Do you hate to cook? Here’s why you should get good at it anyway

November 6, 2022 ~ Green Apple Dietitian ~ Leave a comment

You want to commit to making meals by yourself, but there’s always a reason not to. “I don’t have time,” and “I just don’t like to cook” are the top two reasons I hear why people resort to eating out.

You can start by answering two questions about your situation. What are the consequences of learning to cook? What are the consequences of continuing to order out? From a financial standpoint making your food allows you to control expenses by buying ingredients within a budget you can afford. While eating out, the restaurant is in total control of the price of food which can limit your food choices.

If you want to go further, start by listing your answers to the above questions, then read them over. Separate the consequences into a positive and negative list. This will help you see more clearly what obstacles are in your way. Next, list some action steps you can do to get past those obstacles. Finally, put your goals on a calendar or to-do list and commit to doing them. Make sure your goals are measurable with a deadline to hold yourself accountable.

Cooking is a safe way to build self-confidence while learning to handle criticism. There’s no wrong way to make a good meal yet everyone has an opinion about it. You might even be a critic of another person’s cooking. There’s that old saying, “If I want to do something right, I need to do it myself.” Only you know the right way to nourish yourself with good food.

If you don’t feed yourself, someone else will. And it’s not always a good thing. You don’t get much of a choice throughout the process. Items on a menu have limits. Your creativity doesn’t. Sure, you don’t have to do anything but order your food, but you can’t say much once the plate is in front of you. Either it was delicious, it was “meh,” or it was terrible. You can complain and give a bad review on social media. But what will that accomplish? You can also choose not to eat it but skipping a meal should never be an option. So, what else can you eat instead? If you don’t know your way around a kitchen, you’re severely limiting yourself.

If health is important to you, and your thoughts aren’t out chasing a futuristic ideal of a certain body size, learning to cook can change your life.

How can you benefit by cooking for yourself?

It’s a good way to get into the habit of doing difficult things instead of doing nothing at all

The worst part of cooking is thinking too much about it at first. Learn to inconvenience yourself by rejecting the easy way out through Door Dash. Whatever your initial reason for, “I want to learn how to cook,” take that reason and run with it.

Starting something new is not without its hardships. Mistakes will always teach you things. One of them is not giving up. So go ahead and make some BIG ones. Just not the kind that involves the fire department or the emergency room. Stay safe. The tenacity that comes with trying until you get it right is a game-changer. After a while, the drudgery will turn into very useful skills. You might even wonder why you didn’t learn sooner.

You eat by following your meal plan, not someone else’s

You already have what it takes to make delicious food. Cooking for yourself allows you to build an internal connection between what you crave and what you are hungry for. This inside connection is only true for you. And it’s not wrong. Listening to someone else’s advice on how to change yourself by eating what they tell you won’t satisfy your cravings. The only person who should decide what tastes good is you.

Cooking allows you to experience a wide variety of foods you never knew existed. If you’re a picky eater, it’s a great opportunity to become less fearful of what’s on your plate. Food exposure not only helps with anxiety, but it also increases a much-needed food variety you could be missing out on.

If you learn how to properly satisfy your hunger, weight control will be automatic

We all start out learning how to eat from our parents, but at some point, life forces us to make our own decisions. Preparing food for yourself is vital for personal responsibility. You’re never too young or too old to start caring more for your well-being.

An important part of healthy nutrition is eating delicious food and enjoying it. The process of satisfaction and contentment that comes with finishing a good meal helps with digestion and signals your hunger to stop when you’ve had enough to eat. When your hunger is completely satisfied, your mind will stop thinking about food until you become hungry again. When you keep your internal hunger and fullness signals healthy and active, your weight will respond accordingly in the best way for you.

Dietitian’s note for those who may be struggling:

If feel confused about what you should eat and your anxiety is soaring, there’s something you should know if you don’t already. The decision to regularly skip meals will negatively impact your health and your weight. One of the main causes of disordered eating is dieting behaviors caused by a rigid belief that you need to lose weight. If you know you won’t feel worthy until weight loss happens, discuss your feelings with a licensed therapist and a registered dietitian that specialize in disordered eating.

The decision to skip a meal should never be an option.

DISCLAIMER: The Green Apple Dietitian blog provides nutrition information for education only and is not intended to offer medical advice or cure any health conditions. The content should NEVER be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any health condition or problem. Any questions regarding your diet and health should be addressed to your specific healthcare providers. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this blog.

Green Apple Dietitian makes no warranties expressed or implied regarding the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information posted or shared on this blog. Green Apple Dietitian does not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of any information contained herein that was posted or shared on this blog in the past, present, or future. By accessing this blog, you agree that neither Green Apple Dietitian nor any other party, to be held liable or otherwise responsible for any decision made, or any action taken or not taken, due to your use of any information presented on this blog website.

