My thoughts on food choices

August 28, 2011

Hi Everyone,

I was browsing the posts today and saw the discussion on

choosing foods, nutrition choices, how to do it with health conditions, etc.

This comes up a lot so I just uploaded one of my more popular articles that

speaks to this. I’ll paste it below but it’s also in the Files

>Articles > General Intuitive Eating section in the Yahoo group. Also, as

Abby suggested, the Gentle Nutrition chapter in the IE book is a great

reference. And it is the last chapter in the book, which tells me that all the

other stuff (diet mentality, dealing with emotions, etc.) need to be taken care

of before dealing with nutrition. I’m sure most of you who are here have

tried the “eating healthy” approach and it doesn’t work

because it’s another diet without learning to listen to your body and

take care of yourself.

Also, keep in mind, there are no “rules” in

intuitive eating, it’s about what is right for you. And no one can tell

you what that is except yourself. In addition, this is a “judgment-free

zone” in this group J so no one is right

or wrong, it’s just their personal choices and decisions, which again, is

what IE is about.

Here’s the article. I hope it’s helpful:

The Three Food Groups

If you are familiar with

mindful, or intuitive eating, you know one of the main principles is to eat

what you really want. This means allowing all those foods back in that you

avoided or couldn't have because of the rules of whatever diet (or

" lifestyle plan " ) you were on. This can be scary for many

because they think they can't control themselves around certain foods or they

are afraid that complete permission equals weight gain. While it may be hard to

believe, full permission really does cause you to want and eat less of those

foods (it may take a while, but its true!)

The most common question I am asked when it comes to full permission to eat

whatever you want is: " What if I have a medical condition and my doctor

has told me I can't eat [fill in the blank] food? " I understand the

confusion, it's like mixed messages, eat whatever you want but don't eat this

or that based on the doctor's advice. For this reason, and many others (like

food allergies or sensitivities) I like to share the concept of the Three Food

Groups. Don't worry, this isn't anything close to what you learned in school

(that was sponsored by the meat and dairy industries, by the way). And it's not

the boring food pyramid that the government has come up with and keeps changing

just when you think you have it figured out.

Simply stated, the Three Food Groups are: 1) Foods you really like, 2) Foods

you don't like, and, 3) Foods that don't " honor " you. Surprised? Keep

in mind that eating intuitively means you are relying on cues from your body to

tell you when and what to eat instead of following some other person's idea of

how you should eat.

Group

#1: Foods You Like (even love!)

Satisfaction from eating is extremely important. If you are hungry and

wanting something like pasta, or a turkey sandwich, but opt for rice cakes

because they are lower in calories, you are not going to be satisfied. You may

spend the day looking around for other things to eat and end up eating more

calories than if you just ate what you really wanted. It's important to get

satisfaction or pleasure from food because if you didn't, you wouldn't have

much drive to eat, leading to a serious lack of energy and an inability to

carry out even everyday tasks.

The foods

you can include in this group are anything you really like or love. Yes, that

includes chocolate, ice cream, or whatever else you tend to deny yourself when

dieting. And most importantly, do not consider how " bad " or

" forbidden " the diet mentality tells you those foods are. I assure

you, by working on intuitive eating principles and taking care of yourself, you

won't be eating those previously scary foods day in and day out. You'll really

savor them when you eat them, and enjoy lots of other satisfying food from this

food group.

Group #2: Foods You Don’t Like

When I was growing up, it was a rule that I had to try any food that

was put in front of me. Unfortunately, some foods that I really couldn’t

stand I still had to eat for whatever reason. Needless to say, this has created

for me an aversion to trying new things (I’m getting better) and an

intense dislike for certain foods like mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, and beets,

among other foods. I’m sure you have at least a couple of foods you

really don’t like. If you are still choking them down because

you’ve been told they are “superfoods” or prevent this or

that, now is the time to let them go. There is such a variety of food available

to us that you can always find a food you like to get the nutrient or benefit

you are looking for.

