Last night was the sneak preview for Jamie Oliver's TV show, Food Revolution. Jamie also known as the “naked chef” is traveling across America to help people eat healthier and improve their lives.
Jamie’s first stop was in Huntington, West Virginia, which has the reputation of being “the unhealthiest town in America.” To Jamie’s surprise, he quickly learned his healthy lifestyle changes were met with much resistance. Jamie was not only shocked but hurt by the negative response received to the help he was offering. Even the local DJ was put off by Jamie’s desire to inspire people to change their health habits. The DJ questioned, “Who are you to tell us what to eat?” continuing, “We’re not interested in eating lettuce all day.” Even though the DJ’s words were harsh he is not alone in his thinking. Many Americans do not realize eating healthy goes far beyond the salad bowl.
The children in the video had trouble recognizing common, fresh vegetables like tomatoes. Why should they know fresh veggies when they are used to being served food that only resembles food? Jamie was disgusted when he discovered the school was serving pizza for breakfast, stating he had never seen such a practice in any country.
Viewing this preview will make one think back to the mystery meals they were served in school or may even turn the focus to the meals your children are being served. Is it possible these meals will have an impact on their lives 20-30 years from now?
If you or your children are unable to form healthy eating habits because you learned bad practices early on, the answer is probably yes.
The preview video focuses on Huntington, West Virginia but the issue is much larger than this town. Unhealthy eating habits are learned in America at a young age and if left unlearned are passed down from generation to generation.
Mindless eating often leads to overeating or eating foods that have no nutritional value. Unfortunately many mindless eaters are on autopilot and do it automatically without giving it a second thought. If you would like to be more mindful in your eating try these following techniques.
1.
- Get in touch with your hunger: When you wake up in the morning don’t eat until you feel that first sign of hunger. Get to know what it feels like when you are first hungry, this way you will be able to recognize when that feeling is gone and know when to stop eating
- Limit the distractions: Many like to multitask but while you are trying to get your eating under control try eating without doing anything else. Enjoy the taste and every bite of your food. Pay attention to your body signals. Do this and you will start to recognize when you start to feel the feeling of fullness.
- Take your time: Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes on average for your stomach to communicate with your brain that it is full. If you eat slowly you will realize you are full before consuming too many calories.
Let’s first have a conversation and then retrain the brain to build new eating habits. What are your pitfalls to mindless eating? Have you found any techniques to combat these pitfalls and become more mindful in your eating?
See the Sneak Peek at the Food Revolution
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