Friday Food Rules

I've written posts in the past about pretty controversial topics, and have never failed to receive those dreaded comments from readers who just don't agree (which is fine, of course, it's why I have a comment section).  Today I'm going to preface my opinions with a name with whom many of you are familiar; Michael Pollan.  So, if Mr. Pollan said it, there is not need to argue, right?!  I mean the guy is a New York Times number one bestselling author with a true talent for researching and writing about food and nutrition (and he's not even a doctor or dietitian, yet I trust him and agree with just about everything he says).  He's in a word, brilliant!  His book "Food Rules" is basically the Cliffs Notes on what to eat and what not to eat (another of his books, "The Omnivore's Dilemma" is a must-read too).

Now, I'm not a huge fan of rules, especially when it comes to food, as I'm sure you know.  As a dietitian I pride myself in the fact that I rarely give people food rules, because I know that's not the best way to get through to those who are trying to make lifestyle changes.  That being said, I think some rules are ok, as long as you also allow those rules to sometimes be broken. Today I want to share my top eight favorite rules from Michael Pollan's book.  I'll write out his rule, then provide my additional thoughts on the rule.

1)  Avoid Products That Contain HFCS:  I love and hate this statement at the same time. I really can't stand it when I hear "Oh, but it has HFCS in it, I can't buy that".  Why?  We eat agave nectar like it's the nectar of the gods, yet agave is 90% fructose, compared to 55% in "HFCS".....so which is the true High Fructose?!  Hmmmm.  I think Pollan's point with this rule is to simply say that typically foods with HFCS are highly processed with a lot of junk, therefore they should be avoided.  You wouldn't ever find HFCS on the label for a single whole grain, or a fresh fruit or vegetable. No, you find HFCS in packaged goods with a handful of other ambiguous ingredients. Therefore, avoid or limit HFCS if you can (as well as other added-sugars).


2)  Avoid products with the term "lite" or the terms "low-fat" or "non-fat" in their name.  I would agree with this, but not completely.  I actually enjoy many lite and low-fat foods, especially when they are dairy products and dressings.  Lite (or "light") means the product has at least 50% less sodium, calories or fat, compared to the original.  Fifty percent is a lot, but often it's not enough to completely take away from the flavor of a product.  Non-fat, on the other hand, I avoid like the plague (although, again, I do enjoy non-fat dairy products!).


3)  Eat wild foods, when you can.  I don't have much more to add to this one.  We know that wild animals and seafood (ie: typically not raised on a farm) have a better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 because of their diverse diet of, of course, wild plants (they also tend to have less saturated fat).  Those "wild plants" typically have more antioxidants and more omega-3 (because apparently we breed for "shelf-stability" meaning less omega-3, since they oxidize more readily).  Does this mean you should go vegetable hunting, and meat hunting? No, start a small garden, and buy foods as close to local as possible (and consider organic when you can).


4)  Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored.  It's called being intuitive.  It's my motto as a dietitian.  I tell this to all of my clients when they ask "How many calories do I need?". Your body knows best.  When you're hungry, eat. When you're not hungry, don't eat. Work hard not to allow outside forces such as emotions, sights, and sounds dictate when you eat (that's called appetite, and it's different than physical hunger).


5)  Eat slowly:  Not only does eating slowly mean you are likely going to eat less (think about when you are at a restaurant with a bunch of people, if you eat really fast you might keep grabbing the bread or chips on the table once you are finished with your meal, or order another drink, simply because you feel the need to be eating or drinking with everyone else who hasn't finished their meal yet) but eating slowly also helps you eat more mindfully, and savor your food.  It's actually a fact that the longer the food stays in your mouth, the more pleasure you get out of it (once again, I'm learning this from the book "Taste What You're Missing".  So, slow down, savor your food, allow your body to truly soak up all the flavors.  Live to eat, don't eat to live (yes, in this case, the saying is reversed, because it should be reversed sometimes!).


