Your Mom Was Right

Mothers and food are like love and marriage. It's almost impossible to have one without the other. Some of the fondest memories we carry are centered around food, childhood and our mothers. They play an integral role in our nutrition habits because their beliefs are ingrained into us at an early age. To this day, I use the essential nutrition advice that my mom bestowed upon me. Growing up, I was always the kid who wolfed down my food, finishing before anyone else. At the rate I ate, you'd think I came from a family of 12! I can still hear my mother's voice urging me to slow down and enjoy my meal. She simply wanted me to practice mindful eating. As a mother and nutritionist, it's a value that I instill in my own children and clients. Practicing this core value can help your diet in three essential ways:

1. You become less likely to overeat because your brain has a chance to send a signal to your stomach that you're full. Don't be shocked: You may find food left behind on your plate!
2. Food becomes enjoyable again, and you actually taste what you are eating. Often, we sit down and polish off our plate without even tasting the meal. Eating should be a source of enjoyment, not just mechanism to fuel our bodies. Just relax, take small bites, and chew! I promise, the food on the plate isn't going anywhere.
3. You can gain control of your diet again. The pickable, poppable, unstoppable foods suddenly become manageable to integrate back into your regimen. When you actually take the time to evaluate what you are eating and the quantity, binges becomes less desirable.

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Comments

[sadiehinton]

06:05 AM on 05/14/2012

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[urkiddinme]

06:31 PM on 05/13/2012

When I was a little kid in the mid-70s, I asked my mother why we never had Wonder Bread, Count Chocula or Jif. She said, "Because those foods are crap (except she didn't say crap) and you're not eating (crap)."