Group #3: Foods That Don’t

Honor You

This is where it all comes together and answers those questions about

health issues, allergies, personal preferences, etc. You may absolutely love fettuccini

alfredo but you have heart disease and know this is something that would not

support your health. In other words, it doesn’t honor you or your body.

Another example that comes up often is a diabetic that really loves sugar. She

loves it, so at first sugar may seem to go in Group #1, but because it could

make her sick, potentially progress her diabetes, and/or cause her to have no

energy. Therefore, the best way to be at peace with the fact that the sugar

doesn’t honor her is to make a decision that she prefers to feel healthy

and energetic over the brief pleasure she may get from the sugary food.

Food allergies are found in this group as well. If you have a true food

allergy (you’ve been diagnosed with it), then that food will not honor

you. Let’s say you are lactose intolerant. Do you want to have stomach

and intestinal distress just to eat that ice cream? It’s your choice, but

honoring yourself and your body is a form of self-care – an essential

part of overcoming overeating.

Sometimes what appears to be a food allergy is really a matter of the

amount of the food you are eating. I hear all the time, “I’m

allergic to sugar”. I don’t know if there really is such a

condition, but my experience tells me that this person has problems when she

eats more sugar than honors her body. I remember the days of grabbing a large

bag of candy, hiding from everyone so I could binge on it, and then having to

lie down and sleep off how awful I felt. Today, I can have candy, but I have an

amount that honors me and I have had the pleasure of the candy and I can move

on with my day feeling just fine. The main thing with this food group is to

remember that you are making a conscious decision to not eat something you may

like because you want to honor your body and take care of yourself.

I hope this has given you some “food for thought”! If you

are tired of the endless dieting and trying to beat your body into submission,

please consider finding freedom and yourself with intuitive eating.

Gillian

Hood-son, MS, ACSM, is the president of

Healthier Outcomes, a nationwide coaching practice specializing in intuitive

eating and fitness coaching. For more information and to receive our special report,

“6 Simple Steps to Guilt-Free Eating” visit www.HealthierOutcomes.com. Gillian

can be reached at gillian@...

or .

Thanks!

Gillian

Gillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM

Get your report, " The 6 Steps to Guilt-Fr*e Eating " at http://www.HealthierOutcomes.com

No virus found in this message.

Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

Version: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3863 - Release Date: 08/28/11

August 28, 2011

Thanks Gillian for sharing this excellent and helpful article. Its a wonderful

reminder of choice and honoring our bodies too. Its fabulous to have right here

on site in the Files as well.

ehugs, Katcha

IEing since March 2007

>

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I was browsing the posts today and saw the discussion on choosing foods,

> nutrition choices, how to do it with health conditions, etc. This comes up a

> lot so I just uploaded one of my more popular articles that speaks to this.

> I'll paste it below but it's also in the Files >Articles > General Intuitive

> Eating section in the Yahoo group. Also, as Abby suggested, the Gentle

> Nutrition chapter in the IE book is a great reference. And it is the last

> chapter in the book, which tells me that all the other stuff (diet

> mentality, dealing with emotions, etc.) need to be taken care of before

> dealing with nutrition. I'm sure most of you who are here have tried the

> " eating healthy " approach and it doesn't work because it's another diet

> without learning to listen to your body and take care of yourself.

>

> Also, keep in mind, there are no " rules " in intuitive eating, it's about

> what is right for you. And no one can tell you what that is except yourself.

> In addition, this is a " judgment-free zone " in this group :-) so no one is

> right or wrong, it's just their personal choices and decisions, which again,

> is what IE is about.

>

> Here's the article. I hope it's helpful:

>

> The Three Food Groups

>

> If you are familiar with mindful, or intuitive eating, you know one of the

> main principles is to eat what you really want. This means allowing all

> those foods back in that you avoided or couldn't have because of the rules

> of whatever diet (or " lifestyle plan " ) you were on. This can be scary for

> many because they think they can't control themselves around certain foods

> or they are afraid that complete permission equals weight gain. While it may

> be hard to believe, full permission really does cause you to want and eat

> less of those foods (it may take a while, but its true!)