How to be healthy if you believe you’re overweight

August 21, 2022September 14, 2022 ~ Green Apple Dietitian ~ 1 Comment

We all heard about the war on fat. Every news outlet incessantly conveys to us we are heavier. Obesity is making us sicker. The plethora of diet and exercise advice tells us what to eat and what exercises to do to lose weight. It’s never-ending. The diet culture is solidified the world over. We’re always being lectured, “If we’re not trying to lose weight, we are not behaving healthfully.” But is there a better solution for a healthy life instead of dieting? Shouldn’t the answer include everyone of all sizes?

The problem with telling people to lose weight by eating less and exercising more is that it sets people up for weight cycling. When folks starve themselves to lose weight, the body always fights against deprivation. The body battles hard to get the food it needs to survive. Hunger escalates, and cravings for high-fat and sugary foods weaken our resolve. Instead of losing fat, the body becomes dehydrated, loses muscle, and slows down how many calories are burned in a day. Adding exercise to this only speeds up the process. Inevitably, once dieting stops, the weight returns. Then the blame game starts. “I didn’t have enough willpower. I eat unhealthy foods. I am a failure.” When a new weight-loss diet comes out, the self-torture starts all over again. For some people, the scale tips a little bit higher each time the weight returns.

What’s the answer?

You won’t find it in another weight loss diet or by listening to someone preach about what you should eat and what you shouldn’t. It certainly won’t be in a place where you feel shame or defeated. The reality is we all come in different shapes and sizes. The reality is when most people diet and avoid foods they love, they become obsessed with failure. They feel bad when they believe they ate too much, then starve themselves only to lose out to a late-night binge. The reality is, weight loss diets don’t work, period.

The solution is already within yourself. Set yourself free. Free from the notion of dieting and weight loss. As much as the diet industry wants you to believe, weight cannot be controlled by manipulating calorie intake. If you’ve dieted before and gained the weight back, deep down inside you know this is true. A healthy body tells the truth when it’s hungry and when it feels full after eating enough food. A weight-loss diet keeps you from honoring that truth while encouraging you to fight those normal healthy signals. Your body’s biological hunger and fullness cues are never judgmental. They just are. But weight-loss diets always say, “you’re not good enough unless you have willpower.” Willpower is meaningless to the body when it’s deprived of proper nutrition. Your body doesn’t know the difference. All it knows is there’s not enough food for it to function properly.

The answer to “what should I eat,” is different for everyone. But if you’re willing to open your mind up to another way of thinking, there are some ways to get relief. It’s not how much we weigh that makes us unhealthy, it’s unhealthy behaviors and thoughts about the food we eat. Then it’s how we act on that negativity.

Free yourself from the weight loss dialogue

What are you saying to yourself when it comes time to eat? Do the words, “I need to lose weight” or “I can’t have that,” come out of your mouth often? How many times a day do you say these words? How many times do you hear people around you say it? As a dietitian, I hear these words all the time. Even in a casual conversation with people of all sizes. Big and small. Fat and thin. I don’t believe most folks realize how much they use weight loss language or select foods they believe won’t make them fat. It’s a diet mentality.

Stop and pay attention. Are you eating to control your weight? Are you limiting foods that taste good because they aren’t healthy enough? We often don’t think about how we talk to ourselves and how it reinforces our behaviors. Increasing the mindfulness of the words you say to yourself will give you a cue on how you treat yourself. You might realize it has nothing to do with your weight. Let go of the diet mentality.

Next time you sit down for a meal, chose language that is self-compassionate. Be more empathetic toward your food cravings. We all have them. Part of healthy eating comes from the enjoyment of food and feeling satisfied after a meal. These good feelings aid in digestion. Express gratitude for the food that is available to you. Eating should be a completely neutral event.

If while you’re eating someone brings up the topic of weight loss, or criticizes your weight, remember you have the choice to change the subject. As a grown adult, you don’t have to be a part of it. Stay away from conversations that make you feel guilty or shame afterward. Everyone will always have their own opinion about food, but they are not the expert on your body’s health, you are. You don’t need to be fixed. Chances are what they are saying about you is how they feel about themselves. Move away from the diet mentality.

Always consider where the source of nutrition talk is coming from. Anyone who is properly trained in nutrition will not get on a soap box and tell others how to eat unless they are given permission. Be skeptical of what you hear. Ask questions first.

Free yourself from the mantra of weight loss

If you take an observational approach, you’ll see how the weight loss industry renews itself to keep the cycle going. They already know diets fail and that’s how they make money. They sell hope. Diet companies don’t want you to think in the present moment, but in a made-up future, that doesn’t exist for anyone. You don’t need to lose weight to live the life that you want. No matter what size you are, you deserve everything life has to offer.

There’s a sense of freedom that comes with the understanding that these companies know there’s always someone out there, hopeful, that the next diet will finally help them lose weight and keep it off. People who still haven’t figured it out yet. But they are willing to keep trying and failing and trying again.

Free yourself to eat in the present moment

When sitting down to eat, chose foods that will satisfy hunger in the present, and not a perceived notion of future weight loss. We don’t always know exactly what we are going to eat at any given meal, especially when we’re away from home. It’s best to choose a wide variety of foods in all the food groups that will completely turn off your body’s hunger until the next meal.

