The Transformative Effect of Gratitude and Appreciation

Gratitude isn't just some New Age idea. It works and takes no effort. Even if it may seem that things are so bad that there is absolutely nothing to be grateful for, there always is. Gratitude and appreciation are two ingredients that can quickly turn your mood around and help to simmer the intensity of whatever emotions you are feeling.

In terms of the Savvy Non-Dieter I speak a lot about true appreciation for food as a tool in nurturing a healthier relationship with food. Appreciation significantly curbs our defenses and make us more open to experiencing food in ways that make us feel good when eating, free of guilt and deprivation. Appreciation also works in a similar way for all the other non-food related events of our lives as well.

As we partake in our various holiday celebrations of the year, the presence of food, health, friends/family give us sufficient reason to be grateful. And as the year comes to its grand finale you are sure to reflect on the challenges, the lessons learnt, what was gained and lost, and all the little blissful moments however small.

But there's always something to be grateful for. If you have a fully functioning body even if it isn't perfect in your eyes, more than enough food without worry of where the next meal is coming from, good company, the pleasure of a good book or movie, social events, friends/family etc, then you already have somewhere to start.

Enjoy the good and may much more good give you more to be grateful for in the coming year.

Happy Holidays and a Happier New Year.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences

A Case For Taking Small Steps in Your Weight Management Efforts

Often many types of changes associated with weight management and nutrition are expected to be extreme in order to bring about any meaningful results. This can make any efforts to achieve and maintain these changes quite stressful and daunting.

However, recently I was reminded how uncomplicated weight management can be if we just allow ourselves to just start with small steps. When a woman from Australia who lost 150 pounds after deciding to walk around the clothes line in her backyard, she proved how simple fitness can be.

It just shows that any exercise plan is only as good as the internal drive and motivation you have to get results. Many factors off course can impact the latter, but the important thing is that you begin somewhere, and a small first step is often a good place to start.

Find out about how the woman I spoke of earlier made long-term weight loss a reality for her.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences

Stress Quick Fix: Three Simple Relaxation Techniques for Instant Calm

I like quick and easy especially in the mist of a serious dose of stress. Often times, when in the mist of a stressful moment you may not be able to focus long enough to get yourself to a better place. So it is helpful if relief is brief and instant.

Three techniques which I've found useful are:

1. The Drum Method: I got this method from somewhere that I can't recall right now, and I have given it a name of my own reflective of what it is. Perhaps you may need to use this technique when you're alone when you are worrying or filled with overwhelming emotions. You simply tap your body at various points with the palms of both hands as if you were "drumming" your entire body. It may seem silly at first, but this technique offers a much needed distraction from whatever you're focusing and concerned about in that moment.

2. The Focused Breathing Method: This method is widely utilize in many self-development books. It is not just about taking in a few deep breathes although just doing this is helpful. There is a technique to focused breathing. First off take in a deep breathe through the nose on the count of four while extending the stomach. Hold for four seconds and breathe out through the mouth on the count of four while pulling in the stomach to its original relaxed position. On the out breath you want it be as if you were saying aaahhhh... and gently just letting the breath out.

Stomach centered breathing with less movement of the chest is said to be more natural to the way we normally breathe with the stomach going in and out. Just observe a baby or a loved one while they are sleeping.

2. The Feather Stroke Method: I got this method from a cute and charming book called The Little Book of Calm which has many wonderful techniques for instant calm. Again I have given the method a catchy name. The technique involves stroking the back of your non-dominant hand with the finger tips of the dominant hand using a feather-light trail from the base of the non-dominant hand by the wrist to the end of the fingers. This is surprisingly relaxing and takes little time or effort.

Emotional well being doesn't have to be a process needing to be planned beforehand, because it is so time consuming. It can and should be simple and in the moment as is with every part of the Savvy Non-Dieter™ Lifestyle.

If the techniques are useful to you, wonderful. You can also find many other techniques in The Little Book of Calm
.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

Change the Way You Look at New Years Resolutions and Dieting

The New Years Resolutions and Dieting ritual relies greatly on willpower and pumped up drive. We are encouraged to approach our resolutions full force, and make them as big and extreme as possible.

Therefore, New Years Diet Resolutions create much passion and enthusiasm in the beginning, both of which usually burn out way before the end goal is achieved. The need to get to our desired end weight is so great that we dive right in often time with little preparation.

