Wednesday, 04 November 2009
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What is "Normal" Eating?
I just read the article What is Normal Eating? and found it really interesting, and agree with it.
In essence, "normal" eating, is not as much about what you eat as it is about how you think about what you eat. One commenter put it as the difference between worrying about what you eat, and thinking about what you eat. Too many of us worry too much about what we eat, and not enough people these days even think about what they eat.
I've struggled with this question internally a lot. Do I have an eating disorder? My head is pretty messed up when it comes to food, but is my eating actually disordered? In the past, this has been true, but presently I would just say my eating is abnormal. What I eat is usually great and healthy - but i obsess over it. I plan it out, count it, weigh it, write it down, add it up - sometimes I cry at the thought of being forced to eat something unhealthy. Sometimes I'm totally okay with three slices of pizza.
I really like what's put forth in the article as a definition of "normal" eating:“Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and 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 sometimes 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. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful. Normal eating is overeating at times, feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. And it can be 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 proximity to food and your feelings.”
I like the idea that it's okay to have a snack because you just want one, to enjoy the taste of food, to sometimes eat too much, because none of it will kill you. But why is it so hard to believe? We have so much about healthy eating and being thin and weight loss shoved down our throats - and yet so many people are so obese! Has anyone realized that it's not working? Maybe if everyone could just listen to their bodies and eat reasonably and healthily, considering, and being mindful of what they eat, but not obsessing, we'd be a lot healthier as a society.
What do you think "normal eating" means? Do you eat "normally"?
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- From: theonlytimes@xanga
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Comments (14)
I had no idea there was such a thing as normal eating haha.
i've never thought about eatin "normal", lol. I eat what I want when I want, but I do try to incorporate healthy things and always drink enough water.
After reading this, I have learned I am the farthest thing away from a normal eater. :S good post though.
Normal eating means normal shitting. If you aren't having regular, soft to firm textured stools that come out and retain the shape of your large intestine, kind of curvy or "S", shaped, you're probably not eating properly.
You should shit from a few times a day to 3 or 4 times a week, every one is different, but it should be on a fairly regular pattern.
I was constipated AND dehydrated until I was in my 30's and didn't even know it. Once I started eating properly and drinking enough water, I was shitting regularly and on a daily basis. I felt better and better and stopped drinking carbonated beverages and cut way down on my sugar.
Now I generally shit every time I eat something and it's like pretty much springy and bounces right into a colon shape, and now I know why dogs scratch the ground with their back feet and get all happy after they shit.
You really can feel a surge of energy after getting all that crap out.
I also took the Activita Challenge and it really works and now there is truly a spring in my step and a smile on my face.
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I think this is a good, mentally healthy way to look at eating. For those on specialized training programs though, we have to eat a certain way; I still think what we do is healthy because we're fully cognizant and aware of what's going in, and not harming ourselves even though we're extremely restrictive.
I think what it boils down to is a healthy attitude, everything else follows.
lol what happens if "normal eating" is actually bad for you? i say healthy eating is more important!
i think normal eatting is a a great thing. for me, i eat normal everyday and i like to over eat. but, i believe for most of the population, people need to eat healthy, especially when they need that special diet. normal eatting is definately not for everybody.
good question.
I define normal eating the way the article does. Normal eating isn't really about what you eat, but how you think about food and eating. I've finally started eating normally after years of having an eating disorder.
@Orlando@xanga - I like the poop comment. :-p and I totally agree. But I drink 64 oz. of water but days that i don't have the chance to drink that much (usually weekends when i'm not carrying around my big water bottle) I'm less than regular and I get moody...
Anyways, normal eating is satisfying but not over indulging... i think.
nope. don't eat normally at all.
"Normal Eating" is the opposite of "Addictive Eating", and again has less to with the foods chosen and more to do with why eating is being chosen. Normal eating is related to mental & emotional health more than physical health. (and yes, you can be either a normal eater who eats healthily or a normal eater who eats unhealthily....or sometimes a bit of both!)
Normal eating is about feeding and fueling the body, plain and simple.
Addictive eating includes compulsive eating, emotional eating, and chronic overeating. These eating patterns indicate an underlying problem that the eater is attempting to mask with the food. Feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, lack of love, anger, rage, etc that are dealt with by food will never get resolved, and will continue to drive the person to food, if that is their "drug" of choice.
Food addiction has it's roots in emotional issues (baggage) that the person cannot face, and the addiction becomes a way to hide from the problem.
I disagree completely with the line in the entry that normal eating includes eating because you are happy, sad or bored. Eating for those reasons (if they are a regular occurence) is called Emotional Eating, and that's a whole other kettle of fish. Emotions are there to let us know something in our lives is happening, good or bad. Hunger is there to let us know when to eat.
Here's another way to know if your eating is normal or not. Do you eat completely honestly in front of normal-eating people, or do you eat one way in public and completely differently when alone? The friends of many overweight people will say that they don't know why their friend is overweight, they only ever see them eat normal-sized portions of fairly healthy food. What they don't know is that the overweight person eats completely differently when no one is looking. Addictions are only ever shared with other addicts because only with another addict will you find acceptance and non-judgement.
One last thing....normal eating doesn't involve obsessing about food. While we all may spend a couple of days before a big holiday anticipating all the yummy treats that are about to appear on our plates, that is not obsessing. Obsession becomes all encompassing, distracting the mind from just about anything else. Obsessive eaters will be thinking about their next meal while they're still in the middle of this meal. All the while not thinking about whatever is really bothering them and certainly not thinking of better solutions than food can provide.
It's taken me years to do what I now call "normalizing my relationship with food". And as my relationship with food normalized, so did my weight. But interesting to note that not all addictive eaters end up heavy, a few don't. So just because you aren't heavy doesn't mean you necessarily have a normal relationship with food.
Normal eating is three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, you can have snack in between. Healthy eating is each meal must have grain, meat, drink, fruit and vegetable in proportion. For more healthy eating habits, go to
http://BeautifulLifeSharing.blogspot.com
I am so jealous of normal eaters. I remember being normal at eating, and I am so envious of those who don't see food as this evil enemy who ruins lives.