Intuitive Eating

We've all heard of "intuition", usually when referring to a woman and her uncanny sense of always knowing the right thing to do. (No offense, guys!) The dictionary defines it as "instinctive and unconscious knowing without deduction or reasoning".

When it comes to how and what we eat there is actually something called "intuitive eating" - in other words, listening to the demands of our body and feeding it what it needs, when it needs it. Notice I didn't say "listen to your BRAIN" because, chances are, the good old brain would tell you to eat Big Macs, chocolate bars and ice cream.

We all have intuition. We just have to learn to "listen"; to go inside ourselves and pay attention to what our body is trying to tell us. If we did this, there would be no overweight people, no need for diets and everyone would be a heck of a lot healthier. Intuitive eating means that just because it's 12 noon, it doesn't mean it's lunch time. It means eating when we're hungry and stopping when we're full. Tiny babies eat intuitively - on demand - although they have to trust us, their parents, to feed them properly. Little children tend to eat intuitively - at least until we impose things like "lunch time" & "supper time" on their eating habits. When a child says they're not hungry at suppertime but an hour later they're "starving" it could be because that's what their bodies are telling them and they haven't yet learned to suppress those little voices inside.

With our busy schedules and hectic lives it's hard to eat on demand but with a bit of attention & organization it can be done. For example, always carry a piece of fruit (apple, banana) with you and perhaps some nuts - something to reach for when your body tells you it's hungry. If you ignore that feeling you end up overeating when you finally do get near some food or, worse, you don't eat at all until much later in the day. A good habit to get into is eating breakfast. Your body has not had any nutrition while you slept and it needs some fuel to get going. Ideally, eat your proteins before mid-day as those provide your body with the most energy at the time when it needs that "power". By suppertime you should be eating less "energy" foods since you don't need much energy in the evening or just prior to bedtime and you don't want those heavy foods sitting in your gut trying to digest when you should be resting your body. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Because of the way most of us were brought up, supper was the biggest meal of the day and, really, that is backwards to the needs of our body. We need power/energy in the morning, something at lunch that will sustain us through the afternoon and a light meal to end the day as we gear down.

I've been talking to a lot of people lately as I've been doing the Digital Pulse Wave screening and I've noticed that a great many of them are very "self-aware". They "had a feeling" that they should do something about their health even though their doctor hadn't diagnosed them with anything. Others have told me that when they started taking meds prescribed by their doctor, they felt worse and quit taking the meds and then felt better. Whatever we call it - "gut instinct" or "that little voice inside" - we should listen to it more often because, in most cases our body will tell us what it needs.

Until next time, food for thought.....

Mary-Lou

One Small Thing

Most people I talk to "get it" that they could improve their health by not eating junk food; cutting coffee, sugar, trans fats and additives out of their daily meals; exercising regularly and many other things but I think it's overwhelming to most of them as to where to start. They want instant results and try to change everything all at once and that's where they're setting themselves up for failure.
We've been brought up to look for the quick fix - relief in a pill or "program" - we just want to feel better and we want it NOW! But think about how long you've been doing all of the "wrong" things and realize that it's going to take some time to change those habits. When I look back over the last year and see what changes I've made, mostly in what I consume, I'm amazed not only by how much better I feel but by how many things I used to do that I don't do now- and I don't miss them. I also realize I have a long way to go. I know I have to give up my coffee (or at least cut it down dramatically); I have to be more physically active on a daily basis and I'm working on drinking those 8 glasses of water everyday.
I'm learning to be consistent in the things I have changed and am feeling so much better for having done that but I don't beat myself up when I don't accomplish other things (like kicking my caffeine habit or going for a walk everyday). Yes, it's hard to change. Yes, sometimes I slide backwards. But life is not static. Everyday is a new day to try again and be happy for even small accomplishments because when you look back over a month or a year and realize what you HAVE accomplished it's actually pretty amazing.
My advice to those wanting to make long-term health improvements would be, first and foremost, start small. I recently talked to an 83 year old man who, when told at age 80 that he had to lose weight if he wanted to live a longer life, completely cut sugar out of his diet. That's it. NO MORE SUGAR. One thing. Granted it was probably not easy to do but it was only ONE THING that he had to focus on. Just by doing that one thing he went on to lose over 100 lbs and is feeling better at 83 than he has for many years. As a result, he's more active, eats better overall and no longer has diabetes. So from that one thing he has gone on to make other positive changes and probably didn't even have to think about them.
How many people do you know who, at 80 years of age, would have bothered to make that change? Most would have said, "Oh well, I'm old anyway, what's the use?" My conversation with that gentleman has been my new motivation. It's never too late to improve your life, your health, your relationships and it can all be done by changing just ONE SMALL THING.
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On another note, I just want to share some exciting news about a NEW product being released this month by ForeverGreen - just in time for flu season. It's called "ImmunEyes" and it contains Oil of Oregano, Virgin Coconut Oil and Marine Phytoplankton. The first two ingredients have been scientifically proven to be as effective as antibiotics at killing bacteria and pathogens like e. coli and staph. But ForeverGreen has taken it one step further and added the amazing nutritional benefits of the phytoplankton to make ImmunEyes a "safe" natural alternative to flu shots. You can check it out at: www.seawellness.immuneyesdaily.com
Once again, Mother Nature has the solution to better health.

Until next week, "food" for thought.

Mary-Lou