Slacker Golden Rule #3

Commit to building small, healthy habits.

Once you are comfortable eating only when you are hungry and stopping when you are full (Golden Rule #1), and you've given yourself permission to eat what you like and to eat only what you like (Golden Rule #2), it's time to move on to building healthy habits. Which habits you work on will depend on you - there are plenty to choose from, and they all can make a difference. Here's a list of possibilities:

- eat breakfast every day
- eat fruits and/or veggies at every meal
- snack on fruits and veggies
- drink a lot of water
- drink less soda
- move your body every day
- eat together as a family more often
- eat more home-prepared meals
- add more fiber to your meals
- take a multivitamin every day
- take a calcium supplement, especially if you’re not a milk drinker
- stop smoking
- build muscles with weight training or resistance training
- sit down to eat
- avoid eating in the car
- eat out less often
- eat a variety of food, from all of the food groups
- avoid “grazing”
- avoid eating in front of the TV
- try new recipes
- cut down on salt
- other? ________________________________

The point is to keep challenging yourself to take just a little bit better care of yourself than you did yesterday; you deserve it!

Feeding Kids 101

There are great battles going on every night at the dinner table all across the world. The main problem is that we never got the job description for parenting - the one that would have detailed the rules for feeding kids. So, we make it up as we go, and many of us mistakingly believe that getting the food into the kid's belly is main task number one. We don't feel satisfied until the child has eaten the required serving of broccoli, because if they don't eat it, we're a bad parent - right?

Maybe this is why I love this area - it comes as such a relief to many parents when they finally hear and believe the message - you don't have to get the food into the child! Your job is to get the food to the child!

I'm not making this up - the correct way to feed children is to allow them to have some responsibility in the process. Ellyn Satter, author and the pioneer of this method, calls it the Division of Responsiblity. From her website:

Feeding demands a division of responsibility. Parents are responsible for the what, when and where of feeding; Children are responsible for the how much and whether of eating...Ellyn Satter

This requires a bit of attention to fully digest (bad pun, sorry); but, it really boils down to this - you as the parent need to get the food to the child in a structured way - meaning meals and snacks. Then, your job is done. It is not up to you to get the food into the child - that's his job. Barring medical problems, healthy children will eat well this way and will thrive.

This is really the way to raise healthy eaters - this method helps kids to learn about food at their own pace, try new foods at their own comfort level, and grow to the weight they are supposed to be.

Peace to the dinner table!

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.

When low carb goes too far...

Here is an actual quote from someone posting a recipe review on allrecipes.com, one of my favorite recipe websites - it's a review for a dish called Cod with Italian Bread Crumb Topping:

"I'm cooking low carb, so I substituted crushed pork rinds for the breadcrumbs"

Ick.

It's wrong on so many levels......

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.

Don't should on me and I won't should on you

One of the big drags about the way we eat in the US are all of the shoulds on our shoulders; you really should eat breakfast; you really should eat x number of servings of green and yellow vegetables; you really shouldn't have that piece of pie.

True, it may all be valid advice. But it's still annoying, especially when we really don't wanna.

I believe one of the reasons we tend to eat junkier food is because we are rebelling against the shoulds. I also believe that when we truly like ourself and get rid of the shoulds, we end up taking pretty good care of ourself because that's what we want to do.

In my life, I try to eat healthy because I want to and because it feels nourishing to me, which feels good. I don't eat perfectly because sometimes a Little Debbie feels nourishing to me (hey, it brings me back to my youth!) I NEVER feel guilty about what I choose to eat. That's because I don't allow those pesky shoulds or shouldn'ts into my head. Some days I eat better than others, and I am completely OK with that - and so should you - oops, there I go shoulding on you (sorry).

Mindful eating

Part of honoring your hunger cues has to do with something called Mindful Eating. More and more in our society, food is added on to other activities - we eat while driving, while at the computer (I'm guilty!), in front of the TV, etc. We don't actually pay attention to what we are eating, whether it tastes good, or how we feel. I love this quote on the website for The Center for Mindful Eating (yes, there actually is such a place):

Awareness of the moment is when change can begin

You simply cannot achieve a good relationship with food (and a healthy weight) if you don't pay attention. This is one of the reasons why some of the European cultures aren't fat (yet!) - food is part of the culture, and they take the time to sit and eat and enjoy.

Just for today, try eating your food at the table, with no other activities involved - just eat and pay attention to the food. Do you like what you are eating? If not, why are you eating it? How does your body feel? Are you getting comfortably full or still wanting more? Just release any judgement about what you are eating and simply pay attention.