6)  The Banquet is in the first bite:  No other bite will taste as good as the first.  Did you know this?  Take a bite of a really delicious food, and continue eating it and be mindful of the flavors.  You will notice that the flavor actually starts to deaden on your palate. Of course, most of us just continue to eat and eat and eat, not because the flavor is great, but because we've been conditioned to eat until we're full (and many times uncomfortably so).  So I guess another rule might be "eating until you are only 75% full".  Why waste the calories with another flavorless bite?!



7)  Buy smaller plates and glasses:  One researcher actually found that by switching your dinner plate from a 12-inch to a 10-inch size people reduced their consumption of calories by twenty-two percent. Wowza.  I don't know about you, but I'm a fan of this concept.  In fact, for the past year or so Nick and I have eaten our dinners (at home) off of our salad plates.  I'm not sure if Nick has even noticed yet, or thought anything of it.  Muahaha


8)  Break the rules every once in a while.  Sometimes you're just gonna order the fish from...who knows where...that has been dipped in.....who knows what, along with the fat and sodium-loaded fries, and side of heavy tartar sauce.  Sometimes you're going to eat those fish n' chips incredibly fast, not slow, and you're going to chase them down with an artificial diet coke (you know, to save some calories) and then follow it up with a fat-free bowl of fro-yo (topped with hot fudge, of course).  And you know what? Sometimes, that's just fine ;)

QUESTION:  If you had one "Food Rule" what would it be?

Happy Friday everyone!

Food Cravings/Addictions: The Basics of Mindful Eating

When you see these cupcakes, what happens to you physically, mentally, and emotionally?  Stop and think about it.  What are you feeling, right now, as you look at these cupcakes?   Figuring out what makes you crave foods, what makes you eat foods, and why you eat what you eat (among other questions) is a key component of a concept called Mindful Eating.  I'm not a Mindful Eating pro by any means, but I did use mindful eating strategies to help get me through the time in my life when I had a very poor relationship with food.  I'll get into that in a moment....

I hear it often; "Gina, how do I control my tendencies to overeat"?  Or, "Gina, how do I get over my intense cravings for sugar"?  I've posted some information in the past (see links below)....

Healthier Snacks for Someone with a Sweet Tooth 

Don't Like Healthy Food? You Can Change Your Taste Buds!

How Do I Decrease My Sweet Cravings?!

.....but today I want to talk about mindful eating and how it might help someone who tends to overeat, binge, or even just get insatiable cravings for sugar, salt, or whatever it is. You've probably heard of mindless eating before.  Brian Wansink, PhD is basically the expert on the mindless eating concept.  I wrote a blog about it back in January of 2011, if you'd like a review.  Basically mindless eating is happening to everyone, all throughout the day. We are constantly eating more than we think (and more than we need!), mindlessly, and therefore we now live in a country with a 66% obese/overweight population.  I encourage you to read some of Brian's work, and learn some ways to prevent or reduce mindless eating. 

Source: iStockPhoto
One thing to think about is your plate size.  Start serving your dinner on smaller plates, rather than larger ones, and science indicates that you will eat less.

So what's the difference between mindless eating and mindful eating, aren't they just opposites? Not necessarily.  Read about this study for the perfect example of getting trapped both mindlessly eating, and not eating mindfully.  I'll briefly explain; the researchers surveyed moviegoers before a special showing of a movie and determined the ones who typically ate popcorn at the movie theater.   The researchers then handed out free popcorn to all of the participants.  Some of moviegoers received popcorn in a large container, and some received popcorn in a medium-sized container.  Also, some of the popcorn was stale (14 days old) while some of the popcorn was fresh.  Those who typically ate popcorn at movies consumed 45.3% more popcorn when given to them  in larger containers, compared to those who received the medium containers (this is mindless, the subtle cue of the larger container automatically made theme eat more).  Better yet, the moviegoers who were given stale, 14 day old popcorn ate 33.6% more popcorn when given a larger container, compared to those given a medium bag.  This is not only mindless, but a perfect example of not being mindful (ie: not actually stopping to think about your food, and enjoy the taste of eat delicious, buttery bite).  If they would have been more mindful, they most likely would have stopped eating because it was stale!

