Daily Chatter

Friday, August 5, 2011

It's a LIFEstyle





Could you say No?


I didn't. 
There was a day when chooses like those lovely iced cinnamin-ie pastries would have caused a disastrous domino effect of thoughts and actions for me.  Happily today I am closer to living the lifestyle I want to have for the rest of my life.  Of course I didn't eat all of those yummy buns, they were for sharing over a hot cup of coffee but I did enjoy some sweets from the newest bakery in town;
The Hot Buns Bakery Company.
This may be a no-no for some of you but my life is about inclusion not exclusion.  I want to experience and enjoy (most) everything.  When it come to my daily eating I would rather eat things closer to nature and farther away from preservatives and cardboard.  I find that allowing everything a place in my diet removes the feeling of giving up.  Because my life is not about giving up.  In my work, in my running, in my marriage, in my parenting, in my eating there is no room for giving up.
I also believe that so much of what we do is directly controlled by how we feel or think about a situation that when we tell ourselves we can't have that sweet or fried or fattening food choice, we end up only wanting it more.  (And who chooses which foods are "fattening."  All foods are fattening if overeaten.) 
Our daily eating is to be enjoyable otherwise we would all be eating a caloric and nutritionally formulated mush and be okay with that.  But we don't.  We want to enjoy our food.  We want to gather around it and share it with friends and family.  Our daily eating is to be nutritionally sounds first and then caloricly, not the other way around.  There are thousands and thousands of over weight people who are grossly undernourished. 
So I say allow it all.  The green, the yellow, the red, the grilled, the poached, the fired, the sour, the sweet, the savory and even the icing covered.  Every once in a while.
Maybe being on the other side of an eating disorder helps me see that moderation IS the best and healthiest way or maybe I use moderation as an excuse to eat those things that are caloricly heavy.  I guess that is for you to decide for yourself at your own dinner table. 
Just remember that there should really be room for everything that enriches your daily life.

So tell me, do you forbid foods...for yourself or your family?
Is food really only fuel for you?
What do you think about the problem of malnutrition in America's obese?

12 comments:

  1. Our motto is everything in moderation. :) We are meat eating, cookie chomping, veggie munching Washintonians at our house!

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  2. Nice one! I eat everything I feel like or crave for. I stay away from fatty and oily foods. Other than that I hope I'm running enough to balance out all the intake.

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  3. I'm all about moderation. :)

    have fabulous weekend

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  4. I'm on board with your philosophy. I don't completely forbid anything, but I will say that fried food, soda, etc. is the very rare treat. And for me, it's not even something I really want. But I don't want my kids to have some exposure to the crappy food out there so that they don't completely bonkers on it when they are free of my guidance!

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  5. I love this post and I am all about moderation and knowing what each food provides to your body. I love to enjoy those decadent treats at time, and let myself. But I also want to power my body to be strong and healthy by incorporating protein, antioxidants, calcium, etc.

    My 3 year old is learning this too. She knows what is considered a sugary (and she gets them time to time) and she also knows what is her protein, etc.

    I think malnutrition is linked to lack of variety in food. So many people stick to their mainstays and are afraid to try something new. You can't always eat meat and potatoes. Try a new vegetable, a new fruit, and new grain, a new anything! You need to eat the whole spectrum of the rainbow!

    On that note, I really think I need some dried fruit now and perhaps should try a new fruit on the dehydrator this weekend!

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  6. Our country is filled with "skinny fat" and obese malnourished folks. I believe, after battling my own eating disorder as a teen, that to deprive yourself of "sweets" or "fats" or "Carbs" whatever only causes you sadness and to crave it more. Moderation in all things is my motto! Moderation in all things. A cinnamon roll isn't going to make or break you- so enjoy it. My delicious snack is anything GUMMY I know that's odd, but I thoroughly love to indulge in some "Hot tamales" once a week YUM!

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  7. Everything in moderation. I was all about exclusion when I was in "weight loss" mode, but now I know better. Taking too much out means binges! Those rolls look fabulous!!!

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  8. I am a believer in ALL THINGS IN MODERATION. Unfortunately I still struggle with the whole "moderation" thing, but I have learned that deprivation does not lead to anything good.

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  9. Dear lord, those things look amazing. I wouldn't have said "no" either.

    I'm a big believer in raising my daughter to not fear any food. She's allowed to dislike foods, but not because she's afraid that they're "unhealthy" or "bad"

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  10. Those buns look heavenly!!! I know I couldn't say no either...and don't even want to. Moderation is key (or if you're injured, then it's a free-for-all ;). I also think if you deny kids things totally, they will grow up eating only those things they couldn't get.

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  11. I'm with you on the moderation thing. If I'm rigid about what I eat I become obsessive. I TRY to eat nutritionally valuable food most of the time but I allow myself to eat stuff that I really love too.

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  12. I love how you said all foods can be fattening! So true! I hate how people catagorize foods into "good" or "fattening". My only forbidden food is cheez - its. Seriously, I can't stop. But nothing else is off limits. My other food rule is that chocolate must be eaten daily - but seriously, I totally agree with your philosophy of everything in moderation. Food is quite the opposite of "just fuel" - I love choosing recipes, going to the farmer's market or grocery store, and cooking. To be honest, I think malnutrition in America's obese is pathetic. We are lucky to have any sort of food we want available to us. I think the starvation that occurs all over the world is the real problem, not those who choose to be unhealthy. Sorry if that sounds mean - glad you enjoyed your cinnamon buns!

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