really like it. If the answer is no, you know what to do!

Let's learn from the skinny people

I know that it seems like certain skinny people stay that way because of blessed genes; but, if you really spend time observing a naturally skinny person, you will realize a couple of things.

#1 - Naturally skinny people tend to honor their hunger. If they are not hungry, they have no problem saying so and simply don't eat. Also, they tend to stop eating when they are comfortably full, even when there is chocolate cake LEFT ON THE PLATE!

#2 - Naturally skinny people tend to eat what they like and leave the rest. Many of these people have been labeled a "picky eater" by those who know them, as if that's a bad thing. They are guided by what tastes good to them, and as they get older and wiser, they are also guided by what they know is doing their body good.

#3 - Naturally skinny people are RARELY, if ever, perfect eaters. If you meet someone who you think is a naturally skinny person and also eats perfectly, chances are they may be suffering from something called "orthorexia" (a term coined by Dr. Steven Bratman). Orthorexia Nervosa literally means "fixation on righteous eating", and it occurs when healthy eating becomes an obsession - another day, another topic.

Slacker Golden Rule #2

Only eat what you like.

I know, you're thinking I'm crazy telling you to eat only what you like. You think that if you follow this advice, you won't even need a refrigerator because the only food you really like is ice cream. Well, that may be true for a little while - as your body (and mind) detoxes off of the diet mentality, your little rebel inside is going to demand ice cream and brownies and (insert your fave food here). But, trust me - after the novelty wears off and you've given in to your little inner sweets demon, you will start to crave.... something healthier. And now, we are getting back to normal.

Think about those truly intuitive eaters you have encountered in your life. It may be the annoying skinny person in your family that eats anything and everything. Or, you may need to think of a small child you have spent time with. The intuitive eater eats what they like - but is usually satisfied with a small amount of it. Once the initial "YUM" wears off from the first two bites, the intuitive eater is completely satisfied to sit back with a big sigh and say "I'm full". On the contrary, the person with the diet mentality will inhale the chocolate mousse, because why stop now when we've already broken the diet.

Give it a try - see how liberating it is to not pay attention to any of the diet advice out there and just get in tune with what we actually like to eat; just as importantly, if you don't like it - you guessed it - don't eat it. Ahhhh, freedom.