Foodship -- your relationship with food. Humans make more than 200 food-related decisions every day! Talk about lots of opportunities to make a wrong move! Knowing more about food, such as how it's grown and produced, can help improve our foodship. Improving our relationship with food can also help us reach and maintain a healthy weight [1].
5 Ways to End Dysfunctional Eating [1]
1. Turn off the screens.
TV's, computers, cell phones, and iPods should be turned off while you're eating. Distractions away from what you're doing -- eating -- can cause you to overeat. Connect with your food and gain a stronger interest in how food looks, smells, and tastes. Duly noted: no "catching up" on emails during lunch at my desk....
2. Broaden your concept of local food.
Don't limit your local selections to fruits and vegetables. There's a good chance there is locally produced eggs, meat, poultry, milk, cheese, maple syrup, honey, and breads near you. Check it out! The more effort you make to purchase your groceries locally, the more likely you are to learn how it's produced and to have a closer connection to what you eat. Unlike commercial produce, local produce is picked at it's peak ripeness and thus, it's peak nutritional value. Nutrients found in foods are physically fragile -- the less distance to get your produce from it's origin into your system, the more nutrients are preserved. Does the same go for wine? Even in Oklahoma there are local wineries with daily tours -- make it a day trip and enjoy the fruit of the land...literally : )
3. Get closer to a farmer.
Go in Whole Foods and look for information on local growers in the store. Or, become a grower yourself. Shifting the relationship with food to becoming a producer or close to the source of your food makes us more invested in what we eat and what it provides for us nutritionally. When you buy locally, it is a positive, powerful, and constructive way to encourage local farmers, as well as good production and manufacturing practices.
4. Cook with a kid.
Teaching children about food, where it came from, how it was produced, and ways to eat different foods is a fun and joyful occassion. Cooking is much more commonly taken out of the home and today's children have less exposure to different varieties of foods and cooking methods. Parents also falsely assume that children are picky eaters. Don't dumb-down your child's palate by making assumptions -- offer them a wide variety of foods, even foods you personally do not enjoy. Limit snacking and poor eating habits -- children should be hungry or ready to eat when they come to the table. Being a little hungry is the best way to learn to appreciate the flavors and varieties of various foods; when kids are not hungry, they do get finicky with their food selections.
5. Don't buy into grocery buzz words.
Of the terms local, organic, and sustainable found on packaging, only "organic" has a specific, legal definition with legal guidelines. If a product label does not explain its marketing terms, consider that a reason to research further. Head to the company website for details. Start by learning more about the foods you commonly purchase such as milk or cereal.
[1]. Moores, Susan. Boost Your Health by Improving Your Relationship with Food. MSNBC. August 7, 2009.
5 Ways to End Dysfunctional Eating [1]
1. Turn off the screens.TV's, computers, cell phones, and iPods should be turned off while you're eating. Distractions away from what you're doing -- eating -- can cause you to overeat. Connect with your food and gain a stronger interest in how food looks, smells, and tastes. Duly noted: no "catching up" on emails during lunch at my desk....
2. Broaden your concept of local food.
Don't limit your local selections to fruits and vegetables. There's a good chance there is locally produced eggs, meat, poultry, milk, cheese, maple syrup, honey, and breads near you. Check it out! The more effort you make to purchase your groceries locally, the more likely you are to learn how it's produced and to have a closer connection to what you eat. Unlike commercial produce, local produce is picked at it's peak ripeness and thus, it's peak nutritional value. Nutrients found in foods are physically fragile -- the less distance to get your produce from it's origin into your system, the more nutrients are preserved. Does the same go for wine? Even in Oklahoma there are local wineries with daily tours -- make it a day trip and enjoy the fruit of the land...literally : )
3. Get closer to a farmer.
Go in Whole Foods and look for information on local growers in the store. Or, become a grower yourself. Shifting the relationship with food to becoming a producer or close to the source of your food makes us more invested in what we eat and what it provides for us nutritionally. When you buy locally, it is a positive, powerful, and constructive way to encourage local farmers, as well as good production and manufacturing practices.
4. Cook with a kid.
Teaching children about food, where it came from, how it was produced, and ways to eat different foods is a fun and joyful occassion. Cooking is much more commonly taken out of the home and today's children have less exposure to different varieties of foods and cooking methods. Parents also falsely assume that children are picky eaters. Don't dumb-down your child's palate by making assumptions -- offer them a wide variety of foods, even foods you personally do not enjoy. Limit snacking and poor eating habits -- children should be hungry or ready to eat when they come to the table. Being a little hungry is the best way to learn to appreciate the flavors and varieties of various foods; when kids are not hungry, they do get finicky with their food selections.
5. Don't buy into grocery buzz words.
Of the terms local, organic, and sustainable found on packaging, only "organic" has a specific, legal definition with legal guidelines. If a product label does not explain its marketing terms, consider that a reason to research further. Head to the company website for details. Start by learning more about the foods you commonly purchase such as milk or cereal.
[1]. Moores, Susan. Boost Your Health by Improving Your Relationship with Food. MSNBC. August 7, 2009.
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