In the following article, Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D., author of Eating Moments, proposes that we set no dieting resolutions at all. After briefly explaining the real meaning of the word “resolution”, he goes on to explain in detail why dieting does not work.

You can read the article entitled New Year: No More Resolutions.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

Overcoming Emotional Eating-Your Main Weight Management Strategy

Diets inevitably lead to weight regain. This is a truth that can be explained not only by physiological factors (ie slowed metabolism), but by the fact that conventional diets do not address the underlying issues behind unwanted weight gain. One of these issues which many who find themselves constantly on diets face is emotional eating. Emotional eating is fueled by psychological hunger over physical hunger.

That is emotional eating is normally brought on by such things as emotional cues,stress, social situations, specific settings, smells, etc. These have nothing to do with a roaring stomach which is signally that you body is ready for food, which constitutes our inate ability to regulate our eating internally without any need for a diet plan. Emotional eating however causes us to no longer be attuned to these signals.

There are two instances of excessive consumption which can arise from emotional factors. The first is when we literally ignore hunger cues, not eating when we really should be or hardly eating enough (aka starvation or deprivation) and then later binging when we are overwhelmed with an insatiable yearning for food. Emotions of guilt and shame from binging will likely cause another such episode in the near future.

The second instance of emotional eating occurs when food is mainly used as a pacifier to make us feel better or allow us to think less about a problem or troubling issue. The ability to sense fullness suffers greatly as no attention is paid to when we've had enough. In both situations it is easy to get lost in eating for as long as we need the food to cope with the emotions.

To begin combating this cycle of emotional eating it is important to do several things:

1. Acknowledge and become aware if you are using food as a pacifier. True freedom begins with awareness. The hold emotional eating can have on you exists through mindless eating; it is almost as if you are in trance. To break the trance you will need to snap yourself out of it by becoming alert and totally conscious.

2. Find non-food related activities to deal with stress and negative emotions. Food is wonderful and should be enjoyed, but there are so many more enjoyable things in life as well. Many other things can relieve stress in the moment it comes about, meaning that you don’t have to leave your house or go through a long preparation to access non-food related pacifiers.

Examples of instant relievers are
• playing with a pet,
• turning the TV to a funny sitcom or uplifting program,
• playing your favorite CD
• or turning on you favorite radio station,
• playing a board game
• connecting with someone online through a social network, IM etc
• doing something else with your hands –whether it involves taking up something to read or observe, completing a task around the house or an errand, engaging in a hobby or opening the door to take a walk down the block if you feel able to.
• Have a cup of herbal tea. Yogi tea is one of the best brands, offering many flavors. And what is also great about the brand is that each box comes with an exercise to help you relax and refocus.

3. Slow down your life a bit. The more we rush, the less time we seem to have and the more exhausted we may feel. If you are an emotional eater, you may not realize it, but food has probably just become another chore on the "to do list" of your multi-tasked life. You may eat while on the phone, while driving to work, while shopping, while doing paperwork at work or at home etc.

Taking a pause during your hectic day and at meal time can go a long way to helping you become more aware.

4. Don’t skip physical activity. Exercise need not feel like a chore. There is such a thing as easy and effortless exercise when it is an element of everyday physical activity. Not only does daily physical engagement keep you fit, it also gives you something else to put your focus on besides food and it relieves stress.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,


Next time I will providing a short list of resources which can help you to identify and combat emotional eating.

Effortless Physical Activity and Weight Loss-Dance

Here's a wonderful article from Daily Om on rediscovering dance as a natural source of effortless movement:

Rediscovering Dance: Healing with Movement


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

What is Your Approach to Permanent Weight Loss?

We've already discussed at length some key principles of the having a Non-diet mindset. However here's a quick and fun way to get a general assessment of your approach to eating and weight management. It only takes a couple minutes and is quite revealing. You need not put in your name, just simply begin with the "start quiz" button.

What is Your Approach to Permanent Weight Los… » Quiz Question Maker

Hope this assessment tool gave you some greater insight.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

Non-Diet Weight Loss with Effortless Physical Activity

In the previous article we spoke of differentiating between physical activity as a product of everyday natural activities vs. exercise which is much more regimented and planned. Now the question is how does that translate into your real everyday life? How can you make exercise effortless so that it fits into your lifestyle? Well here are a few suggestions to begin. Pick the ones most applicable to you.