>

> The most common question I am asked when it comes to full permission to eat

> whatever you want is: " What if I have a medical condition and my doctor has

> told me I can't eat [fill in the blank] food? " I understand the confusion,

> it's like mixed messages, eat whatever you want but don't eat this or that

> based on the doctor's advice. For this reason, and many others (like food

> allergies or sensitivities) I like to share the concept of the Three Food

> Groups. Don't worry, this isn't anything close to what you learned in school

> (that was sponsored by the meat and dairy industries, by the way). And it's

> not the boring food pyramid that the government has come up with and keeps

> changing just when you think you have it figured out.

>

> Simply stated, the Three Food Groups are: 1) Foods you really like, 2) Foods

> you don't like, and, 3) Foods that don't " honor " you. Surprised? Keep in

> mind that eating intuitively means you are relying on cues from your body to

> tell you when and what to eat instead of following some other person's idea

> of how you should eat.

>

> Group #1: Foods You Like (even love!)

>

> Satisfaction from eating is extremely important. If you are hungry and

> wanting something like pasta, or a turkey sandwich, but opt for rice cakes

> because they are lower in calories, you are not going to be satisfied. You

> may spend the day looking around for other things to eat and end up eating

> more calories than if you just ate what you really wanted. It's important to

> get satisfaction or pleasure from food because if you didn't, you wouldn't

> have much drive to eat, leading to a serious lack of energy and an inability

> to carry out even everyday tasks.

>

> The foods you can include in this group are anything you really like or

> love. Yes, that includes chocolate, ice cream, or whatever else you tend to

> deny yourself when dieting. And most importantly, do not consider how " bad "

> or " forbidden " the diet mentality tells you those foods are. I assure you,

> by working on intuitive eating principles and taking care of yourself, you

> won't be eating those previously scary foods day in and day out. You'll

> really savor them when you eat them, and enjoy lots of other satisfying food

> from this food group.

>

> Group #2: Foods You Don't Like

>

> When I was growing up, it was a rule that I had to try any food that was put

> in front of me. Unfortunately, some foods that I really couldn't stand I

> still had to eat for whatever reason. Needless to say, this has created for

> me an aversion to trying new things (I'm getting better) and an intense

> dislike for certain foods like mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, and beets,

> among other foods. I'm sure you have at least a couple of foods you really

> don't like. If you are still choking them down because you've been told they

> are " superfoods " or prevent this or that, now is the time to let them go.

> There is such a variety of food available to us that you can always find a

> food you like to get the nutrient or benefit you are looking for.

>

> Group #3: Foods That Don't Honor You

>

> This is where it all comes together and answers those questions about health

> issues, allergies, personal preferences, etc. You may absolutely love

> fettuccini alfredo but you have heart disease and know this is something

> that would not support your health. In other words, it doesn't honor you or

> your body. Another example that comes up often is a diabetic that really

> loves sugar. She loves it, so at first sugar may seem to go in Group #1, but

> because it could make her sick, potentially progress her diabetes, and/or

> cause her to have no energy. Therefore, the best way to be at peace with the

> fact that the sugar doesn't honor her is to make a decision that she prefers

> to feel healthy and energetic over the brief pleasure she may get from the

> sugary food.

>

> Food allergies are found in this group as well. If you have a true food

> allergy (you've been diagnosed with it), then that food will not honor you.

> Let's say you are lactose intolerant. Do you want to have stomach and

> intestinal distress just to eat that ice cream? It's your choice, but

> honoring yourself and your body is a form of self-care - an essential part

> of overcoming overeating.

>

> Sometimes what appears to be a food allergy is really a matter of the amount

> of the food you are eating. I hear all the time, " I'm allergic to sugar " . I

> don't know if there really is such a condition, but my experience tells me

> that this person has problems when she eats more sugar than honors her body.