Source: iStock Photo
The moviegoers ate more, automatically, when they received popcorn in a larger container (mindless eating)
The moviegoers also ate more when the container was larger and the popcorn was stale (mindless eating, and not eating mindfully)

This research study was a perfect example of people allowing subtle cues (the larger container) to increase their calorie intake (mindless eating) but it also showed that the participants weren't being mindful of the food they were eating, because they still ate a lot even though it was 14 days old (not eating mindfully)!  If they were being mindful they would have savored the food, rather than eating out of habit, and they would have realized it just wasn't good.

Many dietitians and therapists work with people who have binge eating disorder and use mindful eating strategies to help them become more aware of why they eat, and what they are eating.  However, I am fully aware that anyone can benefit from these strategies, as many people may not have documented binge eating disorder, but still find themselves wondering to the kitchen and eating despite not being hungry. And many of us find ourselves getting out of control more often than we'd like.  As someone with a history of anorexia (and bulimia, as that's often the next step when trying to heal from anorexia....) I can appreciate the mindfulness approach.

Source: Today's Dietitian Magazine

  

This article talks about the concept of mindful eating (I highly recommend reading it!).  Let's look at the cycle from the article (pictured above).  These are the questions you might ask yourself as you're trying to become a more mindful eater and gain a better relationship with food.  I will use myself as an example; 

During the time in my life when I was trying to overcome an eating disorder I went through a really bad time of binging and purging (my purge was exercise).  Seven years ago, these would have been my answers;

1) Why did I eat? Emotions, stress, felt out of control

2)  When did I eat?  Typically when no one was around, or whenever I had a spare moment to eat something really fast

3)  What did I eat?  Very specific foods, "good" foods, never "fad" foods. And, if they were "Bad" foods I typically binged.

4)  How did I eat?  Fast, very fast, and not mindfully. I even ate fast around others, because I didn't want them commenting on what I was eating.

5)  How much did I eat? It really depended on if I was alone, or not, and what time it was, and what I was eating.

6)  Where did I eat?  Anywhere but at the table (unless we were out to dinner)

 

Over the past 7 years I have learned to put a pause between my trigger (emotion to want food) and response (eating the food), which is one of the purposes of this mindful eating exercise.  Here are my answers today;

1) Why do I eat? Sometimes it's still emotions that cause me to eat, such as stress, sadness, or most often boredom, but I am much more aware of this now and I am more likely to grab a healthier snack than something like cake or chips  (or multiple spoons of peanut butter, which is what I used to do, over and over again)

2)  When do eat?  Any time I please!  I am trying really hard to eat only when I'm hungry, physically.  Sometimes this happens at different times throughout the day, so it really depends. I let my body lead the way.

3)  What do I eat?  Whatever sounds good.  And I no longer call foods "good" and "bad".  I eat to make my body and brain feel energized.  I'll write a blog post soon about my daily eats....they are very similar each day but always foods I love to eat!  And, if I eat something that isn't so good for me, I don't dwell on it, I enjoy every succulent morsel :)

4)  How do I eat?  I still eat fast sometimes, and I'm continuing to work on this.

5)  How much do I eat? Most of the time I eat just enough to make me feel slightly full.  There are still times when I overeat, and feel uncomfortable, but these times are few and far between.  The best part is that when this does happen, I don't beat myself up.

6)  Where do I eat?  This is something else I'm working on.  I tend not to eat at the table, but instead on the couch.  I don't know why, but I prefer the couch.  If the TV is on, it's on mute, but still..... the good news is that I don't eat while standing up or while in the fridge (something I used to do).

Ok, now you try!  

1)  Think about the above questions, and try to put a pause between your trigger (often the trigger is some type of emotion) and the response (eating a specific food, or binging on specific foods).

2)   Journal your answers if you'd like.  This will help you make more sense of your relationship with food.  Write in your journal daily or weekly (you can read more tips and activities the article).

3)   Remember to stop and savor the texture, smell, and taste of your food.  The more you appreciate each and every bite, and really grasp the deliciousness that it is, the more satisfied you will be, and the less likely you are to continue eating beyond your control.