• Have regular at-home dance parties. Put on the radio and according to the words of Lady Gaga "Just Dance". Involve the whole family or who ever you live with, or do it yourself. Dance as much as possible. Rhythm is not required. Dance while you are washing the dishes, if you are in front the bedroom mirror, etc. Use this most natural form of movement to your advantage. You could even try the new Just Dance game from Nintendo Wii if you need something more interactive.

• Take up a specific dance like salsa, belly dance, hip hop or any aerobic dance. The thing I like about dance is that it brings the element of good feelings and connection into the physical activity, and you are less likely to feel stressed by something which you have an emotional bond with. So other activities which can work include yoga, karate or kickboxing, tai chi, and alternative dances like the “journey dance”

• Pick up a sports activity or if you’re not so inclined, buy a Wii Activity system which simulates many fun activities including hula hooping, without requiring you to leave your home.

• Get a trampoline in the back yard or a mini-one in the bedroom and get on it as often as possible.

• Enjoy an outdoor swing (make sure it can accommodate you)

• Get a ping pong table or a “ice hockey” table in the game room, family room or in an extra room if you can.

• Roller blade in the backyard, in the park or at the skating ring.

• Go swimming-Water activities make for a wonderful fitness alternative

• Take a trip to a water park

• Walk in the neighborhood

• You’ve heard this one before, but take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. It really is fulfilling.

• If you’ve been thinking about it, adopt a dog. In some places, you can even foster a dog, so that you don't get into an unwanted long-term commitment if you are not ready.

I say a dog, because dogs are very high energy pets who force us to engage physically. We either play with them in the backyard or need to take them out on a walk. Either way both sides are enjoying physical activity.

• Take on a hobby. Although it would be good to adapt a hobby which allows for some physical exertion, it is absolutely not necessary. It could be anything from pottery making to painting. You're more concerned with the mental focus and stress reduction which hobbies often provide. This helps reduce stress-induced emotional eating and unwanted weight gain. If you are looking to lose weight, you won’t need to exercise as much. Also, a hobby is a wonderful way to combat emotional eating.

Often times, the activities we consider to be “child’s play” like the hula hooping and riding on a swing, roller blading and the trampoline, are often the most physically rewarding. Just think about it. Children who play often enjoy natural physically fitness. A sense of playfulness can go a long way towards us being able to naturally fit physical activity into our daily lives, aiding in our non-diet weight loss efforts as well as long-term weight management.

Free your physical health and weight management from restriction and strict, regimented control. Making physical activity more about what you already do than what you need to plan for, causes it be a more fun and sustained part of you life.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-free Food Experiences,

Evaluating Your Eating Style

Our eating style very much influences the way we relate to food. Identifying our specific eating style helps us to better understand what drives or motivates us to eat. Are we motivated by emotions, an insatiable need to limit or restrict our intake or are we purely responding to hunger and satiety cues?


Three (3) main eating styles can be identified. They are Attuned Eating, Deprivation Driven Eating (aka Dieting) and Emotional Eating. Attuned Eating basically means that you recognize and listen to your natural, internal hunger/fullness cues allowing them to guide your eating. Unlike the other eating styles, attuned eating has no other agenda. There is no using food to compensate for anything else, the pressure to label food as "good" or "bad", the need to try to surpress hunger etc.. You don't ignore hunger, you eat what you want, and stop when full without emotional pain, guilt or stress.

It is important to recognize that food is just one component of a healthy, fulfilling life. Healthy living is about body, mind and soul including everything from our relationships, how we care for ourselves, our level of self-confidence, our social interactions and recreational activities etc. Therefore, it is important that we become aware of what eating style we are practicing daily, so that we can better address the factors which may be negatively impacting our relationship with our food.

To better understand Attuned Eating and how all the three eating styles compare to each other please refer to this table from Nourishing Connections explaining everything in much more detail. Nourishing Connections is a non-diet intervention approach to weight management, nutrition and well being.



To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,




NOTE: Next time I will discuss recognizing the difference between physical activity and regimented exercise aimed at achieving a defined weight, and also incorporating effortless activity into daily living. Also, remember to sign up for the 10-Part E-course on How Non-Diet Weight Management Can Work for You to gain more insight on making eating guilt free and enjoyable.

