What Toddlers Can Teach Us About Eating

Source :http://www.duluthclinic.org/otherspecialties/nutritionservices/int_whattoddlerscanteachusabouteating.htm

If you want to see the intelligence of the human body in action, try watching a toddler eat.

Toddlers take a bite of this, a sip of that, and a finger-full of something else, all the while smelling, feeling, mashing and exploring their food. Their whole body moves toward food with eagerness. Toddlers are positive about eating.

As for quantity, toddlers respond to their inner satiety cues. They eat what they need and run off to play. The toddler eater knows when he has eaten enough to fuel his body. This is the wisdom of the body in action.

As adults, we too have this built-in "how much" regulator, but learned behaviors and external messages — such as "clean your plate,""too fattening," or "not healthy enough" — have overpowered this inborn trust and competence.

It is essential to reclaim ownership of the competent eater within us — to listen, trust and use the body's intelligence. You can shift from "external control" to "body trust" in your eating management, by asking yourself these insightful, intuitive questions:

• Am I giving myself permission to eat?
  This is most important. It opens up body trust and the ability to pay attention to body cues. There is a paradox here. You would think that by giving yourself permission to eat that your weight and eating would go out of control. In fact just the opposite happens — your weight stabilizes and finds its genetic predisposition.
  
• What am I feeling physically? How hungry? How thirsty? How full? How satisfied?
  Tune in to these clear physical cues and pay attention to them. Rate your hunger and fullness on a scale of zero to 10, zero being ravenous and 10 being stuffed full. Become mindful of where you are within your body at the beginning of eating, and at the end. Don't judge — just gently become aware.
  
  Also, become attentive to thirst. We often experience thirst well before hunger. TIP: sip on water all day long.
  
• Am I recognizing my body's satiety signals, which tell me when I've had enough?
  Satiety is individually recognized at about a 5 to 6 on the above 0 to 10 scale. It is the point where your body innately balances energy in with energy out — without counting a single calorie. No diet can honor this inner wisdom. In fact, diets destroy it.
  
• What am I feeling emotionally in this moment, as I move towards food? This is your emotional awareness of everything that is competing with the competent "toddler eater" within. This step moves you to a place where you can let go of the destructive diet mentality and negative learned messages (attitudes, anxiety, fear, guilt and shame).
  
• How do I fuel my body optimally throughout the day? Start the day with your own plan for eating every two to four hours. Choose "mini-fuel" combinations of lean protein, carbohydrates, and fat to give you the kind of energy and alertness you can appreciate all day long. Read labels, seek information, and make informed choices, but remain attentive to your body— the cues from within will guide you.

The desired positive outcome here is to provide you with awesome sustained energy, mentally and physically, all day long! Own it again and enjoy it. It will make a difference in the total you!!

Source:http://www.duluthclinic.org/otherspecialties/nutritionservices/int_whattoddlerscanteachusabouteating.htm