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FOOD & WINE DISCUSSION

Vintage1944

POSTED: Sat, 07/25/2009 - 8:14am

Pleasurable Eating

Further to our discussions in other threads...I pledge that TODAY I will only eat what is fresh,tastes good and I will eat slowly,with pleasure.And I won't eat in front of the computer.I am off to have a pleasurable,leisurly breakfast.Jean

bren67

POSTED: Tue, 11/22/2011 - 2:01pm Me too! I so agree with you Jean! I am enjoying my food more these days,as i take time to think about what i order,or what i cook...Now we always eat at the table together. Bren

twinklebree

POSTED: Sun, 05/15/2011 - 7:31pm Welcome summertime produce... I L <3 VE fresh, bursting with flavor & sweetness, summertime fruits & veggies ... And it's only the beginning :)

coco1960

POSTED: Mon, 02/21/2011 - 5:21am Eating out and being Mindfull! I have been dating a gentleman and he enjoys courting me. So I have been really looking at portions, selecting dishes such as fish, sharing a dessert, and avoiding the bread basket. Many restaurants have started to offer dishes that are in smaller portions...very wise on their part. And Merci' to Jean and Marilyn for wearing red to promote women's heart health month!!! xoxo MJ

AngelaR

POSTED: Fri, 02/04/2011 - 4:12pm Great Meal! Last night I made chicken drumsticks in a Dijon sauce, with sauteed Kale. It turned out so well! I haven't been cooking much lately so I was very surprised I was able to pull this one off!

coco1960

POSTED: Fri, 02/04/2011 - 5:32am Happy Red Day...Pleasure and a Healthy Heart! Today is Wear Red Day in honor of women and promoting healthy hearts. I'm proud to be part of our community here that promotes this idea! Enjoy the weekend ladies! xoxo MJ

Marilyn

POSTED: Fri, 02/04/2011 - 10:35am Wearing Wearing a red sweater for you. Be well and happy. xx

Vintage1944

POSTED: Fri, 02/04/2011 - 10:58am Hmm Think I'll put on my red sweater ,also.Supporting our MJ and good works for women,very little else that is better.OXO

Vintage1944

POSTED: Thu, 08/19/2010 - 7:45am Pleasurable eating I am signing in to say I am signing out to eat a pleasurable breakfast....anon

Derval

POSTED: Wed, 08/18/2010 - 8:09am You are so right, 90% of the You are so right, 90% of the time I eat in front of the tv/laptop. Never for my evening meal which we have as a family at the table but certainly for breakfast & lunch....

Vintage1944

POSTED: Wed, 08/18/2010 - 6:47pm Hi and welcome Thanks for this posting.I have fallen off the wagon a bit.You encourage me to get back on.Jean

mariela

POSTED: Sun, 07/18/2010 - 2:34pm Sounds wonderful! I will join Sounds wonderful! I will join you!

Elizabeth G

POSTED: Wed, 04/28/2010 - 10:15am Mainstream TV doctor advises "Don't Diet!" In the US, there's a TV show called The Doctors featuring four doctors discussing various health issues. It's an odd show, mixing up common-sense health advice and celebrity-type plastic surgery garbage, so I don't always watch it because it frustates me that it's 80% good, 20% ridiculous. Last night, however, one of the doctors said something wonderful. I'm paraphrasing: "I don't believe in diets. They don't work. I ask myself four questions when I'm ready to eat: 1) Is this food delicious? 2) Is it healthy? 3) How will I feel in 30 minutes? (love this!!) and 4) If I ate this food all the time, how healthy would I be 10 years from now?" Isn't this what all of us here are striving to do? I loved hearing the message on a prime time TV show.

Nya_Nya

POSTED: Mon, 05/24/2010 - 4:44am A good strategy, that! Now what if you ask yourself the four questions and number 3 and 4 fail the test but you squash the little voice telling you it's bad and you don't need it and still have it? That's my problem. Not most of the time, thankfully, but when I have this problem I'm always perfectly aware that I'll feel bad in ten minutes (not bad as in guilt, bad as in bloated/stuffed/sick/thirsty etc.). It starts with "just a bite", but then it's as if a dam opened and I lose it.