Getting Enough Calories and Nutrition

Sufficient daily calorie intake is crucial whether you are on a diet or not. Dieting and skipping meals mean restrictive calorie intake which can ultimately decrease the body’s metabolic rate (the rate at which energy is used by the body). As you give the body less calories to work with it responds by trying to conserve energy to make sure that it is able to support its daily tasks. But the result of all of this is usually fatigue and lethargy. Furthermore, if one were to increase calories significantly, it is likely that they would gain weight because those calories would be burned at a much slower rate. This is why once someone has stopped dieting and begins eating normally they may regain the weight.

The bottom line is that the body needs ample energy and the ability to function at its best. It is able to do this by utilizing Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats and many minerals and vitamins. Carbohydrates' role is primarily to provide a direct source of energy and fuel. Fat also provides energy although the process of extracting energy from fat is more complicated.

There is an interchange of mostly carbs and some fat for energy as needed, but it is ideal to have enough carbs in the diet so that the body isn’t forced to resort to both Fat and Protein in the absence of sufficient Carbohydrates. Protein has many other major functions (e.g. for tissue building and repair) and when the body is forced to use it for energy then this usually means that the body is greatly deprived and starved. So be wary of extreme carb. restriction.

Carbohydrates, Protein and Fats are all essential and need to be consumed in proportion to each other to make sure that they are being utilized in the most efficient way in the body. Although there are variants to the proportions, daily requirements are generally 55% Carbohydrates, 15% Protein, and 30% Fat of total calories consumed for the day. They are each used by the body in very specific ways to complete tasks and maintain an optimal state of health.

A simple way to ensure that you are getting enough energy and nutrition is to consume nutrient-dense foods. This means less processed foods,and foods which have been minimally altered. This would also ensure that you are consuming enough vitamins and minerals which are also needed for generating energy and serving the many other functions of the body. For e.g. at breakfast time, a nutrient dense food like whole grain hot or cold cereal with nuts or whole grain bread with nut butter would provide high quality Carbohydrate, Protein as well as Fat calories, and essential vitamins and minerals.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,

Can You Overdo Healthy Eating?

I know you must be asking, How can anyone overdo healthy eating, isn’t healthy to any degree a good thing? Well sometimes you can overdo a good thing. Once the “bad”, unhealthy food has been identified the objective becomes elimination, elimination, elimination.

One common area of overdoing health is with fats and low carbohydrates. In the case of fats and carbohydrates, which are often categorized in the “bad” food category, one would think that these weren’t nutrients required in the diet. Things can quickly get out of hand, to the point where elimination of these targeted foods becomes the dominant energy a person experiences around eating.
‘

Extreme avoidance of anything that is labeled as “bad” can create anxiety.

-Generally any negative emotions attributed to food whether it is around excessive, emotional eating or avoidance eating leads to guilt and unease.

-Overdoing healthy can also lead to a very unilateral view of foods. For example a food item as a whole is only judged by its absence of the “culprit” ingredient or component. That’s why it can become so easy to overdo foods labeled as “fat-free” for example.

In the case of "fat-free foods, often times, the rest of the nutritional profile of the food, aside from the fat content, is almost overlooked. It is most helpful that the overall nutritional value of a food be considered when your focus is on health. A soda is fat free, but most wouldn’t generally consider it beneficial nutritionally. A cookie might be “fat-free”, but be loaded with fake ingredients.

So it’s important to broaden and open your mind, so that you don’t miss out on nutritionally valuable foods just because they're not fat-free or carbohydrate free, etc. Yes it’s fine to include these in the diet as well, but not exclusively so. And it also must be remembered that these nutrients are needed in certain quantities in the diet to promote good health, energy for the body, and proper functioning of all the organs of the body.

Healthy eating should be more about "What You Can Eat" rather than "What You Cannot Eat”. Food should never create anxiety whether it be about excessive eating or the extreme elimination of foods considered as unhealthy or inclusion only of foods considered healthy. Unless someone truly has a food allergy, there should be some balance, because healthy eating is as much about having wonderful, enjoyable, stress-free eating experiences as it is about the food itself.


To Your Enjoyable and Guilt-Free Food Experiences,


NOTE: Next time I will be discussing getting adequate calories in the diet for optimal health and energy whether you are looking to loose weight or not. Also, remember to sign up for the 10-Part E-course on How Non-Diet Weight Management Can Work for You to gain more insight on making eating guilt free and enjoyable.

Loving Leftovers

Forget what Mother said about finishing everything on your plate! Although you’re a grown-up now you still feel mother hovering over your plate uttering this over and over in your head. Bless your precious mom and even with all her good intentions, what she gave you was a serious guilt trip, and perhaps today you find yourself forcing to consume the excess food on your plate.

