I don’t normally get too personal on my blog, but today I want to talk about eating habits.
I pride myself in being a “healthy eater.” Lots of fruits, vegetables, Greek yogurt, oats (etc. etc. etc.), small meals 5-6 times a day, meal planning, lots of water, extremely limited amounts of “bad” foods (What Katie’s Baking isn’t what she’s usually eating), no fast food. Then, to be even more “healthy,” I figured out my daily caloric needs and started occasionally tracking the calorie content of food on MyFitnessPal.com to make sure I was on track with what my body needed…but, how can a calculator tell me what my body needs?? The list of “healthy habits” goes on.
Fortunately, I’ve realized these habits aren’t healthy. (Thanks to Heather @ Kiss My Broccoli. Her instagram photos of #intuitiveeating are what got me started on this!) They’re just anal and annoying, really. I’m too strict on myself and doesn’t “healthy eating” just sound like a diet in disguise? (According to Intuitive Eating, I’m a pseudo-dieter, and it makes total sense). I don’t want to be on a diet; I just want to be healthy, and diets aren’t healthy. You know what is healthy? Listening to your body because it’s smart and it knows what it needs. If being smart was the key to being healthy and fit, obesity in America wouldn’t be so rampant. But it’s not they key, being intuitive and mindful of your body is the key.
I started reading Intuitive Eating yesterday and began trying to eat intuitively a few days ago, so I’m just getting started, but I already feel better. I even deleted My Fitness Pal. It’s so freeing to eat whatever I want whenever my body craves it whether I feel like the food is “acceptable” or not. If you haven’t read the book and you’re a chronic dieter, slave to healthy foods, emotional eater, thoughtless eating, or just want to learn how to enjoy your food more, I suggest reading it (and nobody even paid me to say that haha). It’s not just a book for people who don’t want to diet anymore, it’s for anyone who doesn’t eat “normally.” (Which is quite a few people, considering no matter where you turn, there’s always someone or some “credible source” telling you “don’t eat that!” I’m guilty of being the “Food Police” myself.)
Honestly, the fact that we d on’t all just eat intuitively anyway is silly if you think about it. I mean, you wouldn’t tell a kid who says, “I’m hungry” that they should wait a while to eat because they just ate an hour ago. And how many times have you heard kid say, “Oh my gosh I shouldn’t have eaten that Pop-Tart. I feel so guilty.” Children and animals know how to eat according to their body’s internal cues because they haven’t been around societal judgment and they don’t feel the need to be thin. Also, think about this: if you have to use the restroom, would you say “No, I need to wait because I literally just peed 30 minutes ago.” No, you would go to the bathroom because your body’s internal cue told you to.
I’m going to stick with this because I can attain it for life without obsession.
What are your thoughts on Intuitive Eating?
And, since I can’t just leave you without a recipe, here’s a fantastic and super simple granola recipe.
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 cups oats (not quick-cooking)
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
- ¼ cup raisins (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a microwave safe bowl, mix together honey and coconut oil. Microwave until melted, about 30-45 seconds.
- Mix in the oats and chia seeds until they are fully coated in the honey/coconut oil mixture.
- On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out the mixture evenly.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add in the raisins and store in a sealed container once cool!