Sally Asher

POSTED: Mon, 05/16/2011 - 2:34am Resistance Creates Force! I know what you mean about the dam opening and then you lose it. It is probably because you feel like you shouldn't eat it and so you overeat it. It is amazing how little of something indulgent we actually need to feel satisfied. If you eat something and then feel sick or bloated, you may have had more than you needed. We should aim to feel better when we've finished eating than we did when we started. I learned all these tricks while living with a French family in Paris. You can check out my website and book at www.losingitinfrance.com. I know exactly how you feel!

Sheri

POSTED: Tue, 05/25/2010 - 8:07am Similar question to Nya Nya's I experience something similar, perhaps from years of dieting and telling myself something was "bad" so I avoided it - then "give in" and I'd overeat it...or I would avoid the "bad" food and overdo on a healthy food, eating past contentment. ***That is more often the case (a healthy food eaten when not really hungry or past the point of full). This is definitely a learning process. ***So to anyone who's further along in "healthy pleasure eating" -- please share your ideas. Thanks!

Nya_Nya

POSTED: Tue, 05/25/2010 - 8:48am Sheri, I think you are right - it is a learning process and it takes a long time. We should not expect too much too soon. After all, French women are born into this culture and we cannot expect to master it overnight, in my opinion. I try again the next day and it gets easier with time so I'm sure it will get even better.

miamoki

POSTED: Wed, 06/02/2010 - 12:20pm You hit the nail on the head French women were born into this culture and we have to learn it. That is SO TRUE!! The other night I had friends over and while I was sitting there enjoying my bbq dinner, savoring every bite, I looked over and my friends had already finished their plates and were going back for seconds! I didn't do so well when it came to the wine - that is one of my offenders, but that will come with time also. It's just a matter of undoing bad habits. Like Mireille says - do you really need another glass? How would you feel about just stopping? The answer is just fine...I had just never stopped to think about it...eating and drinking on auto pilot!

MrsKoller

POSTED: Wed, 06/02/2010 - 1:05pm Food as fuel Many of us in the United States are taught that food is fuel. We treat eating like it is filling our gas tank. When my fiance fills his tank, when the pump stops automatically, he always gives it a couple more squeezes to top it off (I keep telling him that this is dangerous!) We often eat like this. We fill our tanks and then top it off. We have lost the pleasure of eating and enjoying our food in a social setting. No wonder so many people suffer from acid reflux not to mention the cycle of eat, eat, eat then over exercise or worse diet, diet, diet. Our poor bodies must feel like rubber. They say it takes 14 days for something to become a habit - good or bad. We have to start more good habits. And I am with you on the wine. That's my problem especially with a good meal. I don't realize how much I have had. I put water on the table so I have something else to sip.

miamoki

POSTED: Wed, 06/02/2010 - 1:26pm Great analogy! Especially the part about over filling the gas tank being dangerous!! That is so true - if you over fill you aren't paying attention to your body's automatic response signaling you that it's time to stop. As for the wine - I have been trying to do Mireille's 50 % solution. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. Again it is all about retraining our senses. The over exercising is also a challenge for me. I've been able to maintain my weight over the years because of yo-yo dieting and exercising. I'm 50 something now and quite frankly my body is rebelling. I can no longer do the beatings at the gym, my body can't take it and I feel really deprived when I "diet". I find that when I go to Europe and am forced to follow these principles I lose weight without even trying.

Sheri

POSTED: Wed, 06/02/2010 - 2:37pm Good visual of visiting Europe. I'll try to picture "How would I be eating and moving if I were in Europe right now?" My diet/exercise background is similar. I know dieting doesn't work, and I am trying to get the hang of eating for pleasure vs "fuel and go" to the next activity. Thanks!