In a restaurant we feel no guilt about just getting a doggy bag, so use the same attitude with your home cooking. Leftovers are not just for the monstrous Thanksgiving turkey everyone wants to use up before it spoils. They eliminate the need to cook a meal from scratch or search for food the next day. I promise you that your mom isn’t looking!

It's fun to also cook meals which naturally serve double duty as leftovers the next day. These include foods like eggplant, cold pasta which can be incorporated into a salad, chicken, and beans. Leftover meats can be easily incorporated into a wonderful and enticing new recipe to create an entirely new meal. It only takes some fresh herbs and/or vegetables, various spices, and some other common items in the kitchen to jazz up and help reinvent a leftover meal.

Here's a very useful information page for utilizing a very common leftover meal item Chicken, at Love Food Hate Waste. Make sure to click on "Show imperial Units" under "Ingredients" for the recipe measurement, since this is a British website with a preference for the metric unit system.

Embracing leftovers allows us to enjoy eating free of the ingrained tendency to feel guilt about not eating everything on our plate. It also allows us to avoid wasting food and to save on our food spending.

Be In a State of Wonderment About The Food You Eat

When it comes to food, it's a good idea to get into the habit of being a curious explorer. Get into a state of wonderment about the food you eat everyday. I’m not referring to the Nutrition labels and all the stuff we’re already obsessed about. Although that’s important as well. No, I’m referring to fun stuff like finding out the origins or family roots of a food. Like how fun is it to find out how a common food came about or how peanut butter or honey etc are produced? And what about finding out where most of the country's garlic is produced-California, or that eggplant is a tomato relative, or what about Chayote, a fruit which is consumed like a vegetable and is not at all sweet! It's in the squash family.

It's an interesting process to get well acquainted with your food. “Unwrapped” on Food Network is a show which reveals the manufacturing process for 100's of foods. Another show for interesting food facts is “Good Eats” and The Secret Life of although it is now cancelled. Here’s a past episode from Unwrapped:





And Here's a Short History Lesson About The Hot Dog:




It’s important to remember that food is not merely for subsistence or fuel. Food is a vital part of the delight of life, just like love, leisure, time spent with family etc. When we put food into its rightful place, then we see how important it is to develop a more positive, attentive, exploratory, grateful attitude towards eating.

A Diet For Life?

Like most other people, I am always faced with someone around me looking for the ultimate answer to weight management. Often the answer which most people expect is in some form of diet recommendation or extreme calorie restricted meal plan. For many Nutritionists it’s therefore easy to succumb to the Diet Doctor role, because that’s what people expect and it's where the demand and cash is.

Diets are often geared towards short term weight goals. So they have their purpose. However, in the case where someone gets wonderful results from a diet, there is often that awkward post-diet period where the weight has been lost, but the person doesn’t know how to or is not willing to let go of the diet.Even if there has been no desirable results, the tendency is to get on another diet.

Although, it can be hard to break free of the routine of such structured eating, one has to ask themselves the question “Can I or do I want to be on a Diet for Life or for any extended period of time?” Especially when undergone for extended periods of time I've seen dieting easily lead to Anemia and reduced nourishment in some form or the other. It makes sense with such aggressive elimination and restriction of individual or entire groups of foods, and not to mention the 'laxative' diet teas and questionable 'magic bullet' concoctions. Although diet bars, shakes etc have evolved somewhat they are no substitute for real food.

The Savvy Non-Dieter advocates things like regular meal intake without skipping meals or starving oneself, incorporating the most healthy forms of carbs, protein, fats in the diet, eating mindfully with attention and purpose, portion size awareness, increasing appreciation and understanding of the food we eat (quality and wholesomeness, freshness, sustainability, organic certification status etc.), among other things.

It pays to be a Savvy Non-Dieter, not simply as a type of defiance against all things diet. It’s about being empowered to more often bring quality of life and quality food encounters to the forefront of our eating experiences. It pays to be a Savvy Non-Dieter in a Food Phobic World.

5 Reasons to Make Dance Your Exercise of Choice

Dancing is an engaging and continuous activity with great physical rewards. The reasons to make dancing your exercise of choice go way past the physical rewards.

1. Once you choose the dance that is right for you, there is no boredom because you are in enjoyment of what you are doing.

