Eat Real Food First!
Hey everyone, it's Karen here. I'd like to use this post to share a personal story that ties in with our hunger and fullness topic for this week. And I think you'll enjoy getting a peek into what actually goes on in a dietitian's home!
My household consists of me, my husband, our 13 year old daughter, our 10 year old son, and our dog Benny (plus some sea monkeys my son got for Christmas). As you might imagine, I try to keep the kitchen stocked with mostly nutrient-dense foods. But we always have some kind of "play food" around, usually in the form of sweets. The kids can access it whenever they want. And that usually goes well (although sometimes there is an inexplicable number of candy wrappers in the trash). How does that work, you might ask? Don't they just gobble it all up whenever they get the chance? It's probably a combination of several factors related to living in a dietitian's' home, but there is one particular thing that stands out to me.
Over the years, I have supervised my kids as they learned to serve themselves their own food and snacks. There have been many occasions where they want to start with the candy stash. They would say to me "Can I have some candy?" My response was always "Are you hungry?" It was a coaching, of sorts, to help them figure out what their bodies needed (were they actually hungry, or just looking for something sweet, or battling boredom, etc.). Whenever they decided they were "stomach hungry," I would say "You need to eat real food first." This is my kid-friendly lingo for "you need to eat food with some nutritional value that will fill you up." They get it. And they know that if they still want candy afterwards, they can have some.
I have explicitly said to my kids "We don't eat candy to feel full. We eat candy because it tastes good." And there is no judgment about that in my house. Candy is not "bad" and it is not something to feel guilty about eating. It just has a different purpose than other types of foods. As adults, so many of still struggle with this concept. And it is 110% understandable, especially when you consider the destructive influence that diet culture has on our psyches. But I hope this story helps to illustrate a way forward. Honor your body's needs, eat real food when you're hungry, and enjoy some treats along the way. I know, that is easier said than done, but this week's lesson will have some more tips to help you. I hope you can join us!