Do we even know what this is?
Until recently (the last 6 years) I had not engaged in normal eating.
We have been so brainwashed in to this constant state of dissatisfaction with our body, fear has taken over. And the marketing and diet industry has tapped in that, making us confused and anxious about our food choices.
We stopped trusting the best judge of our needs and wants: ourselves.
To define what it is, I bow to the wisdom and expertise of Ellyn Satter who revolutionized the way we think about feeding our children and ourselves.
Normal eating . . .
is going to the table hungry, and eating until you
are satisfied.
Normal eating . . .
is being able to choose food you enjoy and to eat
it and truly get enough of it—not just stop eating
because you think you should.
Normal eating . . .
is being able to give some thought to your food
selection so you get nutritious food, but not
being so wary and restrictive that you miss out
on enjoyable food.
Normal eating . . .
is giving yourself permission to eat because you are happy, sad, or bored, or
just because it feels good.
Normal eating . . .
is mostly three meals a day—or four or five—or it can be choosing to munch
along the way.
Normal eating . . .
is leaving cookies on the plate because you will let yourself have cookies
again tomorrow, or eating more now because they taste so great!
Normal eating . . .
is overeating at times, and feeling stuffed and uncomfortable . . . and
undereating at times, and wishing you had more.
Normal eating . . .
is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.
Normal eating . . .
takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one
important area of your life.
In short, normal eating is flexible . . .
it varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your food, and your
feelings.
Copyright © 2018 by Ellyn Satter. Published at http://www.EllynSatterInstitute.org. You may
reproduce this handout if you don’t charge for it or change it in any way and you do
include the copyright statement.
……………………..
Oh, the simplicity of real wisdom.
Thanks for reading,
Christina