> I remember the days of grabbing a large bag of candy, hiding from everyone

> so I could binge on it, and then having to lie down and sleep off how awful

> I felt. Today, I can have candy, but I have an amount that honors me and I

> have had the pleasure of the candy and I can move on with my day feeling

> just fine. The main thing with this food group is to remember that you are

> making a conscious decision to not eat something you may like because you

> want to honor your body and take care of yourself.

>

> I hope this has given you some " food for thought " ! If you are tired of the

> endless dieting and trying to beat your body into submission, please

> consider finding freedom and yourself with intuitive eating.

>

> Gillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM, is the president of Healthier Outcomes, a

> nationwide coaching practice specializing in intuitive eating and fitness

> coaching. For more information and to receive our special report, " 6 Simple

> Steps to Guilt-Free Eating " visit www.HealthierOutcomes.com

> <http://www.healthieroutcomes.com/> . Gillian can be reached at

> gillian@... or

> .

>

> C Gillian Hood-son, 2011

>

> Thanks!

> Gillian

> Gillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM

>

> Get your report, " The 6 Steps to Guilt-Fr*e Eating " at

> http://www.HealthierOutcomes.com <http://www.healthieroutcomes.com/>

>

> _____

>

> No virus found in this message.

> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com

> Version: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3863 - Release Date: 08/28/11

>

August 28, 2011

Basically, that is what I said. I simply said that I decided cheese was not for me in mass quantities. And it seems that was a very unpopular statement because some people love eating lots of cheese and perhaps felt sensitive about my comment as if I should not have said such a terrible thing. Hey, they want to eat lots of cheese, man I say, go for it. Eat as much cheese products as you want. But that's not how I want to live, that's what my Intuitive Eating says to me. It obviously doesn't say that to some others, that's OK. But that's what it says to me now. Maybe later I'll just eat cheddar cheese soup and cheese dips on a regular basis because that's what I want, but now I don't want to eat lots of cheese. Hey, we're all individuals, and again, if someone wants to eat lots of

saturated fat foods, that's their "choice." But it's not mine, and I respect my choices, just as I feel if someone wants to eat lots and lots of candy (which I did for a long while), that is each one's choice. Tai

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 6:31 PMSubject: My thoughts on food choices

Hi Everyone,

I was browsing the posts today and saw the discussion on choosing foods, nutrition choices, how to do it with health conditions, etc. This comes up a lot so I just uploaded one of my more popular articles that speaks to this. Iâ€™ll paste it below but itâ€™s also in the Files >Articles > General Intuitive Eating section in the Yahoo group. Also, as Abby suggested, the Gentle Nutrition chapter in the IE book is a great reference. And it is the last chapter in the book, which tells me that all the other stuff (diet mentality, dealing with emotions, etc.) need to be taken care of before dealing with nutrition. Iâ€™m sure most of you who are here have tried the â€œeating healthyâ€ approach and it doesnâ€™t work because itâ€™s another diet without learning to listen to your body and take care of yourself.

Also, keep in mind, there are no â€œrulesâ€ in intuitive eating, itâ€™s about what is right for you. And no one can tell you what that is except yourself. In addition, this is a â€œjudgment-free zoneâ€ in this group J so no one is right or wrong, itâ€™s just their personal choices and decisions, which again, is what IE is about.

Hereâ€™s the article. I hope itâ€™s helpful:

The Three Food Groups

If you are familiar with mindful, or intuitive eating, you know one of the main principles is to eat what you really want. This means allowing all those foods back in that you avoided or couldn't have because of the rules of whatever diet (or "lifestyle plan") you were on. This can be scary for many because they think they can't control themselves around certain foods or they are afraid that complete permission equals weight gain. While it may be hard to believe, full permission really does cause you to want and eat less of those foods (it may take a while, but its true!)The most common question I am asked when it comes to full permission to eat whatever you want is: "What if I have a medical condition and my doctor has told me I can't eat [fill in the blank] food?" I understand the confusion, it's like mixed messages, eat whatever you want

but don't eat this or that based on the doctor's advice. For this reason, and many others (like food allergies or sensitivities) I like to share the concept of the Three Food Groups. Don't worry, this isn't anything close to what you learned in school (that was sponsored by the meat and dairy industries, by the way). And it's not the boring food pyramid that the government has come up with and keeps changing just when you think you have it figured out.Simply stated, the Three Food Groups are: 1) Foods you really like, 2) Foods you don't like, and, 3) Foods that don't "honor" you. Surprised? Keep in mind that eating intuitively means you are relying on cues from your body to tell you when and what to eat instead of following some other person's idea of how you should eat.

