Wise Words From the Chef
“Moderation. Small helpings. Sample a little bit of everything. These are the secrets of happiness and good health.”
Julia Child was known for her spunky attitude and her delicious food. While all French food is not entirely healthy, she had the right mindset for eating. Food is to be enjoyed.
Sitting down to a meal with family and friends is a sacred time that brings laughter, joy, and connection. In this day and age, there are so many diet fads. Go ahead and google them. What do they all have in common? Restrictions. Deprivation. Hard to maintain. Where is the freedom in that? I feel what Julia Child had in mind in her quote above was to eat... intuitively.
What does intuitive eating mean? According to the dictionary, to be intuitive means to be able to understand something because of feelings rather than facts or proof. So to eat intuitively is to recognize your body’s needs, your body’s cues as to when you are full or hungry, and how you feel after you eat certain foods. It takes away shame from the “eat this, never eat that” diet culture.
I believe this is a more holistic approach to fueling your body. When you learn to recognize your body’s needs and how it feels, it is much easier to make a lifestyle change without feeling like you are depriving yourself. Eating this way helps avoid overeating because you aren’t letting yourself get too hungry. It curbs cravings because you aren’t forbidding yourself from eating certain foods and ultimately improves your relationship with food.
Does this mean if you feel your body is telling you to eat all junk food, then you should listen to it and do it? By no means! We all know we need to fuel our bodies with quality foods and ingredients to thrive and feel our best. As we eat intuitively, we get to know our bodies better, and as we pay attention to our bodies, we will see that we operate best when we eat healthy foods, but keeping in mind there is no shame in eating that chocolate chip cookie if we want it. Maybe don’t eat six…
I challenge you to eat intuitively this week. Do not count calories, macros, measure your food or overthink it. Have a goal to eat real food, with quality ingredients, most of the time. If you don’t eat many fruits and vegetables, I challenge you to add one of each to your diet each day this week. This can be as simple as eating an apple and adding some broccoli to your meal. Recognize how your body feels as you fuel it with healthy foods. When you start to feel full, know it’s time to complete your meal.
This way of eating is dramatically different than what the world preaches to us in the form of diets. It’s time to say goodbye to diets and hello to a healthy relationship with food. Making peace with food and with your body will make the change you want to last a lifetime.
