By Dr. Fern Moreno
Do you feel like we are constantly bombarded with changing information on WHAT to eat in order to achieve health? Many popular diets are helpful in the short-term, but may not be individualized or sustainable for particular lifestyles and cultures. It is difficult to subscribe to a one-size-fits-all diet when our living and health conditions can be so different from person-to-person and even day-to-day.
Let’s take the focus away from thinking about food and bring it back to discovering our personal relationship with food—our individual experience of eating…
Before you keep reading, here’s something to think about: What is your current relationship with food? Has it changed throughout your life?
Feeding is not only necessary for survival; it is precious and unique to everyone. It can be a space for great enjoyment, creativity, and comfort, or a place of stress, emotional or physical pain, or dependence. This may be the most exciting and confusing time to be a hungry human being…. There are more options, flavors and textures than ever before in history, many of them designed to pull you away from your gut instincts (pun intended), and lure you toward instant gratification and constant consumption. Quick, easy and accessible are wonderful types of resources in our busy lives, but when it is all we know, we miss out on discovering the inherent and invaluable connection we can have with living food.
The truth is, most people already know what they should be eating, but few people deeply contemplate why they struggle to do so.
This 2-Part blog was written with inspiration from many patients and friends who have an “it’s complicated-relationship-status” with food. Rebuilding or strengthening any relationship takes intention, practice, and often times, support. Below are 3 of 10 Topics & Practices that I hope may offer some guidance on rediscovering HOW TO EAT FOOD to optimize one of the most important relationships you will ever have.
1. USE ALL OF YOUR SENSES
- Observe beautiful colors. The more naturally colorful and vibrant whole foods are the more phytonutrients they tend to have. Certain color foods have specific nutrients that support specific organ systems. For example: Red foods help lower inflammation; Orange foods support reproductive health; Yellow foods aid digestion; Green foods support cardiovascular health; and Blue and Purple foods assist with memory, learning and mood. 6
- Learn specific nutrients commonly found in colorful whole foods.
- Smell all the scents released from individual spices and ingredients and notice how they change when mixed together or cooked. Research shows that new odors tend to be considered less pleasant and can lead to a phobia of trying new foods (neophobia). The more exploration and exposure a person has through sniffing different foods, the less food phobia they have and the more likely they can benefit from trying new and nutritious foods! 3
- Dare to Taste new flavors; let your sense of smell guide you. Our taste in food is largely influenced by childhood exposure, poverty, past food poisoning, culture, education level, and socioeconomic status 3 —but never let that stop you from safely exploring new nutritious foods.
- Be courageous in your cooking, even if you’ve never prepared food before or have always cooked inside the lines. There is little to lose and so much to gain by taking chances and experimenting in daily cooking and preparing. Trying new spices and using various colored whole foods is a great place to start.
- Listen in for a food symphony to prepare your taste pallet. We are conditioned to expect a certain experience from say, the sound of a crinkly wrapper or the sound of a soda can opening, but what if we train our ears to listen in to what the preparation of healthy whole foods founds like; the chopping of a crunchy head of lettuce, the peeling of an orange, the crispness of a fresh apple, or the sizzling of spices and oil on the skillet.
- You may consider how the sounds around you may influence your eating experience. Research shows that louder background noises can reduce your perception of sweet tastes and make it more difficult to discriminate different flavors. 10 Higher noise levels during meals also correlates with greater food intake 4 and a greater likelihood of eating unhealthy foods. 2 One study showed that participants found food more enjoyable when music was considered “pleasant and stimulating”, and tasted more intense the more stimulated they felt by music. 10
- Feel different textures as you eat. Every texture is a completely different experience, but pay attention to textures you may be repeatedly drawn to… We have more food textures available to us than ever before in history thanks to innovative food scientists; some textures, such as “crispy”, are so new they are unknown in other countries and lack even a word to describe them. 7 Sensory stimuli, including food texture, has increased dramatically in the last 30 years, yet our satiety response systems (stomach distention, leptin hormone (signals satiety) and ghrelin hormone (signals hunger) release) have remained the same; this leads to an overwhelming “reward” response to food intake that surpasses our bodies’ natural ability to set limits that prevent us from over-eating. 8 Enjoy texture, but remember to pay attention if you may be drawn to certain textures, particularly in processed foods, that may overpower other senses (above) and contribute to overeating.
- Tune in to how the food you chose makes your body and mind feel. I’m not just referring to the brief and unnatural dopamine rush certain processed and high sugar foods can give; I’m talking about intuitive eating—this means noticing the shifts in your digestion, mood, energy and overall physiology that occur while eating, shortly after eating, and even long after digesting your meals. Consider writing down your experiences in a food diary to help with noticing patterns and improvements. Our bodies are in constant communication with us; Trust your gut.
Let your subtle responses to food be a guiding light to what your body needs to heal and function optimally, and also to what may be causing you damage and perpetuating an already existing condition.
2. COMFY IS THE NEW STYLISH
This one is exactly what sounds like! Ladies and gentleman, give yourself permission to fully enjoy your meals in comfort—leave your tight pants, belts, cossets, dresses, uncomfortable bras, and anything that puts pressure on your abdomen in the closet for meal time. I don’t mean to encourage anyone to over-eat, however, it is important to allow your digestive system to function with out physical restrictions, which could slow or prevent complete digestion and worsen symptoms of acid reflux, abdominal pain, and bloating. Your abdomen will expand when you first eat; that’s normal!
3. START BITTER
Bitter taste has a bad reputation, and for a good reason…Bitter taste is generally an indicator that food is poisonous to us or spoiled, and naturally our bodies reject bitter taste to protect us from possible food poisoning or death. 9 So why start meals with a bitter taste?
Our tongues have receptors that sense bitter taste and signal our bodies to release cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK is a hormone secreted by the duodenum that stimulates the release of bile in the digestive tract and the release of pancreatic enzymes to aid in digestion. One study showed that bitter foods could even bypass the tongue and have the same effect on enteroendocrine cells (found in the gastrointestinal tract, stomach and pancreas). 5 This means you may improve digestion by starting a meal with a bitter tasting food, herb, or tea (that makes you shut your eyes and pucker your lips in repulsion), or simply ingesting bitter foods/herbs without tasting them first.
Studies show that a bitter taste in the mouth (in this case, from tasting the extremely bitter wormwood tea) decreased the “emotional significance” and “motivated attention” to food of all kinds when given a visual stimulus of food. 9 This may be important to consider in cases of chronic overeating.
FERN FACT: One study found that over-weight participants with binge-eating disorder (BED) had a reduced sensitivity to bitter taste (meaning they did not taste bitterness as strongly) compared to normal-weight BED participants and healthy controls. 1
- Some bitter foods include: bitter melon, arugula, dandelion greens, kale, artichoke, broccoli rabe, Brussels Sprouts, dill, endives, eggplant, cranberries, citrus fruit (grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes), radicchio, chicory, coffee (no additives), green tea, ginger (whole, pickled or tea), mint (whole or tea), cocoa, red wine.
- Bitters may also be available as herbal blends in spray, tincture and capsule form, which are easy to travel with at all times. Click HERE for 15% off quality bitters and digestive aids.
I encourage you to continue contemplating your personal relationship with food before the release of “HOW To Eat Food: Part 2”. You are not alone in this.
Leave your thoughts and comments @dr.fernmoreno
Disclaimer: The information presented is not meant to diagnose, treat or provide medical advice. Dosing and recommendations may vary depending on the individual. Please consult your doctor or speak with a naturopathic or integrative doctor during an official consultation to receive medical advice.
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