2. The range of dance choices is endless and you can even mix it up as you like. The many dances that are out there include: salsa, hip hop, urban, belly dance, tap dancing, samba…

3. You don’t require props or equipment or even a partner for most dances. Aside from comfortable clothing and good music, you really just need yourself. Even for dances like salsa which is usually enjoyed by two people, you can get away with practicing on your own.

4. Because dancing is more of a social activity, you can expand your social network and have fun with like-minded people as you are exercising. You find that people who are together in a dance class to be more likely to hang out outside the classroom setting. They also seem to be more likely to form friendships and act to enhance the dancing experience for each other.

5. You get to choose the level of monetary investment you put into it. Most dance classes will give you the option of paying per class, so you can choose as little or as many classes as you like. But dancing can be free too. You can dance at home. Also there are many opportunities to dance for free in a social setting-eg. Clubs and lounges with after-work, no-cover offers or happy hour. And let’s not forget the house parties-My house or yours?!

Most people love to dance and if they can’t dance they want to be at the place where the music and dancing is going on, because that’s where the action is. On the other hand, often you may have to bribe a friend to go to the gym with you! So need I more? Allow yourself to enjoy the most fun physical activity that I know of and "Just Dance".

Sparkling Water Upgraded

There is a treasure chest of ‘sweetened water’ and diet beverage products out there, and in my opinion most fall short. After the artificial sweeteners or added sugar and additives, it feels like you’re drinking fake water. I recognize that many people have a hard time drinking sufficient water on a regular basis, and adding fruit flavor to it becomes a greater motivator to drink water. But shouldn't the product you choose be as wholesome as it’s main ingredient, the actual water?

Well there is a relatively new product on the market which seems to answer that question with a resounding YES. Sparkling Essence by R.W Knudsen, an organic juice company, provides carbonated spring water with a hint of real organic fruit. There are no added sugars, additives or preservatives and no calories. Plus the product is Certified Organic. They use a process of brewing the organic fruits into fresh spring water.

It is a great alternative to regular diet beverages and can be consumed in place of juices. It’s also great for people who want ‘real food’ options when it comes to weight management. The flavors include Mint, Cucumber, Blueberry, and Lemon and is best when chilled. The suggested price is $3.79-3.99 for a 4-pack container. You can check out the company's site for stores which carry Sparkling Essence.

Embracing The Fun Side of Food

Revisiting the foods we enjoyed as children is a simple way to bring pleasure into our everyday eating experiences. For most of us, this is the time when we truly embraced the fun side of food way before many of us adopted a self-inflicted 'whip of condemnation' when it comes to our eating. We can all remember that one or two special meal items which we looked forward to having as a child. Perhaps mom only cooked it for a particular occasion or we had it on a certain day of the week or time of the year, or perhaps it was when the family went out to eat or went to visit the grandparents. Whatever connection that food has for us, chances are that as adults there is still that sense of nostalgia whenever we enjoy the food or even think of it. Most of what are considered ‘comfort foods’ have such an effect on us. It’s not just about the food, for the foods which bring us the most comfort add a warmth to our hearts which cannot be measured.

Many restaurant menus meet this need by providing items which reflect our desire to reconnect with the foods of our childhood which are associated with so many memories. They offer such items as mac & cheese, hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows, grilled cheese sandwiches, creamy mashed potatoes, meatloaf etc. which are commonly labeled as comfort food items. Some restaurants chains have their entire theme based on only one comfort food such as NYC’s S’MAC ( Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese) Restaurant, The Peanut Butter & Co Sandwich Shop (also in NYC) or Cereality, a national Cereal Bar & Cafe chain. These establishments exist simply because they sell much more than a meal, they sell an experience.

As adults we can at times get so obsessed about being mature, that we feel that we have to justify indulging in the quirky and free child in all of us. Embracing the unpretentious, natural childlike part of us can be very freeing even when it comes to food. We don’t have to explain and validate everything to ourselves or anyone in order to enjoy that well deserved indulgence. Children don’t get into all those complications about a thing, they just do what is in their hearts to do.

It’s not everyday you have that S'mores treat with chocolate oozing out at the sides, or that marshmallow melted on a stick over a camp fire. It’s not everyday you have a PB&J and Fluff sandwich or a huge bowl filled with five different varieties of dry cereal with milk. When we allow ourselves such childlike pleasures, it doesn’t mean we are reverting to being children ourselves, it just means that we are freeing ourselves of our endless list of self-imposed rules. So go frolic for one pleasurable moment with no rationalizing or guilt. There is great value in just enjoying something, such as a treasured and fun meal from childhood, for what it is without over analyzing it too much.

