Eating Meals.

Hello lovelies!

I wanted to share with you one of the best food tips I've learned. It's amazing to me how many people in this world (especially in this country) don't know how to eat. I am including myself in this category. For the longest time, my relationship to food has been something like this:

-I'll eat when I'm hungry..but won't stop until I'm stuffed.
-I'll eat when I'm bored
-I'll eat when I'm not hungry but I'm in a social situation so I feel like it's 'polite' to eat the food provided
-I'll eat to reward myself for eating well
-I'll eat to comfort myself for eating poorly
-I'll eat too much, and too quickly
-I'll eat/graze/snack throughout the day, rarely when I'm even feeling hunger
-I'll eat to punish myself for eating poorly. Yes, you read that right.
-I'll eat standing up or in front of the computer.



These are all habits I've had over the years and haven't been brave enough to pinpoint. These are unhealthy habits. And I'm finally learning to change them. I'm learning to love and respect my relationship with food. Ideally, my 'food relationship' will look like this:

-Eating to satisfy my hunger. Not to feel stuffed.
-Enjoying food.
-NOT CLEANING MY PLATE. I was raised to always clean my plate, and this rule has stuck with my throughout my adult life. It's not healthy to stuff yourself - and it's something I'm still working on. It's hard to reverse this habit - but once it's done, it could be the best thing you can do for yourself.
-Eat like the French. Isn't it incredible that the French, who seem to eat nothing but bread, butter and fats are still one of the leanest, healthiest, long-lived people on the planet? It's because they know how to eat. The French rarely snack throughout the day, they eat their meals with friends and enjoy the food over a long period of time. They do not go back for seconds and they eat smaller portions. I truly believe you don't have to deprive yourself of rich foods - you just have to keep it in moderation. Which leads to...
-"Everything in moderation. Even Moderation." -Oscar Wilde. When you do allow yourself to indulge, keep it under control. DON'T have the mentality "Go big or go home." Not a good idea.
-EAT MEALS!! Seriously, this has been such a huge help for me over the past two weeks. Rather than stockpiling my groceries for the week, which only leads to binge-eating in dorm room, I've been taking the time to go buy my meals at the local farmer's market. Three times a day. I get my salad and my kombucha, and I sit in the sunshine and enjoy my meal for at least 20 minutes. I really let my taste-buds enjoy the flavors, and I try to savor every bite (although, the first bite is always the best.) I know this isn't the best option for everyone, but if you can just take the time out of your day to enjoy an actual meal instead of just grazing throughout the day, your body will love you. Mealtime is rarely enjoyed by Americans today. Most of our eating is done in the car or in front of the TV/computer. Ideally, you should eat meals at a table, on a real plate, with foods that contain simple, fresh ingredients.
-Take your time! The Chinese have a proverb that says "Drink your food, chew your drink." This means you should really chew your food until it becomes like a liquid, allowing you to savor the taste and flavor for as long as possible - and then to move your drink around inside your mouth so you can really savor how it feels, and how it tastes. This is a simple rule that's really helped me to slow down my eating.
-Cook. As often as I can, I want to be able to cook my own meals. Since I don't have a kitchen, I go to the next best thing. The farmer's market. The ingredients are fresh, locally produced, and are made to order right there on the premises. The best food you can eat is the kind you make for yourself! THIS DOES NOT MEAN HEATING UP A MICROWAVE DINNER.


When I have kids, I will not allow a microwave in our house. They will learn to cook their own meals at a young age, they will be taught to 'eat their colors,''leave a little on their plate for Mr. Manners,' they will go shopping with me for groceries at the local market, they will learn that 'if you're not hungry enough for an apple, you're not hungry,' they will be taught that real food comes from the plants that grow in the ground, not the plants that are built by man.



So, there you have it! I hope this was helpful/enlightening/encouraging in some small way. Also, if you haven't yet read Michael Pollan's book "Food Rules" I highly recommend you do so! It is the best book on nutrition I've ever read, and a lot of what I wrote about in this post comes from that book. You can get it on Amazon for $5 or at any bookstore for about $11.



As always, be lovely, happy and healthy today!

Much love,

EE