A Simple Way to Think About Food

It doesn’t need to be a struggle

Have you ever thought about why you eat? Of course we need food to survive, that’s one reason. But when you do eat, is it just to stop yourself from being hungry or is there more to it?

In both the book I wrote and the online coaching course “Intentional Eating: Finding Peace and Balance in Your Relationship with Food,” I talk about approaching food with a specific mindset. If the sole purpose of food is to stop your sensation of hunger, then you could eat anything. Chips, cookies, and french fries could be what you choose. You might not feel good afterward (bloating, heartburn, fatigue), but in this case, feeling healthy and satisfied is not why you are eating.

If, instead, you saw food as fuel, you will make different choices. Food that fuels your body and makes it function at its peak will come from a menu that contrasts the “stop your hunger” menu. This will be full of healthy foods, though each person’s healthy menu might look a bit different.

There is no one-size-fits-all human, so there is no one-size-fits-all way to eat.

What matters is that you choose foods based on how they make you feel, and that they support you and support your body’s repair so that you can continue your active lifestyle. These foods should give you energy that lasts through until it’s time to eat again.

Bursts of energy vs sustained energy

Energy from food can come in two varieties: a burst of energy and sustained energy. When you drink your caffeinated beverage in the morning, you get a burst of energy. The coffee or tea gets you going, but won’t necessarily keep you going. That little shot of dopamine and norepinephrine will only last so long.

Sugary foods also give you this type of short burst, plus dopamine. Your sugar spikes, then your insulin spikes. After the insulin mops up the sugar from your bloodstream, you crash. This is one reason that high sugar diets don’t benefit your health. The spike and crash over the long term can eventually lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Sustained energy comes from complex carbohydrates, especially those that contain fiber, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. It also comes from protein rich foods, like chicken, fish, eggs, and dairy products. Grains and legumes also have protein, though not as much. Fats also provide sustained energy, but they need to be good fats. Avocado, olive oil, nuts, and cold water fish (like salmon), are wonderful sources of healthy fats.

Stopping the hunger with a healthy mindset

Balancing your diet with complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats will keep you feeling sated for longer. They all “burn” at different rates, meaning it takes your body different amounts of time to break them down.

Carbohydrates break down the fastest so will give you quicker energy. If there is plenty of fiber in your carbs, you will have the energy lift without the crash.

Protein breaks down a bit more slowly, so if you pair your carbs with protein, you’ll have energy for even longer.

Fats are the slowest to break down, so having a meal with fiber, protein, and fat will give you sustained energy and keep you from feeling hungry all the time.

No one is perfect 100% of the time

I hope you know that perfect doesn’t exist. Eating this way 100% of the time isn’t sustainable. This is why many diets fail. Diets don’t account for how you live your life. Or for holidays. Or desiring a treat. I find that when you deprive yourself, eventually your willpower runs out and you end up bingeing and tossing the diet out the window.

While eating for health and fuel is important, no one can eat perfectly all the time. I sure don’t. You do the best you can. The 80/20 rule has served me for years: if you eat for health 80% of the time, then 20% of the time you can have your Ben & Jerry’s (for example) without completely derailing your efforts.

Birthdays happen. Holidays happen. You shouldn’t have to deprive yourself from the joy that food brings just so that you can be “good.” If you have a solid foundation of eating healthy foods, then one day or one event won’t be the end of the world. Restart your healthy eating the next day.

Get support for balanced eating habits

Intentional Eating: Finding Peace and Balance in Your Relationship with Food is a 6 week coaching program to help you feel confident and more in control over your eating habits. Learn tools to regain power over yourself and make the best decisions for you, using principles based in yoga and brain science.

Gain the confidence you need to find more peace and ease in your relationship with food and with yourself.

It doesn’t need to be this hard.

• Learn to be kinder and gentler to yourself around food. Let go of shame.
• Learn common sense strategies to guide you toward food that fuels your body and gives you energy.
• Feel supported by a small community of people who have the same struggles that you have.
• Feel safe, seen, and supported without judgment.

What people are saying”:

The course allowed me to look at my relationship with food from a totally different perspective. I recognize now *why* I want to eat when the why isn’t about hunger. The coping strategies were insightful — especially pausing and looking in before taking that first bite and the stress reduction approaches.~R.B.

Click the button below for more information or to sign up! We start Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30pm ET. Limited to 5 people.