Naturally healthy eating habits

waitinforatrain

A friend of mine, who is in naturally healthy eating habits, went on a random rant the last day, saying that you're not supposed to be thinking about food all of the time and that it's unhealthy to be that way, and to just eat when you're hungry.

It made me see how much I think about food and dieting etc, it's definitely a few hours a day, and not out of hunger. What he said actually makes a lot of sense, the body knows when it's hungry, not the mind, and I think I eat a lot more than I should because I'm obsessed with food (not the other way around!). If I had a perfect relationship with food I would just eat when my body tells me too. I'm starting to see that there's nothing wrong with my physiological processes that tell me I should eat.


I wanted to ask naturally good eaters, do you worry much about food/weight/dieting etc when you're not hungry?


So I started following this simple rule, "Eat when hungry" and using a few NLP/visualisation/symbol techniques to remind me (to help me to "install" this new behaviour if you like), and I'm definitely eating a lot less and eating better. I woke up this morning with a craving for vegetables, wtf?

It's definitely difficult to change eating behaviour patterns because you've been reinforcing them every day of your life, so I just practice looking at food and thinking "Am I hungry?" and gradually it becomes automatic.

Hope this helps people.

floggg

No.

First off, i imagine it is in fact completely natural to have food on the mind throughout the day. I imagine back in our hunter gatherer days, where the next meal would come from would be a major preoccupation, so we evolved to be constantly aware of our dietary wants and needs.

We are designed to eat regularly, not eat our fill and then go sit on a river bank for a few days crocodile style.

Secondly, the whole eat whenever hungry thing is where most people fall down. Eating small, regular, healthy meals is generally accepted a giving better results than 2 - 3 meals a day. However, even if you go with three meals a day, if you don't think about it ahead of time and plan what you will eat and when, you are far more likley to eat junk.

ps - i hope you aint trolling here.

amacachi

floggg wrote: »

No.

First off, i imagine it is in fact completely natural to have food on the mind throughout the day. I imagine back in our hunter gatherer days, where the next meal would come from would be a major preoccupation, so we evolved to be constantly aware of our dietary wants and needs.

We are designed to eat regularly, not eat our fill and then go sit on a river bank for a few days crocodile style.

Secondly, the whole eat whenever hungry thing is where most people fall down. Eating small, regular, healthy meals is generally accepted a giving better results than 2 - 3 meals a day. However, even if you go with three meals a day, if you don't think about it ahead of time and plan what you will eat and when, you are far more likley to eat junk.

ps - i hope you aint trolling here.

In ideal circumstances we shouldn't eat a fill that leaves us bloated for days, but I'd be fairly sure that evolution-wise we're programmed to eat when we can and to make use of food when it's there. In a lot of cases this is reinforced in childhood with parents insisting that kids clear their plates.

For some people they can just eat when they're hungry but most people don't know what hunger is. If we all knew when we were hungry and ate the right foods accordingly then everyone would be wonderfully healthy. Unfortunately I think for a lot of people it would be ridiculously hard to de-programme what's already there.

waitinforatrain

floggg wrote: »

Secondly, the whole eat whenever hungry thing is where most people fall down. Eating small, regular, healthy meals is generally accepted a giving better results than 2 - 3 meals a day. However, even if you go with three meals a day, if you don't think about it ahead of time and plan what you will eat and when, you are far more likley to eat junk.

ps - i hope you aint trolling here.

Eh I'm not trolling. I don't think I'll eat junk if I don't surround myself with good food. The more good food I eat the more I see how much refined sugar and other crap has been messing me up

Magic Eight Ball

Unfortunately I always have pizza on my mind..

all_smilz

waitinforatrain wrote: »

Eh I'm not trolling. I don't think I'll eat junk if I don't surround myself with good food. The more good food I eat the more I see how much refined sugar and other crap has been messing me up

i ate really badly the other day and felt like sh!t after....

whats trolling??????:o

Dovers

A friend of mine, who is in naturally healthy eating habits, went on a random rant the last day, saying that you're not supposed to be thinking about food all of the time and that it's unhealthy to be that way, and to just eat when you're hungry.

