You eat THAT?!?!?

I often get asked about my methodology and personal eating habits.  These questions usually emerge quickly after I share my deepest darkest secrets about my love for a good dirty martini and jalapeno poppers!  If you’re feeling judgy about those admissions you probably shouldn’t keep reading because I’m gonna give you the whole truth people..

If you’re still here …welp here goes!  My method of eating could be considered more of an attitude of eating than an actual system.  I’ve struggled for years with the concept of “right” and “wrong” food and in the past bounced from one fad diet to the next with little to no success.  After yo-yo dieting worsened my health concerns as opposed to fixing them I realized I needed more info..so I went to grad school ;D where, as my husband likes to say, I got a Masters degree in chopping up vegetables! HAHA!

We, as a family, have found an approach that I think could greatly benefit and liberate you and your family from the stress of eating.  The way that our family approaches food is threefold and involves the type, feeling, and fun of food.

The type of food we buy and have in our home is generally whole food (save the vodka and poppers of course).  Whether it be a whole naturally and humanely raised cow, chicken, fish or pig we strive to use all the parts of our food and to experience all types of proteins available to us.  We buy whole fruits and vegetables from reputable sources because we believe that the sum of each food is greater than its nutrient parts.

Nerd facts: A study conducted regarding ginger extract and prostate cancer found that while each active ingredient in ginger when separated showed positive results in destroying cancer cells, the synergistic effect of the nutrients together were much MUCH stronger and more effective (Brahmbhatt et at, 2013).

Because of research like this I believe that an important connection to food is not only where it originates but what form it comes in.  While it may be a pain to peel and shred your ginger, or painful to prepare a whole pineapple I encourage you to engage in the process and reap the benefits of obtaining and ingesting foods in their true forms. As the nutritional gatekeeper for my home I know that what I buy is what they’ll eat.  So I buy as little garbage food as I can and reduce the stress on myself by keeping it simple: nuts, seeds, fruits, veggies and etc.

We prepare food that is whole and nourishing avoiding additives and other altered or engineered “food like” substances that have proven to be harmful to the body at home.

However, the attitude we take towards food is more relaxed than most people expect considering our typically whole food eating and cooking habits.

One of my absolute favorite things in the world is when people are shocked that I’m a Nutritionist because I’m not at ALL skinny and my kids hit the dessert table first at any potluck or group gathering we’re at.  When people question my lackadaisical (that’s your vocab word for the day look it up) approach to nutrition in social situations I tell them it’s really just my scientific approach to a healthy lifestyle.

Social relationships around the world are centered on food and, to us, creating and cultivating these relationships are even more important than the food itself.  Emotional connections to food, “planning, preparing, and enjoying food [has] always had a role in maintaining and developing social relationships” (Luomala, Sirieix, & Tahir, 2009).  As a family we believe that people are more important that our food goals and that while we love to share our feelings towards eating and how it has transformed our lives, it will not stop us from enjoying sugary cake at a birthday party or eating foods we normally don’t eat at a barbeque or church potluck.

The way we eat is fun!  We have taken steps to understand how each of our six family members reacts to certain foods and have found several food intolerances and allergies amongst us but rather than dampen our enjoyment it has encouraged us to become explorers!  Trying new dairy and gluten-free alternatives has been an adventure.  Finding healthier ways to make our favorite foods has been like a scientific journey.  Discovering recipes that don’t involve much meat and nourish our bodies in new ways has taken our taste buds on a trip around the world.  If you’re intimidated by changing your eating habits, turn it into an adventure and find fun in each new experience.  I teach many courses on how simple it is to eat nutrient dense foods when you step outside of the country for a minute!  Take a trip with spices and herbs which contain TONS of health benefits and get out of your comfort zone.  Some of the easiest meals I make are the most healthful and delicious things on the menu around here.

So that’s our philosophy in a nut shell; food, feelings, and fun.  Because I come from an obese family of emotional eaters I have been concerned for myself and family and the unstable relationship to food which I am socially and genetically predisposed to succumb to.  Not being radically conservative or overly lax in eating habits is a balance I think all people, especially parents, struggle to find.  Research into neuroendocrine and biological mechanisms show that comfort food decreases the effects of stress while improving mood through increase dopamine (Vandewalle, Moens & Braet, 2014).  By making our comfort food as a family whole foods infused with fun AND by extinguishing the guilt of enjoying the “bad” foods with friends and family I believe we have created a healthy system / attitude of eating that encourages both physical and emotional wellness.

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Brahmbhatt, Meera., Gundala, Sushma R., Asif, Ghazia., Shamsi, Shahab A., & Aneha, Ritu.  (2013).  Ginger phytochemicals exhibit synergy to inihibit prostate cancer cell proliferation.  Nutrition and Cancer, 652), 263-272.

Luomala, Harri T., Sirieix, Lucie., & Tahir, Rizwan.  (2009). Exploring Emotional-Eating Patterns in Different Cultures:  Toward a Conceptual Framework Model.  Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 21, 231-245.

Vandewalle, J., Moens, E., & Braet, C.  (2014). Comprehending emotional eating in obese youngsters: the role of parental rejection and emotion regulation.  International Journal of Obesity, 38, 525-530.