Group #1: Foods You Like (even love!)

Satisfaction from eating is extremely important. If you are hungry and wanting something like pasta, or a turkey sandwich, but opt for rice cakes because they are lower in calories, you are not going to be satisfied. You may spend the day looking around for other things to eat and end up eating more calories than if you just ate what you really wanted. It's important to get satisfaction or pleasure from food because if you didn't, you wouldn't have much drive to eat, leading to a serious lack of energy and an inability to carry out even everyday tasks.

The foods you can include in this group are anything you really like or love. Yes, that includes chocolate, ice cream, or whatever else you tend to deny yourself when dieting. And most importantly, do not consider how "bad" or "forbidden" the diet mentality tells you those foods are. I assure you, by working on intuitive eating principles and taking care of yourself, you won't be eating those previously scary foods day in and day out. You'll really savor them when you eat them, and enjoy lots of other satisfying food from this food group.

Group #2: Foods You Donâ€™t Like

When I was growing up, it was a rule that I had to try any food that was put in front of me. Unfortunately, some foods that I really couldnâ€™t stand I still had to eat for whatever reason. Needless to say, this has created for me an aversion to trying new things (Iâ€™m getting better) and an intense dislike for certain foods like mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, and beets, among other foods. Iâ€™m sure you have at least a couple of foods you really donâ€™t like. If you are still choking them down because youâ€™ve been told they are â€œsuperfoodsâ€ or prevent this or that, now is the time to let them go. There is such a variety of food available to us that you can always find a food you like to get the nutrient or benefit you are looking for.

Group #3: Foods That Donâ€™t Honor You

This is where it all comes together and answers those questions about health issues, allergies, personal preferences, etc. You may absolutely love fettuccini alfredo but you have heart disease and know this is something that would not support your health. In other words, it doesnâ€™t honor you or your body. Another example that comes up often is a diabetic that really loves sugar. She loves it, so at first sugar may seem to go in Group #1, but because it could make her sick, potentially progress her diabetes, and/or cause her to have no energy. Therefore, the best way to be at peace with the fact that the sugar doesnâ€™t honor her is to make a decision that she prefers to feel healthy and energetic over the brief pleasure she may get from the sugary food.

Food allergies are found in this group as well. If you have a true food allergy (youâ€™ve been diagnosed with it), then that food will not honor you. Letâ€™s say you are lactose intolerant. Do you want to have stomach and intestinal distress just to eat that ice cream? Itâ€™s your choice, but honoring yourself and your body is a form of self-care â€“ an essential part of overcoming overeating.

Sometimes what appears to be a food allergy is really a matter of the amount of the food you are eating. I hear all the time, â€œIâ€™m allergic to sugarâ€. I donâ€™t know if there really is such a condition, but my experience tells me that this person has problems when she eats more sugar than honors her body. I remember the days of grabbing a large bag of candy, hiding from everyone so I could binge on it, and then having to lie down and sleep off how awful I felt. Today, I can have candy, but I have an amount that honors me and I have had the pleasure of the candy and I can move on with my day feeling just fine. The main thing with this food group is to remember that you are making a conscious decision to not eat something you may like because you want to honor your body and take care of yourself.

I hope this has given you some â€œfood for thoughtâ€! If you are tired of the endless dieting and trying to beat your body into submission, please consider finding freedom and yourself with intuitive eating.

Gillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM, is the president of Healthier Outcomes, a nationwide coaching practice specializing in intuitive eating and fitness coaching. For more information and to receive our special report, â€œ6 Simple Steps to Guilt-Free Eatingâ€ visit www.HealthierOutcomes.com. Gillian can be reached at gillian@... or .

