The Simple Rule of Eating

Why do people put themselves through the agony of dieting only to gain it all back? It’s because they don’t have a very good relationship with food. Food is to nourish not only your body but also your soul. When you’re constantly in a mind battle over whether you should eat something, eating no longer is a pleasurable event.

I’d really like to see people throw away the diet mentality and stop looking at food as the enemy. Your mindset about food is the enemy and the only way you’re going to begin to enjoy the food you eat without guilt is to eat whatever you want. Yes, you heard it here from a nutritionist. I want you to enjoy what you eat without guilt (unless you’re doctor has told you to avoid certain foods).

I can hear your cries of “some of what I enjoy eating isn’t healthy”. So what makes a food unhealthy? It’s probably high in calories, fat, sugar and sodium. Those are the “bad boys” of the food world right now. Give it time. One of those will become the darling and some other nutrient will take its place. How is it that the cavemen never questioned whether what they were eating was healthy? They were just thankful to have a meal. So, our abundance of food choices is causing some of the problems.

Not to worry. Choice is good if you know how to handle what choices you make. That leads me to my Simple Rule of Eating. Memorize this and you’ll never fret again about eating anything.

Just a little bit.

Be sensible.

Have at it.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. I probably don’t even have to tell you what foods would go into what category. That’s because I think most people know what foods are not so healthy and those that are good for them. You’d have to be living under a rock these last several years to not know. It’s in the news every day. But, just to give you some sense of what a nutritionist would do with those categories, here are some examples:

Just a Little Bit: Chocolate, wine, beer, butter, ice cream …

Be sensible: Cheese, steak, pizza, chips …

Have at It: Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and beans …

What foods would you add to each category? Let’s work on putting together a list for each category for others to consider.