4)  If binging isn't your issue, but (like me sometimes) you often find yourself eating (whether it's salty or sweet foods, or whatever it is...) despite not being hungry, you can still use these tips.  One thing I do when I find myself staring at food in the fridge, is to stop and ask myself; "Do the healthy foods I love sound good to me right now?" If the answer is "No, I want chocolate, or chips", then I know (most of the time) I'm not really hungry and I'm just acting on a craving, which has been triggered by an emotion (most of the time it's boredom!).  Clearly there are times when I'm not hungry and I really just want to eat some chocolate, and I do..... and that's ok sometimes!

Again, I'm not an Mindful Eating Expert, but I truly believe in the concept.  I encourage anyone who is reading this to check out some of the resources provided by Today's Dietitian Magazine (below) to learn more and start practicing eating more mindfully (and teach these concepts to your clients, if you work with people who might be struggling with their relationship with food).

Source: Today's Dietitian Magazine

***NOTE:  If you truly believe you have an eating disorder, be sure to find a good therapist and dietitian to work with you as you try to create a better relationship with food, and yourself.  These are great resources, but some people truly need more than a book, a journal, and/or a blog post.  And there should be no shame in that.***

I really enjoyed this recent article from the Washington Post, which discussed the "sour side of a sweet tooth", ie: the sugar crash (acute) and long term health problems (chronic). I thought the tips they provided were helpful; add a protein, fat and/or fiber to your sweet treat and it will reduce the glucose and insulin spike, therefore theoretically reduce the crash (and perhaps reduce the urge to continue eating more sugar!).

Tofu Mousse topped with blueberries; lots of fiber, and just enough sugar to keep me satisfied (oh, and chocolate of course)

Fruit and nut bars (homemade); again lots of fiber and very little added sugar.  But, of course enough sugar to satisfy.  I eat these very slowly and enjoy every tiny morsel.  By the time I've finished my "sweet cravings" are typically gone and I can move along.  

QUESTION: Have you ever read about mindful eating?  Have you ever used these strategies to help reduce your urge to binge, or overeat?  When was the last time you really thought about the smell, texture, and taste of your food, and savored every tiny bite?

Thanks for reading.

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

My Weight Journey; From Losing Weight, To Gaining Weight, To Maintaining It

Source: iStock Photo

**** WARNING: This post may not be appropriate for anyone with an eating disorder, or anyone who is sensitive to "weighty" issues (pun intended). ****
Today I wanted to write a personal post about weight management and life after an eating disorder. I figure this is my blog, otherwise known as a "web log", so I might as well write a candid post about life after an eating disorder, and specifically my thoughts and struggles with weight and weight management. After all, I have only written one or two posts about anorexia and my personal experience with anorexia, but never have I talked about life as a women who has healed, and who is in the midst of a weight-conscience and weight-obsessed society (my previous posts are "From Normal, To Anorexic" and "An Insight on Eating Disorders".)


After recently reading the book Gaining I pretty much figured out the meaning behind my anorexia, and how I was the perfect candidate for an eating disorder. I'm a perfectionist in just about every aspect of my life (I'm not perfect, I'm a perfectionist).
When I was recovering from anorexia, over five years ago, I was deathly afraid that I would spiral out of control and put on a ton of weight if I ever got "Better" (this is a classic sign of anorexia). In my mind I thought I had to either eat perfectly, or else I'd become what everyone else had become.....overweight or obese (both were equally scary to me). After all, as I started getting "better", I also started binging and to me that was very scary (not having control over what and how much I ate = scariest thing ever, at that time).

Source: iStock Photo

Now, over five years later, having been fully recovered for maybe three years (I still had some eating issues when I was first dating Nick, but not full blown anorexia. At the time I thought I was recovered, but looking back I was fooling myself), I am at the point in my life where I am no longer trying to put on weight, but instead I am actually having to watch my portions and be careful about how much I eat (something I was once way too good at, in a very bad way).