Â© Gillian Hood-son, 2011

Thanks!GillianGillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM

Get your report, "The 6 Steps to Guilt-Fr*e Eating" at http://www.HealthierOutcomes.com

No virus found in this message.Checked by AVG - www.avg.comVersion: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3863 - Release Date: 08/28/11

August 28, 2011

If my body is supreme, and it tells me it's not reacting well to a certain substance, maybe I can listen to my body. But my body does have a mind. For me, body and mind work together. If someone feels that he (his body?) does not want to eat vegetables but wants fatty, greasy foods at every meal, that is his choice. I wanted organic figs recently because I read they are high in fiber. I saw them on sale at a health food store and decided to buy them. I used my mind to help my body. I'm detecting that some don't like the body/mind connection. My body liked the figs. I was happy it did so. I might even eat some figs along with the pizza later, but although I wanted the pizza and now figs along with the pizza, I'm thinking maybe I'll just have a glass of

water and go to bed. Or maybe I'll stay up and get hungrier and eat that pizza or maybe I'll just eat a fig or two.

To: IntuitiveEating_Support Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 6:45 PMSubject: Re: My thoughts on food choices

Thanks Gillian for sharing this excellent and helpful article. Its a wonderful reminder of choice and honoring our bodies too. Its fabulous to have right here on site in the Files as well.ehugs, KatchaIEing since March 2007>> Hi Everyone,> > > > I was browsing the posts today and saw the discussion on choosing foods,> nutrition choices, how to do it with health conditions, etc. This comes up a> lot so I just uploaded one of my more popular articles that speaks to this.> I'll paste it below but it's also in the Files >Articles > General Intuitive> Eating section in the Yahoo group. Also, as Abby suggested, the

Gentle> Nutrition chapter in the IE book is a great reference. And it is the last> chapter in the book, which tells me that all the other stuff (diet> mentality, dealing with emotions, etc.) need to be taken care of before> dealing with nutrition. I'm sure most of you who are here have tried the> "eating healthy" approach and it doesn't work because it's another diet> without learning to listen to your body and take care of yourself.> > > > Also, keep in mind, there are no "rules" in intuitive eating, it's about> what is right for you. And no one can tell you what that is except yourself.> In addition, this is a "judgment-free zone" in this group :-) so no one is> right or wrong, it's just their personal choices and decisions, which again,> is what IE is about.> > > > Here's the article. I hope it's helpful:> >

> > > The Three Food Groups> > > If you are familiar with mindful, or intuitive eating, you know one of the> main principles is to eat what you really want. This means allowing all> those foods back in that you avoided or couldn't have because of the rules> of whatever diet (or "lifestyle plan") you were on. This can be scary for> many because they think they can't control themselves around certain foods> or they are afraid that complete permission equals weight gain. While it may> be hard to believe, full permission really does cause you to want and eat> less of those foods (it may take a while, but its true!)> > The most common question I am asked when it comes to full permission to eat> whatever you want is: "What if I have a medical condition and my doctor has> told me I can't eat [fill in the blank] food?" I understand the

confusion,> it's like mixed messages, eat whatever you want but don't eat this or that> based on the doctor's advice. For this reason, and many others (like food> allergies or sensitivities) I like to share the concept of the Three Food> Groups. Don't worry, this isn't anything close to what you learned in school> (that was sponsored by the meat and dairy industries, by the way). And it's> not the boring food pyramid that the government has come up with and keeps> changing just when you think you have it figured out.> > Simply stated, the Three Food Groups are: 1) Foods you really like, 2) Foods> you don't like, and, 3) Foods that don't "honor" you. Surprised? Keep in> mind that eating intuitively means you are relying on cues from your body to> tell you when and what to eat instead of following some other person's idea> of how you should eat.> >