New Guide For Health Conscious Shoppers

If you are new or just getting into the Organic Food scene, you know how overwhelming navigating the grocer aisles for the highest quality organic and natural foods can be. Many consumers would admit that they don’t know exactly what to look for.

A new book, The New Good Food Shopper’s Pocket Guide to Organic, Sustainable, and Seasonal Whole Foods by Margaret Wittenberg aims to offer consumers a guide they can take with them right to the supermarket. Wittenberg is Vice President of Whole Foods Market and a former member of the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board.

The guide helps consumers to shop smart and eat better when choosing amongst the hundreds of products available to them. It also helps consumers demystify labels right when they are making purchases at their local supermarket; and offers information about buying, storing and preparing whole foods. The guide offers all of this and more.

It really helps to have such a reference to help you understand exactly what you are purchasing when it comes to organic foods and you may find it helpful to you.

15 Fun Activities of a Savvy Non-Dieter

Being a Savvy Non-Dieter isn’t about a blind love of food. It’s love of food coming from a place of appreciation and awareness, genuinely caring about where your food comes from, and having an enjoyable, guiltless relationship with what you eat.

Additional, it is important to understand that adapting a Non-Dieter Mindset and being a Savvy Non-Dieter is not an issue of defiance, but empowerment and freedom. It's all about everyday practices which define a positive and healthy connection with food in your life.

Do you recognize any of the following practices in your encounters with food? Or perhaps you have some you might like to add.

1. Dining Out

2. Picnic Anyone?

3. Enjoyment of Food Festivals/Shows when possible

4. A Food Magazine Subscription

5. A Well Stocked Pantry

6. Regular visits to the natural/organic food store of the organic section of the supermarket.

7. Regular pampering, relaxation, massages, and other forms of self-indulgence

8. Enjoyable lunch breaks outside the office at a nearby eatery, restaurant, park of public space.

9. A nice collection of cook books or recipe favorites

10. Beautiful and functional plate ware, flatware.

11. Ongoingly striving towards personal growth and advancements in life so that food is not compensating for anything lacking in other areas of your life .

12. Regular weekly viewing of the Food Network…OK, that one is optional.

13. A Diner table with enough space to share a meal with at least 4 people.

14. Allowing the simple indulgence of a sensibly portioned dessert, when appropriate, without guilt. Many restaurants and food manufacturers alike are providing ‘single serving’ dessert choices, and not only are these choices more appropriately sized, but they contain more wholesome ingredients.

15. Always trying new and different food items from the supermarket or food market to add to your pantry.

There are so much more that can involve being a Savvy Non-Dieter. You may have to decide for yourself. I don't believe in "boxed up" concepts or personal labels, so you as a Savvy Non-Dieter is whatever works best for you as long as it leads you to healthful, enjoyable eating experiences.

Is The Gloom & Doom of The Economy Reshaping Our Eating Experiences?

Even in the mist of all this talk of economic gloom and doom, I feel there are great opportunities. At times like these people become more innovative in order to be able to do more with less or they just appreciate more of what they have. Don't be surprised if the many innovations and businesses appearing right now lead to an unprecedented growth spurt in a few years time. Isn’t it said that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention”?

Improving the food supply has been an initiative years in the making even before the current state of things. Right now however it has become necessary to accelerate and give greater attention to the issue. New ways of doing food are quite evident.

-More Home Cooking: The fact that it is a cheaper option makes this an obvious choice for families looking to manage their food budget more effectively. The increased attractiveness of home cooking right now may also be a product of more people being at home due to their employment status (either self-employed or not working).

-Many individuals are now looking to purchase foods grown by local farmers in their neighborhoods and communities or even growing them in their own backyards. Not only is this more cost effective, but it gives you the freshest produce. Even the WIC program, which offers food vouchers for low income moms, is extending its program to provide greater access to farmers markets to its clients.

-Smaller entree and dessert portions at Restaurants: This is beneficial for everyone involved:
• For one thing smaller portions can be priced more reasonably
• Weight conscious customers are demanding moderate meal portions vs the colossal plates of food which they have become accustomed to in the past.

It appears that in many ways many of us are putting more thought into what we put in our pots, on our plates, and into our bodies, which is indeed wonderful and refreshing. Now is the best time ever to be a Savvy Non-Dieter.