Nya_Nya

POSTED: Thu, 06/03/2010 - 3:22am What if you already are European? :) Well, I'm European - so that won't help me much! :) I'll try imagining how I would eat if I moved to France. :)

Sheri

POSTED: Tue, 05/25/2010 - 10:32am Relief Nya Nya - I felt a sense of relief come over me as I read your response. Instead of being frustrated with myself I can start again where I am, knowing this is different that what I was taught growing up (or even taught now, outside of this site). Thank you so much!

Nya_Nya

POSTED: Tue, 05/25/2010 - 2:55pm I'm glad I could help! I have to fight the same feelings all the time. Women are particularly prone to expect perfection, especially from ourselves. But we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves and frustration can be dangerous - it can lead to weak self esteem and we mustn't ever stop loving ourselves, warts and all, right?

MrsKoller

POSTED: Thu, 05/27/2010 - 11:02am We all feel that way Thank you for putting it out there. I know that I have worked myself in to a tizzy and the stress slows the digestive process even more. I eat out of boredom rather than emotional eating. The problem is by the time I realize what I did, it is too late and I am already feeling the effects. I have learned to forgive myself though and that helps a lot.

Ava

POSTED: Sun, 05/23/2010 - 10:32am Hi Elizabeth I too have caught the odd show of 'The Doctors' during my U.S. trips (it's surprising what you get sucked into watching - though admittedly it was initially the sight of Dr. Travis Stork that hooked me in whilst waiting for the news to restart!) I agree - the show is a mix of good and just plain silly - but the good stuff IS worth noting. I didn't see the show you mentioned in particular - but I think those four little questions are well worth asking BEFORE you put anything into your mouth! I shall certainly be giving it a go :-) Thanks for the info. I also read in the Independent recently, that you should only consider eating food that naturally rots away - sounds horrid but think about it...fruit, veg, meat....not artificial crips, sweets etc...for example - how often do monster munch, pringles or boiled sweets rot away? Think about how you've found them behind the sofa a year later - and they're still intact! Positively gross! (BTW if you're wondering how such things end up behind my sofa...you need look no further than after an evening watching DVD's with my dear friend, who I'm trying to convince give up her beloved junk). Ava X Here is the link to the whole story from The Independent... http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/michael-...

Elizabeth G

POSTED: Tue, 05/25/2010 - 11:53am Thanks for the link, Ava! Very interesting and a timely reminder that simple is better. Here is a great quote from Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” There was a time in my house when, if we found food and other items behind the couch, we knew our pet ferrets were to blame! They especially loved shiny things and we couldn't decorate the bottom 1/3 of our Christmas tree because they would steal and hoard the ornaments. I know they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I found them completely delightful and still miss them (we acquired a dog who desperately wanted to chase and eat them, so we found a new, more peaceful home for the ferrets).

Marilyn

POSTED: Sun, 05/23/2010 - 4:31pm Good article I found that article very interesting. I do try to buy good food. Luckily we do not like crisps etc so they are never in the house. Junk food has never been a big problem. My downfall is chocolate but I do buy good dark chocolate and try to have only a little. I liked the idea of making sure that the animals we eat are fed well. I have started buying my meat from the local butcher who knows exactly from where his meat is bred. Usually local farmers.

Vintage1944

POSTED: Sun, 05/23/2010 - 10:50am Hi Ava and Elizabeth I shall have those questions tattoed on my inner eyelids.The rotting theory does make sense...albeit gross.Things to ponder to keep on track.

Nikita

POSTED: Wed, 05/05/2010 - 4:19pm Thats a good one! Thanks Elizabeth, I will remember this one. Netta

Elizabeth G

POSTED: Wed, 05/05/2010 - 9:33pm Those 4 questions.... My biggest hurdle of the questions to ask ourselves is "How will I feel in 30 minutes?" When I'm doing that awful binge thing with sweets, I know exactly how I will feel in 10 minutes, let alone 30: I will feel bloated, slightly sick, disappointed and ashamed. This is a TERRIBLE thing to do to myself!! I really do love and respect myself, and if my best friend admitted she felt disappointed and ashamed of herself I would hug her close and tell her she's wonderful. So this is my self-hug and reminder that I deserve to feel wonderful too.

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