Group #1: Foods You Like (even love!)> > Satisfaction from eating is extremely important. If you are hungry and> wanting something like pasta, or a turkey sandwich, but opt for rice cakes> because they are lower in calories, you are not going to be satisfied. You> may spend the day looking around for other things to eat and end up eating> more calories than if you just ate what you really wanted. It's important to> get satisfaction or pleasure from food because if you didn't, you wouldn't> have much drive to eat, leading to a serious lack of energy and an inability> to carry out even everyday tasks.> > The foods you can include in this group are anything you really like or> love. Yes, that includes chocolate, ice cream, or whatever else you tend to> deny yourself when dieting. And most importantly, do not consider how "bad"> or "forbidden" the diet

mentality tells you those foods are. I assure you,> by working on intuitive eating principles and taking care of yourself, you> won't be eating those previously scary foods day in and day out. You'll> really savor them when you eat them, and enjoy lots of other satisfying food> from this food group.> > Group #2: Foods You Don't Like> > > > When I was growing up, it was a rule that I had to try any food that was put> in front of me. Unfortunately, some foods that I really couldn't stand I> still had to eat for whatever reason. Needless to say, this has created for> me an aversion to trying new things (I'm getting better) and an intense> dislike for certain foods like mayonnaise, hard boiled eggs, and beets,> among other foods. I'm sure you have at least a couple of foods you really> don't like. If you are still choking them down because you've

been told they> are "superfoods" or prevent this or that, now is the time to let them go.> There is such a variety of food available to us that you can always find a> food you like to get the nutrient or benefit you are looking for. > > > > Group #3: Foods That Don't Honor You> > > > This is where it all comes together and answers those questions about health> issues, allergies, personal preferences, etc. You may absolutely love> fettuccini alfredo but you have heart disease and know this is something> that would not support your health. In other words, it doesn't honor you or> your body. Another example that comes up often is a diabetic that really> loves sugar. She loves it, so at first sugar may seem to go in Group #1, but> because it could make her sick, potentially progress her diabetes, and/or> cause her to have no energy.

Therefore, the best way to be at peace with the> fact that the sugar doesn't honor her is to make a decision that she prefers> to feel healthy and energetic over the brief pleasure she may get from the> sugary food. > > > > Food allergies are found in this group as well. If you have a true food> allergy (you've been diagnosed with it), then that food will not honor you.> Let's say you are lactose intolerant. Do you want to have stomach and> intestinal distress just to eat that ice cream? It's your choice, but> honoring yourself and your body is a form of self-care - an essential part> of overcoming overeating. > > > > Sometimes what appears to be a food allergy is really a matter of the amount> of the food you are eating. I hear all the time, "I'm allergic to sugar". I> don't know if there really is such a condition, but my

experience tells me> that this person has problems when she eats more sugar than honors her body.> I remember the days of grabbing a large bag of candy, hiding from everyone> so I could binge on it, and then having to lie down and sleep off how awful> I felt. Today, I can have candy, but I have an amount that honors me and I> have had the pleasure of the candy and I can move on with my day feeling> just fine. The main thing with this food group is to remember that you are> making a conscious decision to not eat something you may like because you> want to honor your body and take care of yourself.> > > > I hope this has given you some "food for thought"! If you are tired of the> endless dieting and trying to beat your body into submission, please> consider finding freedom and yourself with intuitive eating.> > > > Gillian

Hood-son, MS, ACSM, is the president of Healthier Outcomes, a> nationwide coaching practice specializing in intuitive eating and fitness> coaching. For more information and to receive our special report, "6 Simple> Steps to Guilt-Free Eating" visit www.HealthierOutcomes.com> <http://www.healthieroutcomes.com/> . Gillian can be reached at> gillian@... or> .> > > > C Gillian Hood-son, 2011> > > > > > Thanks!> Gillian> Gillian Hood-son, MS, ACSM> > Get your report, "The 6 Steps to Guilt-Fr*e Eating" at> http://www.HealthierOutcomes.com <http://www.healthieroutcomes.com/> > > > > _____ > > No virus found in this message.> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com> Version: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3863 - Release Date: 08/28/11>

August 28, 2011