Nurture Principles

When we’re busy, we might not have all the time in the world to whip up some immaculate dessert. But you can whip up something tasty with a dash of “healtification” in less than 5 minutes. You’re going to get help from the grocery store, spend two minutes at a grill, and three minutes putting them together.

Use a Hearty Fruit You Can Grill

Since it is officially peach season, I have to use them as my base, but you could use pineapple or mango. Using any fruit in a dessert is definitely healthification! I also like peaches because they can serve as a little bowl for the ice cream

Instruction: Slice your peaches in half and glaze with just a dash of honey before placing them on a searing hot grill for about 2 minutes. Remove and place in a small dessert bowl (or martini glass!) grill side up.

Add Healthification with Spices

Spices! These spices are common in peach and pumpkin pies and they have loads of antioxidants!

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground nutmeg
• Pinch ground ginger

Instruction: Sprinkle the spices on top of each grilled peach.

Grocery Store Help – a Simple Ice Cream

If you have an ice cream maker and the time, more power to ya! But I work about 60 hours a week and have no ice cream maker. (will take donations – lol!)  I think Haagen-Daz Five is the next best thing – only five simple ingredients. Here are the ingredients in vanilla bean. SKIM MILK, CREAM, SUGAR, EGG YOLKS, VANILLA (VANILLA BEAN FLAKES, VANILLA EXTRACT). You can actually pronounce them all!

Instruction: Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup on top of each spiced peach. This is all you need because IT IS REAL ICE CREAM   Seriously, it tastes amazing so you don’t need a lot. It’s also the right size for the peach. You can use a melon scoop and put about 3 tiny scoops on top of each peach.

Add Some Crunch

What’s a pie without a crust? Well, we only have five minutes.

Instruction: Place a few ginger snaps or graham crackers in a plastic bag and let your kid or hubby crunch them up. Sprinkle about a tablepoon of the crunchy cookies on top of each dish.

Wrap Up

I know the theme for recipe redux is frozen desserts. I know I kinda cheated because the frozen part of my dessert was from the store. But this is SO GOOD, SO QUICK, and SO EASY that you’ll forgive me in about two minutes.

More ReDuxs

If you like what you read here, be sure to check out the frozen dessert posts from other ReDux bloggers.

Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition
Greek Yogurt Pavlova Popsicles

Cherie Schetselaar – Grain Crazy
Blackberry Lemon Almond Torte

Emma Cutfield-The Hearty Heart
Coconut Ice, Blueberry and Cocoa, Joint Healing Dessert

Carlene Helble- Carlene’s Figments
Peanut Butter Banana ‘Ice Cream’ Sandwich

Janel Funk – Eat Well with Janel
Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream

Kat Lynch – Eating The Week
Coconut Chia-Seed Fruit Pops

Dr Barb, Nutrition Budgeteer
Simply Fruit Mango-Pineapple Sorbet

Rebecca Scritchfield – MeFirst
5-minute Frozen Peach Pie

gretchen – kumquat
chocolate “ice cream” bars

Emily Greenfield – The Nutriscientist
Honey and strawberry semifreddo

Liz Marr – Liz On Food
Peach Lavender Ice Cream

Elizabeth Jarrard- Don’t (White) Sugar-Coat It
Adult Popsicles: Frozen Boozy Treats

Regan – The Professional Palate
Frozen Samoa Pie

Liz Weiss & Janice Newell Bissex – Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen
Healthy Blueberry and Mango Snow Cones

Jessica Fishman Levinson – Nutritioulicious
Watermelon Sorbet

Alexandra Caspero- Delicious Knowledge
Mango & Coconut Popsicles

Karman Meyer- Nutrition Adventures
Coconut Ice Cream with Strawberry Puree

Yuri – Chef Pandita
Acerola Chia Lime Popsicles

Kristen Bourque- Swanky Dietitian
Peanut Butter Coffee Popsicles

EA Stewart-The Spicy RD
Luscious Lemonade Pie

Danielle Omar – Food Confidence RD
Banana Soft Serve

Katie Caputo- East Meats West
Auntie Rosie’s Ice Cream Pie

Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD
Coffee Granita

Kara Lydon – Peace, Love, and Food
Peanut Butter Banana “Ice Cream” With Dark Chocolate

Serena Ball- Teaspoon of Spice
Splendid Key Lime Frozen Yogurt

Nicole Ferring Holovach – Whole Health RD
Peaches and Rum Ice Cream Pie

Lisa @ Healthful Sense
Peanut Butter Vanilla Soft Serve

Jackie Mills – Delicious Diabetes Cooking
Summer Fruit Popsicles

Audra Losey – Nutrition Know How
Mocha Pops

Kristina LaRue – Love and Zest
Frozen Berry Yogurt

Stephanie Howard – Give them Something Better
Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

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It’s Time for another #RecipeRedux – If you don’t remember, this is the healthy cooking challenge I’m taking part in. This month, we’re not cooking at all… we’re drinking!

Especially when it is hot out, we may not feel like eating much… this is why I love my healthy and delicious banana split smoothie recipe! (Talk about #MeFirst, huh?)

Prep Time:

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

• ½ cup pineapple (fresh, frozen, or canned)
• ½ cup of strawberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 ripe banana, sliced
• 1 container of Greek-style yogurt, fat-free or low-fat (8oz)
• ½ cup fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce
• 1 cup ice

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix well.

Variations:

• Non-Dairy Option: use soymilk and soy yogurt.

Try this the next time you and your family are in the mood for a cool treat. This “banana split” recipe is an easy and delicious way for your family to prepare a healthy meal or snack together. Made with nutritious fruits and low-fat dairy, it’s a smart choice for a healthy breakfast or on-the-go in the hot summer.

Other Re-Duxers Worth Reading

• Gretchen, kumquat   Ginger Ale
• Dr. Barb, Nutrition Budgeteer         Triple Cherry Chiller
• Carlene Helble, Carlene’s Figments            Mint Berry Seltzer
• Kara Lydon, Peace, Love, and Food Blueberry Basil Lemonade Fizz
• Deanna Segrave-Daly, Teaspoon of Spice Cantaloupe Basil Aqua Fresca Fizz
• Jessica Fishman Levinson, Nutritioulicious Blueberry Basil Cooler
• Marie Spano, Performance Nutrition          Post-Workout Power Smoothie
• Elizabeth Jarrard, Don’t White Sugar-Coat It        Southern Blackberry Smash
• Emily Greenfield, The Nutriscientist Apple, pear and strawberry smoothie with Chia
• Kristen Bourque- Swanky Dietitian            Fresh Fruit and Club Soda Cooler
• Regan Jones – The Professional Palate Berry-Lime Bubbly
• Kat Lynch – Eating the Week Sparkling melon fizz – nice & naughty
• Lisa @ Healthful Sense Berry Refreshing Chia Seed Smoothie
• EA Stewart-The Spicy RD Gingery Peach Float
• Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD Blackberry Banana Swirl
• Ann Dunaway Teh, Eat to Nourish, Energize & Flourish Pregnancy Mocktails
• Yuri – Chef Pandita   Green Tea Ginger Limeade with Chia Seeds
• Karman Meyer-Nutrition Adventures Orange-Mint Iced Green Tea
• Cherie Schetselaar-Grain Crazy Mango Strawberry Smoothie
• Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition Recipe Redux Tangelo-ade
• Carrie Miller, Nutrition Know How, 12 Smoothie Recipes to Beat the Heat
• Alexandra Caspero- Delicious Knowledge Strawberry Splash Mojito
• Carrie Miller – Nutrition Know How  Beat the Heat with a Smoothie

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Last week, I went to George Mason University to speak to 300 Girl Scouts (12-16 years old) that were participating in the Girl Scout Leadership Conference for Latinas. My topics were nutrition and celebrating size diversity. While the talk went as expected, I couldn’t believe the questions I got at the end. It honestly has me worried about what kind of messages are already in these girls heads and how sad American “thinness” culture has really become. Read on and let me know what YOU think.

Nutrition

These girls are young. I knew nutrition had to be about them interacting with food and learning about putting foods together for balanced meals. (Let’s face it. I had trouble learning about “fiber” in college. Certainly a 12 year old doesn’t need to hear how fruit has fiber and how that will help them take a poop.) We all learn better by “doing” right? So I decided we would make two salsas, one veggie, one fruit and then combine the salsas with a grain to make a meal! We also worked with herbs and using salt as a seasoning.

This was fun and I thought it was effective.

I also taught them how they can combine foods for a balanced meal. I gave them one piece of advice about eating habits: eat when you feel hungry. If you find yourself wanting to eat and you aren’t hungry at all, it is probably a good idea to wait awhile until you feel hungry.

I quizzed them after about ideas for putting together a balanced plate for energy and health and they aced it.

Girl scout making a fruit and veggie salsa.

So far so good… I thought.

Body Image

Oy. I was honestly worried about this. But then I got some great advice from colleagues at “Health at Every Size” There is a game called “if I had a quarter”. Basically you can “buy” traits you are looking for in a friend. There are about 20 traits, some are body focused and others are character focused. They all did good “answering” basically what they knew I wanted them to hear. I still wasn’t surprised thinking well Latinas celebrate their shapes so maybe body image is not such an issue with them.

I also talked about Serena Williams (a former girl scout) with them who has been quoted as saying her favorite “feature” is her smile because a smile lights up your life and others. I thought that was great. The talk ended and I felt they were as engaged as a group of 300 girls can be before lunch on a hot, muggy D.C. day.

The Aftermath

There was time for q/a and that’s where all hell broke lose. The first question I got was “can I eat six small meals a day to boost my metabolism?” My brain responded “what, are you kidding me? how do you know what metabolism is and what part of my talk indicated that it was smart to manipulate eating habits to “boost” your metabolism?” Then I felt like I had an “out of body experience” I was suddenly 13 years old again trying one of my mom’s diet shakes, doing exercise videos for “buns of steel”, and looking forward to read the next month issue of a “health” magazine. Then my brain said “duh. you’ve been here Beck. everything old is new again.” I got sad for a second, but I didn’t have any time for that. I answered. “Why do you want to boost your metabolism?” She said “to lose weight”.  My brain: “damn.” So I said “How do you know that weight loss would be healthy for you?” She stared at me. After an uncomfortable pause, I said “You know, the best thing you can do for nutrition right now is to listen more to your body. When you feel hungry, that’s your body telling you to eat. You should listen to that. One day it may talk to you six times, another day only three or four. Can you do that?” She said “OK”. I was as satisfied as I could be with that interaction, but something makes me feel like she didn’t really like my answer or believe it.

Next question: “Will cardio help me boost my metabolism?” My brain: “What the… here we go with metabolism again.” Then I was transported to the 16-year-old me who saved my money for a gym membership “Bodyworks!” Oh how I learned mastering the Stairmaster, watch the time tick down and calorie burn tick up. I asked “What do you mean cardio?” Totally testing her. I wanted to make the conversation about some type of tangible movement and activity. She said “running”. My brain “cool. I’ll take running. After all I’m a runner!” I asked “Why do you want to boost your metabolism?” Guess what she said…. “To lose weight.” My brain “Get off the stage now. You are making no difference. We’re all f-ed.” I sucked it up and answered “Did you know something? Exercise is very important. We should play, get involved in team or individual sports (there’s a lack of girls in sports), and have fun outside. When you exercise you feel better, you sleep better, you have a better chance at doing well in school, which will help you be a better leader in the future. (this was a leadership even BTW) But one thing exercise is not good for is weight loss. Don’t worry about “metabolism” girls. Look for activities you might enjoy and have fun with exercise.” I looked at the clock and it was 11 a.m. on the nose. Time for me stop and them to go eat. I felt saved by the bell. I honestly don’t know if my heart could take more disappointment.

What Say You?

Do you have any stories to share about your past experiences or working with girls these days? Your daughters? I have three nieces and lots of little girls in my life. I’m totally in fantasyland thinking that they won’t go through what I went through, aren’t I?

I guess that is why I do what I do. As much as #mefirst is about self-care… the idea is so you can better take care of others, including the younger people in your life. What do you say to help them shape their thoughts about themselves?

I can’t wait for “America The Beautiful 2″ to come out. If you haven’t seen the first one you can watch it on Hulu for free. Part two is all about dieting. I think it can’t come soon enough.

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Summer is the prime growing season for tomatoes of all sorts! From Beefsteaks to Romas, the tantalizing smell of sun ripened tomatoes is permeating the neighborhood. Tomatoes are full of antioxidants from the compound lycopene, which is thought to help be active in fighting cancers. They are also extremely high in vitamin C and low in calories.

This below recipe from Chef Geoff is the perfect way to use those tomatoes for a refreshing, nutrient dense snack.

Chef Geoff’s Summer Tomato Gazpacho
Yield:  Approximately 8 portions

• 2 pounds tomato, peeled and diced
• 1 each onion, medium dice
• 1 each red pepper, medium dice
• 1 each cucumber, peeled, seeded, medium dice
• 8 each garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 fluid ounce red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 fluid ounces lime juice salt and pepper, to taste hot sauce, to taste
• 1/4 ounce parsley
• 1/4 ounce basil
• 1 quart tomato juice
• 1 cup fresh croutons, seasoned (for garnish)
• 1 cup mixed red pepper, cucumber, red onion, and parsley, small dice (for garnish)

Completely puree all ingredients except for garnish in blender.  (Do it in batches if your blender is smaller).
Chill in refrigerator.   Serve in chilled bowls.  Garnish with croutons and diced vegetables.  This recipe is simple and delicious and has only 90 calories per serving.

Invite the neighbors over and share the antioxidants!

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When I started “mefirst” in December, my hope was that people would discover the “feel good” benefits of a positive approach to self-care  (vs weight loss and diet drive). Fast forward six months and I’ve been blown away by the #mefirst hash on Twitter and the success with the Twitter chats.

Considering the growth “me first” has experienced, I made a decision that I really want to make this the community it deserves to be. A major first step in that direction is providing several “voices” on the blog. I cannot believe that the first person I asked said “yes”….

Welcome, Leslie Goldman!

Leslie Goldman, MPH

Leslie and I met on Twitter. I asked her to meet me for lunch in Chicago when I was there for a speaking engagement. We gabbed about everything from the weather to whether we should order breakfast for lunch! I fell in love with Leslie’s sense of humor. I appreciated our “story swap” of our personal experiences that led us through different career paths, but eventually brought us together to collaborate on “me first”. Speaking of personal experience, read about Leslie’s here: http://healthbreaksloose.com/health/this-is-leslie-on-lexapro/

Leslie is going to be blogging at #mefirst on a regular basis and I can’t wait to see what she whips up! You probably have read her articles in dozens of magazines already.

Check out Leslie’s bio!

Leslie Goldman, MPH, is a Chicago-based health writer, specializing in women’s issues. A regular contributor to Health, O: The Oprah magazine, Women’s Health, Self, Runner’s World, Natural Health and more, she frequently appears on the Today Show as a body image expert. She is a columnist for espnW.com and blogs at her personal site, www.HealthBreaksLoose.com. She’s also authored a book, Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth About Women, Body Image, and Re-Imagining the “Perfect” Body,

@Leslie Goldman on Twitter

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Our guest expert this week is Kendra of @VoiceInRecovery Her main goal is beautifully simple:” I want people to know there is life after recovery, and that life & health is about body, mind and soul. Balance & moderation.” We definitely agree and below are some of the highlights of the talk!

image source

• What are the first steps of recovery? Whether it be from disordered eating, substance abuse, or any other addiction?
  • VoiceinRecovery Q1: I think when we realize we want our true voices to have a say, & no longer be chained to our struggles.
  • Saying that you need help. Admitting that you want help.
• How does one come back from any “slip ups” on the road to recovery?
  • VoiceinRecovery Q2: slips are part of recovery. THAT needs to be shared more. It is OK to slip, it is important to stand back up and move forward
  • SaraGrambusch They are. Hard to see in the moment so its good to talk about at other times.
  • VoiceinRecovery Q2: Recovery is a colorful journey. It is hard, and rewarding. Important to find support systems, mentors & professionals #mefirst
  • ProudPatriot07 Q2: There will be bumps on the road, just don’t give up. You don’t get sick overnight, you can’t just recover overnight either #mefirst
• How does recovery change who you are, for the better?
  • @drbeckerschutte: Q3: If we have made progress in recovery, we have learned compassion, humor, self-awareness & empowerment. #mefirst
  • RT @KerryCooks: Q3: I think any type of struggle makes you feel more compassion towards others.
  • RT @shelleyellen: I believe everyone has some kind of struggles in their lives it is how you learn to deal with them day to day
  • VoiceinRecovery Q3: The biggest lesson in recovery is that health is a journey. And it is a priority. Not a byproduct to think of when we have time
• Tell us more about #embraceselflove Why did you create this movement? Why do we struggle so much with this?
  • VoiceinRecovery Q4: I realized there is a huge global issue, where 97% of women say something hateful every day about themselves. That has to stop
  • tobyamidor Taking 30 min of day 4 self is important. Not egotistical.
  • VoiceinRecovery #embraceselflove movement is to know we are worthy of our own self love. stop self hate. Loving ourselves is healthy
  • VoiceinRecovery Q4: We dont have to buy the crappy messages telling us we should diet, look a certain way, be anti age (I am PRO age)
  • VoiceinRecovery #EmbraceSelfLove is to fight the messages in society telling us constantly that we have to FIX ourselves in some way
• What is one thing that everyone can do to #embraceselflove and put #mefirst?
  • SaraGrambusch Q5 Never apologize for YOUR feelings
• How can each of us be a body image warrior?
  • susangweiner Q5 Start each day with a positive idea and a few moments of quiet praise! Say it out loud and repeat it throughout the day.
  • @VoiceinRecovery: To me a body image warrior is learning to love themselves. Learning to live their own authentic lives. Following their own path
  • VoiceinRecovery Body image and body acceptance is a journey, and one where every step matters.
  • VoiceinRecovery Beauty is more than what we look like. It is about how we feel about ourselves.
  • @SaraGrambusch: Q5 Everyday recognize we don’t need to be fixed. “If beauty hurts, we’re doing it wrong”
  • VoiceinRecovery Individuality is beautiful. Intelligence is beautiful. Having a voice is beautiful. Recovery is beautiful. LIFE is beautiful.
  • VoiceinRecovery Find our own definition of what beauty is. NOT what everyone else is saying is beautiful. Find your true self

Thanks all that joined in, you are all beautiful and deserve to embrace self love!! Our next chat will be July 25nd Melanie Greenberg @DrMelanieG See you then!

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Are you on Twitter? Come join the Me Movement Team, and community for a Twitter Party on June 27th. We will be chatting about an aspect of the Me Movement from 8-9pm EST. Joining is very easy-all you have to do is log on to twitter and search for “#mefirst” Or you can you handy programs like TweetChat or TweetDeck to follow the conversation more easily. Our guest expert this week is Kendra of @VoiceInRecovery

Meet the expert:

Kendra Sebelius is an eating disorder and body image advocate. Kendra also advocates for awareness of co-morbidities in eating disorders, substance abuse and self harm. She is in recovery from numerous eating disorders, substance abuse struggles, as well as self harming. She started Voice in Recovery (ViR)™ because she felt there weren’t enough voices speaking about recovery. ViR’s mission and focus is on PAIR™ (Prevention, Awareness, Intervention, and Recovery). Advocating awareness about eating disorders, body image struggles, mental health issues, substance abuse and self harm. ViR supports healthy living, HAES, media literacy, body diversity, self love and self acceptance.

She will be tweeting from @VoiceinRecovery Elizabeth Jarrard will be moderating from @ElizabethEats

Have a question you’d love to ask? Leave it below in the comments section and we’ll be sure to include it! Check back on Thursday for the best of the chat! We look forward to tweeting with you! You can also RSVP on Facebook

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I jumped at the chance to join Recipe Redux when I heard the words “cooking” and “challenge” used in the same sentence. Because that honestly describes my skill set. I have been a proud “assembler” of meals for most of my adult life. While that has done me just fine, I believe The Recipe ReDux has a mission right in line with #mefirst.

The Recipe ReDux is focused on taking delicious dishes, keeping them delicious, but making them better for you. Healthier eating should always taste delicious. As the Latin term “redux” means to revisit or reinvent, we are reinventing the idea of healthy eating with a taste-first approach.

Amen. Taste-first is #MEFIRST As a former “diet food junkie,” I spent years noshing on tasteless, cardboard like cookies and dining on flavorless frozen (but fat free and only a few “points” !!!) meals. Even though those diet-food days are years behind me, I think many people still struggle with feeling guilty when they eat delicious food… and of course there is a huge stigma that delicious food is rarely healthy and in fact, women are powerless over food (how many of you thought of the Yoplait commercial that National Eating Disorder Association lobbied successfully to get pulled from the airwaves)?

You wont see any diet food in my Recipe ReDux blogs. You certainly won’t find calorie counts. I will focus on simple and quick ways of using whole foods to put together balanced meals. I’m going to use the approach of “adding in nutrition” vs. taking away anything else.

July Recipe ReDux Challenge: Grilling!

I tackled: The Plantain

Watch my video summary of the entire process!

Inspired by my recent trip to Grand Cayman, I decided to try grilling plantains. It’s actually very simple, easy, and delicious.

All you do is peel and slice the plantain, like so…

Then, slice them up, brush with light tasting olive oil, dash with cinnamon and nutmeg (freshly grated if you have it).

Finally grill for a few minutes on each size. They will get a little soft and have wonderful grill marks like so…

Since people eat first with their eyes, be sure to put them on a pretty plate and serve to your friends and family! I’d love these as a sweet side dish or even dessert! Perfect for outdoor parties. They taste great cold too! Simple. Delicious. You’ll look like a culinary star. But you don’t have to be! Notice how you feel when you prepare something healthy and delicious for people you care about. That’s #MeFirst  Let me know if you have had plantains, if you love them, and how you love to eat them.

Check out other blog posts from “The Recipe ReDuxers”
Alexandra Caspero
Grilled Summer Fruit Salad
Alysa Bajenaru – Inspired RD
Grilled Romaine Salad
Ann Dunaway Teh – Eat to Nourish, Energize & Flourish!
Grilled Flank Steak with Grilled Corn and Peach Salsa
Cindy Brison - Nutrition Know How
Danielle Omar – Food Confidence
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Diane Welland – EatWellEatClean
Grilled Beet & Onion Salad with Goat Cheese
Dr Barb - The Nutrition Budgeteer
EA Stewart – The Spicy RD
Grilled Polenta Veggie Stacks with Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes
Emma Stirling – The Scoop on Nutrition
Char Siu BBQ Pork
Gretchen – Kumquat
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Jackie Mills- Delicious Diabetes Cooking
Grilled Proscuitto Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce
Jessica Fishman Levinson – Nutritioulicious
Grilled Salmon Burgers with Cherry Chutney
Kat Lynch – Eating The Week
Portobello mushrooms stuffed with spiced couscous
Katie Caputo- East Meats West
Succulent Sirloin Kabobs
Kristen – Swanky Dietitian
Portabella Mushroom Burgers with Grilled Corn
Lisa – Healthful Sense
Grilled Veggie Bean Burgers
Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex - Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen
Nicole Ferring Holovach – Whole Health RD
Grilled Eggs
Rebecca Scritchfield – MeFirst
Grilled Plantains: A Sweet Summer Side Dish
Regan – The Professional Palate
Grilled Eggplant & Two-Tomato Whole-Wheat Piadina
Serena – Teaspoon of Spice
Grilled Watermelon Salad

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By: Jessica Ratts, Elite Nutrition Intern

The other day I was reading a magazine in the waiting room of the dentist office and wouldn’t you know it was about food! The article talked about how we don’t have to have a love/hate relationship with our food. The article highlighted patterns of eating that I’m sure most of us can relate to in one way or another. Check out a few of the patterns below. Is this you? I gave some “me first” tips for each pattern. Did you change any of these habits and if so, what did you do? Please share!

Pattern 1: Speed eating

With our fast paced lifestyle many people often find themselves eating in a hurry. The article reminded readers that eating is not just physically chewing the food, it is the sight and smell as well. Next time you go to eat slow down and enjoy your food. Eat the amount you need to feel hunger go away and a “comfortable” full.

This is one small “me first” activity anyone can start to add in to their day. Just take a break and eat your meal without any distractions. Try turning off the computer at work and heading to the lunchroom at the office.

Pattern 2: Famish to full

Fast paced lifestyles can leave little time for some of the most important basic necessities, such as eating! Many people work long hours with very short breaks and find themselves working through hunger and waiting until you are finally starving before you eat. When your body is so hungry that your stomach is growling it is more likely that you will make less healthy and balanced choices because all you can think is “I need food!” When you wait too long to eat, your brain sends a signal to increase cravings for foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, usually. You might just grab whatever is quick or close by and eat it fast – as in five minutes. Instead, eat often throughout the day. If you are not hungry for a meal, but feel a little hungry then you need a snack. Pull out your healthy snacks such as some nuts, yogurt, or celery with peanut butter. It’s all about thinking ahead and planning accordingly.

Another great “me first” tip: Don’t forget your work and family needs will always be there, you need fuel to keep  your energy levels up. Don’t wait too long between eating. You’ll feel much better.

Pattern 3: Stress eating

This one is more self explanatory and I’m sure many can relate. We have all been stressed at one point in our life right? Stress causes your cortisol hormones to surge causing you to have an increase in appetite.  Sometimes it can just “feel good” to eat something comforting. If you aren’t hungry but you are stressed, find a better way of dealing with the stress like venting to a friend or finding someone who can make you laugh. Doesn’t that sound like a “me first” thing to do?

Now that you’ve read about some common eating patterns, what do you think? Are you a stress-eater? Famish to full? Or what about a speed eater? Are you working on slowing down and taking time for meals? Let me know what works for you!

About Jessica

I am a new member to the blogging world and to the “Me” Movement blog. I am senior majoring in dietetics at Indiana University Bloomington. I love food and I love to exercise. I have been a dancer since I was three. It’s just in my blood! Part of what drew me to nutrition was seeing several dancers struggle with nutrition and develop eating disorders. I have also been inspired to become a diabetes specialist because of a close friend with type 1 diabetes.

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Last night #mefirst joined Marci Anderson RD & Marsha Hudnall RD to talk about Binge Eating Disorder on the #endED Twitter chat.

There was a lot of great discussion that revolved around these questions:

• How is BED diagnosed?
• How is BED different than overeating?
• How does someone know if their binges need to be addressed?
• What are common myths about BED?
• What triggers binge eating?
• What are the obstacles to treating BED effectively?
• What can we do to support an ED dx for BED?
• What are some practical things someone with BED can do?
• What resources are available for treating BED?

Here are some of the key things I took away from the talk:

• @MarshaHudnall A major trigger for BED is deprivation/restriction. Or in other words, dieting
• @LeslieGoldman Binge eating is actually more common than anorexia and bulimia COMBINED
• @MarshaHudnall When folks with BED focus on losing wt, it can pull them back to restrictive eating & cause more bingeing
• @MarshaHudnall: Binge isn’t always large amt of food. Subjective binge is when someone eats a “forbidden” food …
• @MarciRD Support both professionals and loved ones. Eating disorders thrive in secrecy. Support is an essential part of recovery.
• @MarshaHudnall: It’s Important to work w RD skilled in treating disordered eating to not trigger deprivation
• @ElizabethEats you can be any shape and have an eating disorder. Outside appearances are misleading
• @MarshaHudnall: Most fat people do not have BED – estimated to be only about 4%

Want more information? Check out The Binge Eating Disorder Association. The goal of #endED is to bring anyone and everyone together who care about ending eating disorders. My hope is to end the silence and myths about eating disorders, create a place for honest and informed discussion, while offering hope and encouragement. Their next chat will be on June 29th with Nourish the Soul. The next #Mefirst Chat will be with Voice In Recovery on June 8th. Hope to see you soon!

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