Never eat less with the idea you’ll eat more later. Don’t fight your hunger. It’s not a battle that you have to win. Deprivation sets the stage for overeating, always. Every meal is important. You deserve to enjoy your food and to eat enough to feel satisfied. Treat your body kindly and it will take care of the rest. That’s the truth no matter what size body you live in.

When Good Intentions Trigger Disordered Eating Behaviors. Who is at risk?

May 7, 2022 ~ Green Apple Dietitian ~ Leave a comment

Last week my mom showed me a brochure that came in the mail a while back. The message on it was about foods that are better for your health versus foods that are not. It appeared to be written as a healthy eating piece to educate the public.

It seemed the audience they are trying to reach are folks who don’t eat too many fruits and vegetables every day. It might also include people who usually eat frozen meals at home or dine out at fast-food establishments.

On one side of the page, it says “Discover food secrets. At least one will surprise you.” Below it has an infographic about different fruits and vegetables and their health benefits—the superstars. When I first read it, the tone concerned me. The wording takes on an all-or-nothing approach.

Then I flipped the brochure over to the other side and saw the words, “We name names!” Below that heading, the body copy delves into food examples from a popular frozen food company and fast-food restaurants. Calorie amounts, sodium, sugar, and fat grams are listed for each food and beverage. The punitive tone was enough to make me, a practicing RD, cringe with guilt after seeing my favorite ice cream as one of the examples. It was called, “Extreme ice cream.” The paragraph goes on to describe how ice cream squeezes large amounts of calories and sugar into fat cells. Whatever that means. I don’t know about you, but when I want to enjoy dessert, that’s not something I want to think about. I certainly don’t want to feel guilty about my decision to enjoy ice cream, ever!

The brochure was created by a non-profit organization working for public interests. I do not doubt the good intentions. I visited the website and observed recipe books, magazines and newsletters. It’s very professional and appears creditable. They’re part of another larger organization that’s been around for a while. But I’m not going to divulge who they are. Bashing others who are working hard for the benefit of the public isn’t my goal. But I want to tell anyone who will listen, who doesn’t already know, that there are folks out there that won’t take this information the way it might be intended. After reading it, I see the potential for these words to be triggering for those who don’t feel good in their own body and are dealing with more than just a desire to eat healthier.

With the recent rise in disorder eating diagnoses, my experience with patients suffering from eating disorders compels me to give constructive criticism. These individuals often have negative thinking patterns which can lead to extremely unhealthy eating behaviors. Traditionally it was thought to be usually white females suffering from anorexia or bulimia, but people coming from every age, race, gender identity and sexual orientation represent a growing portion of individuals who are getting diagnosed with eating disorders. If you’re not too familiar with disordered eating, it’s more troublesome than you think. Taking the approach “just eat what I tell you and you’ll be fine” while pushing personal nutrition beliefs onto someone with an eating disorder can be more harmful than helpful.

When I was in college, this area of dietetics didn’t get enough attention. Students taking classes in nutrition don’t learn enough about disordered eating unless they had a specific interest in it. I remember eating disorders were only discussed during a lecture in one of my clinical nutrition courses. Later I learned some of my fellow students were engaging in unhealthy eating habits.

Human nutrition is a science that also deals with human behavior. Like it or not. To maintain discussions that put food into good or bad categories leaves out the fact that for some individuals it will stir up strong feelings of guilt and shame. Others can get stuck and become confused about what to eat. It’s these negative thought patterns that can raise an individual’s risk of engaging in disordered eating patterns. Over time this can lead to poor health outcomes that have nothing to do with the food they eat.

Orthorexia at the very basic is healthy eating thoughts and behaviors that go awry, which can cause serious malnutrition. A person suffering from orthorexia will choose not to eat at all when they believe they are limited to foods perceived to be unhealthy. It can be personal. But feeling bad about oneself while believing they are eating the wrong foods is not acceptable. No one should ever starve themselves just because a certain kind of food is on a naughty list.

The brochure goes on to say there are better alternatives. I agree! But not from a food choice standpoint. A better alternative is to teach nutrition gently, without blame or punishment. Foods should be described as they are. Some foods are high in protein, while others are high in sugar. That’s it. Food is just an inanimate object. That piece of chocolate cake is innocent after all. It can’t think or make decisions. It just sits on a plate. We as humans are the ones that bring all the emotion and judgment to it. We bring our appetites and our opinions to the table every day.

Public health should be more inclusive with more safe places for individuals to talk about disordered eating without shame or guilt. Places where people feel comfortable enough to ask for the help they need. Only truthful discussions will bring this illness out of the shadow and into the light. Believe it or not, chances are higher these days, that we all will run into somebody silently struggling with an eating disorder stemming from a self-loathing standpoint. You don’t know how much they might hate themselves or the body they live in. It could be the stranger on the street waiting for an Uber, or someone you know and work with every day that seems a little down recently. It could be even someone that lives under your roof that you love dearly. No one ever really knows all the chapters in someone else’s story.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder click to talk, text, or chat: NEDA (nationaleatingdisorders.org)