Diets. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of them.
Why is it that we focus so much on food and eating? Something that’s as physiologically natural as hydrating ourselves or going to the toilet? Do we really have to put this much thought and effort into it?
Recently, I’ve come to an epiphany. I have tried all sorts of diets but there is one thing I haven’t tried — giving myself a break and just letting myself eat normally. I’ve pretty much tried it all, so I thought 'what have I got to lose?'.
But there was a problem. I've forgotten how to eat normally.
If you’re like me and for a while you’ve been tracking calories, counting macros, limiting portions, reading labels, chances are you’ve also lost touch of your own natural eating habits. So based on my observations of normal eaters around me, and my memories of my natural instincts around food as a child, I’ve written below a list of things normal eaters do.
They eat when they’re hungry
Normal eaters don’t worry about how much they’ve already eaten that day, or whether or not they've only eaten five minutes ago. They just eat when they’re hungry.
They eat UNTIL they’re satisfied
Normal eaters don’t limit themselves until they’re satisfied. BUT they also do not eat beyond satisfaction.
They never feel guilty eating anything
Whether it’s pizza or salad, they never feel bad or reward themselves for eating something. They eat, feel full then forget about it.
They are aware of what they eat
Normal eaters tend to be more aware of their food. They don’t inhale their meals, but instead, they take time to savour it.
They eat what satisfies them
Whether it's warm and gloopy porridge, something fresh like salad or fruit, a sweet piece of chocolate, they just eat whatever they feel would make them satisfied
Food isn’t the focus of their day
They don’t meal prep for hours or think about what they will have for lunch the next day. They go about their day and eat when it’s time to eat.
They don’t follow a strict eating routine
If they don’t feel like breakfast, they skip it, if they have lunch at 3pm it doesn’t matter to them. They just eat when they feel like it or when it suits them.
They enjoy food with others
They don’t skip parties, birthday dinners, board room potlucks just to stay away from unhealthy food.
Foods aren’t put into categories
They don’t consider foods ‘good’ or ‘bad’.
They appreciate food but they don’t obsess about it
They like food but they are not dominated by it.
They don’t count calories or track anything
They don’t do food diaries, calorie apps, macronutrient trackers, read labels etc.
They only see food as fuel, not an emotional satisfaction or mental reward
Food is completely separate from their emotional or mental being. They don’t go home and eat a bowl of ice cream because they had a bad day at work, or reward themselves with a piece of cake after handing in an assignment. They only eat to fuel their bodies.
Overall, for normal eaters, eating comes as instinctively as scratching an itch. They may be aware and put some effort into healthy eating but in general, they just let their body do its thing.