I'm finally at the point where I no longer feel like it may be disordered thoughts that are telling me to "only eat half the burger" (it has taken me quite a while to come to terms with this fact. For many years I couldn't tell whether my thoughts to eat less or to stop eating when I was full were coming from my eating disorder, or if they were coming from me actually trying to be healthy and eat intuitively.) For so long my goal was to put on weight and now that I have, I have to work hard not to keep on putting it on! Ironic. Right? Just as I imagined five years ago, I am at that point where I was always afraid I'd be. Now that I'm hear, however, it's not so bad. I'm just like every other American who has to work hard to keep weight from slowly creeping up. Is that a bad thing? Nope. It's a good thing because I'm a dietitian and I can practice what I preach, and learn many things along the way (thus I'm better able to teach others how to maintain a healthy weight, in a realistic way, how it should really be done, not by starving myself).


Sometimes I compare myself to someone who has gained a lot of weight, then lost it, and now has to maintain it. In many ways I am similar to that person. Eating too much is an eating disorder just like eating too little, and just like me, people who eat too much and gain a lot of weight have to eventually learn how to eat normally again, and have a better relationship with food. That's exactly what I've done. I've had to train myself to have a better relationship with food, and myself, and to love who I am, not to focus on a number, eat intuitively, and to live in the moment.

So I'm normal. I now have to work at maintaining a healthy weight, for the rest of my life. I no longer want to spiral out of control and lose a bunch of weight, and nor do I want the opposite to happen. I now live in the same world as everyone else. Trying to keep a healthy weight, and still enjoy good food that makes me happy, every step of the way.


Here is a great article I found not too long ago; Keeping Weight Off Is As Much A Challenge As Losing It. In the article they talked about the following ways that seem to keep people successfully maintaining a healthy weight;

•Count calories, carbs or fat grams or use a commercial weight-loss program to track food intake.

•Eat breakfast regularly, often including whole grains and low-fat dairy products.

•Limit dining out to an average of three times a week, and fast food to less than once a week.

•Eat similar foods often and don't splurge much.

•Watch fewer than 10 hours of TV a week.

•Weigh-in at least once a week (** Unless the scale alters your mood. In that case, try once a month. Personally I weigh-in once a month because scales are just not my friend....even still **)

Source: iStock Photo

And I'll add to this list by saying that it's extremely important to keep up with your workout routine. You should try to workout about an hour a day, most days of the week (90 minutes would be even more beneficial). Not into working out? Find a workout buddy to keep you motivated, and do stuff you ENJOY!

Source: iStock Photo

I also recently read this article about mindful eating. In the article they discuss how you can give mindful eating a spin "by incorporating a few chilled-out gestures and rituals into your regular calorie intake".

WHEN YOU EAT, JUST EAT. Unplug the electronics. For now, at least, focus on the food.

CONSIDER SILENCE. Avoiding chatter for 30 minutes might be impossible in some families, especially with young children, but specialists suggest starting your meal with short periods of quiet.

TRY IT WEEKLY. Sometimes there’s no way to avoid wolfing down onion rings in your cubicle. But if you set aside one sit-down meal a week as an experiment in mindfulness, the insights may influence everything else you do.

PLANT A GARDEN, AND COOK. Anything that reconnects you with the process of creating food will magnify your mindfulness.

CHEW PATIENTLY. It’s not easy, but try to slow down, aiming for 25 to 30 chews for each mouthful.

USE FLOWERS AND CANDLES. Put them on the table before dinner. Rituals that create a serene environment help foster what one advocate calls “that moment of gratitude.”

FIND A BUDDHIST CONGREGATION where the members invite people in for a day of mindfulness. For New Yorkers, it’s an easy drive to the Blue Cliff Monastery, about 90 minutes north of the city: bluecliffmonastery.org/ on the Web.

QUESTION: How do you practice mindful eating? Do you have any tips? What's your best tip for maintaining a healthy weight, and/or a healthy relationship with food and your body?

STAY TUNED: Coming up next I will post my thoughts on Dr. Supplements....I mean Dr. Oz. And in the next couple weeks I will also post about the concept of volumetrics (my favorite weight management tool to teach clients!).