Ok, Fitness Mamas! It is time we talked a bit about nutrition!
How to eat?
What to eat?
What is healthy?
All those questions that you can find an array of answers to, making the maze of eating so confusing!
I hesitate sometimes writing about nutrition, because I am not a Registered Dietician. When someone asked that I write about this I felt like I needed to go find a good article on the subject or book or something. But, then I realized…duh…I don’t need someone else’s opinion here. This is my blog! ha! I know a lot about eating and nutrition!
AND!! I do work in an Eating Disorders Treatment facility and teach people to eat every day (as well as other things) and have spent the last 14 years recovering from my own eating disorder, so I guess I have some sort of understanding of the complex world of nutrition. So, I will give you my take on eating and fueling the body.
What I have found personally is quite simple. I live by these guidelines in my own eating as well as teach others these same principles. They are quite simple.
I think in our society we make eating way too complex! You don’t need to read books on the subject, watch shows on the subject, or subscribe to some sort of eating program. UNLESS you struggle with disordered eating and need expert advice on the subject. If that is the case then I encourage you to see a Registered Dietician …NOT a nutritionist. A Registered Dietician is the best person to see on this subject.
So here is the nitty gritty. I will write more specific blogs later in the week regarding questions this might bring up.
1. ALL foods fit. Yep, sorry folks but they do. All foods fit. Now, that comes with a caveat…and that is MODERATION! Sure if you eat French fries every day you are going to see some negative effects. You know what those are. Take the language “good” and “bad” food out of your vocabulary! Some foods are of course better for you, but why do we need to call food “bad?”
2. “If all foods fit then what should I be eating?”
Well of course your best bet is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and get the right amount of protein, and carbohydrates. Yes, carbohydrates. You DO NEED THOSE! Remember balance is the key here. And dessert is also in that “all foods fit” category. If you don’t eat dessert you are MUCH more likely to want, crave, obsessively desire dessert and then overeat! I eat dessert every single day. That way I enjoy it and don’t crave it!
3. Shouldn’t I eat all Organic? Sure if you have tons of money! The reality is we all can’t get to Whole Foods or Trader Joes every week! So, be gracious with yourself and eat organic when you can. But, don’t not eat b/c it isn’t organic! Geesh…we have a life to live you know!
4. One rule I live by is that I NEVER skip meals. EVER! No matter what! For example…Saturday I went to get my hair done at 12:00. I didn’t leave the salon until 2:30. But, I had also eaten breakfast and a morning snack, so my body was ok. Anyway – my husband and I were going to dinner at 5:30. So, it would make sense to not eat and just wait until dinner. But, my tummy was telling me it was hungry at 2:30. I knew if I didn’t listen to it, I would eat way more than it needed at dinner. So I had some lunch at 2:30. Then when I went to dinner I wasn’t famished and was able to give my body what it needed.
5. Your body is smart! If you listen to it, really listen to it, it will tell you what it needs. It needs food every 3-4 hours. It really does. And it will tell you when it is hungry…it will tell you when it is full! You need to listen to it and give it what it needs. THEN…you know what happens? If you listen to it, give it what it needs, and give it some exercise…it will find a weight that it is meant to be at. AND stay there! The problem is we want it (the body) to be at a weight sometimes that we are not genetically meant to be. And guess what? That is where the trouble starts. If you try and keep your weight at a place that it isn’t naturally meant to be, you are going to be fighting with your body for the rest of your life. That doesn’t sound like fun!
So..I give you this challenge. Try a few days of living with;
1. All foods fit. 2. Eating and exercising in moderation 3. Listen to your body
AND finally – asking yourself before you run to the fridge to scrounge…
HALT
Am I Hungry Angry Lonely or Tired? Only one of those leads to food! If your tummy says it is full then maybe you are using food as feelings not what it is meant to be FUEL! That is all it is!
So fuel up Fitness Mamas! Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, and then listen to your other cues!
A great book to learn intuitive eating is called Mindful Eating (here is the link to it below)
http://www.bulimia.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1220
And…if you struggle with using food for more than fuel then I encourage you to check out this organization called Finding Balance. www.findingbalance.org
They help people break free from a disordered relationship with food.
Hope this helps! Please..send me your questions and I would be more than happy to write about it here!
Happy Living!
Lee