It made me see how much I think about food and dieting etc, it's definitely a few hours a day, and not out of hunger. What he said actually makes a lot of sense, the body knows when it's hungry, not the mind, and I think I eat a lot more than I should because I'm obsessed with food (not the other way around!). If I had a perfect relationship with food I would just eat when my body tells me too. I'm starting to see that there's nothing wrong with my physiological processes that tell me I should eat.

No nothing wrong with planning meals in advance I dont consider this obsessing about food. I don't think you can be in "naturally healthy eating" habits without a bit of forethought and planning. There is so much crap available to a person throughout the course of the day that the healthy choice is not always the easy one hence some planning is required.

lubie76

Why then does the bad foods taste the bestest?

Dovers

lubie76 wrote: »

Why then does the bad foods taste the bestest?

Because usually they have a high fat content and the brain seems to be hard-wired through years of evolution to develop a taste for fat. It has to do with survival. High sugar foods give blood sugar rush aswell with the associated elevated mood (albeit temporay). I think you will find though that once your palate adjusts to eating healthy foods and your body tunes in to its nutritional requirements you will appreciate how healthy food can be equally if not more tasty than unhealthy options.

floggg

amacachi wrote: »

In ideal circumstances we shouldn't eat a fill that leaves us bloated for days, but I'd be fairly sure that evolution-wise we're programmed to eat when we can and to make use of food when it's there. In a lot of cases this is reinforced in childhood with parents insisting that kids clear their plates.

For some people they can just eat when they're hungry but most people don't know what hunger is. If we all knew when we were hungry and ate the right foods accordingly then everyone would be wonderfully healthy. Unfortunately I think for a lot of people it would be ridiculously hard to de-programme what's already there.

Sure, we can go a day or two without food and our body will adapt and cope, but for optimal performance, we are designed to eat regularly throughout the day. E.g. our closest relatives in chimps, binobo's and other great apes eat constantly throughout the day, rather than just going on a hunt every 3 days.

joepenguin

waitinforatrain wrote: »

A friend of mine, who is in naturally healthy eating habits, went on a random rant the last day, saying that you're not supposed to be thinking about food all of the time and that it's unhealthy to be that way, and to just eat when you're hungry.

Your friend is correct in that it is unhealthy to obsess over food the whole day and constantly worry about your next meal. However if we only had meals when we were hungry then we would only eat 2-3 times a day and they would be BIG meals which would not be optimal for energy or metabolism. (people tend to forget that this also leads to 2-3 small unhealthy "pick me up snacks" or sugary drinks throughout the day)

So with that in mind its worth taking some time one day to plan some meals, give yourself templates. EG Dinner will consist of a wholegrain source of carbs, 2 veg, and a lean meat source.

Once you create good habits and get used to them, regular healthy eating becomes as natural as it is supposed to be.

If you can only get 3 meals in a day, make a shortlist of snacks: natural yoghurt, nuts/seeds etc.

amacachi

floggg wrote: »

Sure, we can go a day or two without food and our body will adapt and cope, but for optimal performance, we are designed to eat regularly throughout the day. E.g. our closest relatives in chimps, binobo's and other great apes eat constantly throughout the day, rather than just going on a hunt every 3 days.

Aren't they vegetarian? (May very well be wrong here.)

Think back to when most people were kids though, for years you're told to empty your plate whether you're hungry or not, which can't have a good long term effect.

And as I said, we no longer seem to have those instincts to know what to do for optimal condition.

kevpants

amacachi wrote: »

Aren't they vegetarian? (May very well be wrong here.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7XuXi3mqYM

Chimps are fuuuuuuucked up. They eat meat but they also cannibalize their enemies, commit acts of revenge and murder (pre-plan and carry out killings of other chimps just for the sake of it)

Check out the cute hooers here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1WBs74W4ik

floggg

See, we do have a lot in common with them

neuro-praxis

I plan healthy meals wherever possible, and yes, I am obsessed with food. I think about it pretty much all the time except when I'm exercising, or eating it. :pac: