Food Glorious Food

I was bringing my son home from football practice the other day and gave him his “treat of the day” (an established house rule of one sweet thing a day) in the car – a toffee. I asked him if he would like some music on, or prefer it quiet. He said “quiet please because then I can concentrate on my sweet”. He innately knows how to really enjoy food and appreciate his experience of taste. I wonder if we all started that way. This coincided with some training I received on helping people with weight loss (see current offerings if you are interested in this) so, in this newsletter, I offer some simple suggestions on how to enjoy your food more whilst maintaining a healthy weight.

Quick Quote
"A good meal ought to begin with hunger" ~ A French Proverb

Simple suggestions to enjoy food and maintain a healthy weight

1. Wear a blind fold, or close your eyes when you are eating – yes, you read that right! By taking out our sense of sight, it heightens our sense of taste and helps us focus on the taste and enjoy our food more. You don't have to wear a blindfold all the time, just try it once or twice. Get someone to feed you for fun!
2. Eat slower (and sitting down) – as above, it helps us focus on what we are eating so we can enjoy it more. Have you ever eaten on the run and realised that you have not enjoyed it or even realised you have eaten. It just happened. By sitting down, creating time (ideally 20 minutes per main meal), and consciously eating slower (put your cutlery down between mouthfuls) we can enjoy it more. In fact, a study as shown that eating too quickly can contribute directly to over-eating: study on eating too fast
3. Eat smaller portions – wearing a blind fold or closing your eyes when eating has been shown to help us eat the right amount for our body as we can perceive when we are full easier. Better still, cook less than you need and fill up on fruit afterwards. If you do cook too much and “don't want to waste it” then accept that putting it on your “waist” is not helping either. Put it in the fridge for tomorrow or compost it and recycle the nutrients.
4. Eat breakfast every day. Add some dried fruit, some chopped fresh fruit and a glass of juice and you've already eaten 2 of your 5 a day – bonus! (If you don't have time for breakfast, get up 10 minutes earlier - it will give you energy). Eating breakfast has also been shown to help with over-eating later in the day: eating breakfast-fact vs myth
5. Exercise and fresh air– I always think food tastes much better when you've had some exercise, especially if you have been outside. It also means you are less likely to put on weight of course! Try and exercise at least 3 times a week doing something you enjoy.
6. Carry round healthy snacks for you, and your kids if you have them, so that you are less tempted to buy junk when you are out and about. Convenient snacks to leave in your bag are dried fruits, seeds, nuts (not roasted or salted), oatcakes. Please tell me your favourites.
7. Don't deprive yourself – allow yourself one treat a day (a couple of squares of good quality chocolate or the occasional bag of baked crisps is ok, as is the odd glass of wine). I had one lady who lost lots of weight just using this one principle!
8. Be drink aware – A couple of glasses of wine is about the same as a mars bar. Add up the calories in the drinks you consume in a week, including all alcoholic and soft drinks. It can be surprising. This may be helpful: drink aware tools

I asked a friend of mine who had lost quite a lot of weight, how he had kept it off. He said “when my trousers get a bit tight, I don't buy the next size up, I eat less because it becomes uncomfortable. So the trick seems to be “listen” to your waist band.

If you have any suggestions or success stories, please share them