The last two weeks I have been spending a lot of time on my new gig with Chow Locally. It has been inspiring and eye opening for one interesting reason related to the readers of this blog.
It has reminded me how normal people relate to food.
For the past 20 years I have worked, mostly with people who do NOT have a healthy relationship with food. It often leaves me feeling as though something is wrong with ME for eating the way that I do. Most of the people I am in contact with, with my work, are either clients who bounce back and forth between extremes of restrictive dieting and bingeing…or professionals who are very good with their analysis of food but not always great in the kitchen. Or…people working in the field who are there because of issues they had and may still have and are not admitting that they have them.
I honestly don't mean to offend anyone here…I am just saying it has been a wonderful experience to be in the real world with people who truly embrace I intuitive, mindful, healthful eating.
Here are some things these people do and do not do. Can you do these things? If you are shifting in your chair as you read this, consider that one of the reasons you are not able to make changes that would promote your hormone balance is because your relationship with food is not healthy. inCYST network members are happy to help you repair that relationship, on which you can build a healthy foundation of productive food behaviors.
Here is my list of Ten Signs of Healthy Eaters.
1. They try recipes, they don't just collect and/or read them.
2. They do not, after asking for help with recipe ideas, launch into a dissertation about why they eat raw/vegan/paleo/whatever. While they may do these things, it is not their lifestyle or their religion.
3. They have tolerance for ways of eating that are different than their own, even if those ways are not"healthy".
4. They don't need a nutritional breakdown, point value, or calorie count for everything they eat. They know that kale is inherently good, that fried kale is not going to be as nutritionally dense as kale salad, and that kale in general is a better choice than French fries. And so they eat kale. They don't order French fries and then monopolize the conversation explaining or apologizing for their choice. If they do order French fries, they eat them and savor them. They do not hide it, binge on them, or save them for that ridiculous thing known in some circles as a"cheat day".
5. Back to recipes. They use them as guidelines, not dictations. OK, so you forgot to buy the paprika. Make it anyway! Do not let it rot in the fridge because you were so perfectionistic that if you could not make the recipe exactly as directed you were not going to eat it at all.
6. If a new food is presented, they learn about it, ask about it, experiment with it, and try it. They don't offer an immediate"Blech!" simply because it is a new food.
7. If one recipe with a food doesn't work, they do not assume they do not like the food. they give it a couple of tries fixed in other ways before making that decision.
8. They know what is in season. They are in touch enough with Mother Earth to use seasonal variation as a menu guide.
9. While they may enjoy the occasional exotic food, they focus on what is available locally and have fun turning local foods into exotic creations.
10. They savor the finished product, often with a nice glass of wine. A well cooked meal is a work of art, a self-nurturing reward at the end of a hectic day. They would never consider eating it in the car or standing up in the kitchen.