Good Carbs!?!?!?!

I like carbs. Sometimes I crave them and sometimes I crave protein. It's intuitive to crave a variety of foods. Intuitive eaters are curious to see what different eating options provide. Intuitive eating is open options. There are no rules, just tools.

I read a blog this morning about reasons carbs help you lose weight and was struck by the missing information. Immediately I connected with a power tool of intuitive eating, curiosity. Curiosity is like having x-ray vision and super hearing because it is looking closer and hearing more. This flexible open attitude is used by intuitive eaters to stay aware, in control of their weight.

Balanced eating makes sense intuitively because different organs in your body have different needs. Of course, before you eat, it's critical to check in with your body with your senses and intuition to feel if you have a craving for protein. If you do, and you want to slim down, don't combine the protein with a starch.  The reason is that when you eat a "resistant starch" alone, your body will convert that starch to a protein. But, if you mix these carbs with protein, your body will not need the carb as a protein and will convert it to a fattening starch.  

For ex: You can enjoy spaghetti with garlic and oil, or with a tomato sauce and your body will digest it as a protein. As soon as you add meat to the spaghetti, your body will digest it as a starch.

Sometimes when you feel a need for carbs, the ones called "Resistant Starches" can bring a satisfying slimming meal, especially if you have it with a light salad. Resistant starches include: bananas, oatmeal, white beans, black beans, lentils, potatoes, plantains, garbanzo beans, pearl barley, whole wheat or semolina pasta, and brown rice. 

A good carb breakfast is oatmeal, with bananas in it for sweetness, and a handful of walnuts for  your brain. Yep, walnuts, which look like tiny brains (!), are good for enhancing your brain power. I learned that using curiosity. Being curious is your intuitive way of staying aware. 

Rice and beans combined (no meat added) create a perfect protein and a satisfying slimming meal. ttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=2

Don't believe everything you read. To enjoy eating and stay in control, be curious about what you eat and how your body feels at mealtime. That's intuitive eating.

To learn more about your intuitive tools read: Am I Really Hungry? 6th Sense Diet : Intuitive Eating.

Temptation and Obsession

What is the difference between temptation and obsession when it comes to diet?

Being tempted to eat means you are still in control. We all live with temptation. We are in a kind of flow, where choices must be made before we realize it. You are tempted to stay longer, leave earlier, eat more, work-out less, make a call, turn off the phone, take a chance, stay with the familiar, stop learning new things, start something new- .  

• Temptation makes you think twice. It puts you to the test. 
• Because temptation forces you to think twice, you are in control.

Temptation is the opportunity for you to remember your eating priorities. Feeding this satisfies you physically and emotionally. Think twice about what your body needs to feel satisfied by noticing what you notice.

• When you tune in to your body and make the choice to respect your self, things start to make sense. 
• Amazingly temptation brings out the best in you.

Obsessing feels like being out of control. It's unpleasant. In fact, obsession is losing perspective about what makes you feel good. It's like filling a sieve with water - it doesn't work. Perhaps the obsession is pizza, chocolate, or pasta and you only can think of finding satisfaction with your obsession. But- the problem is that it doesn’t happen. The result is of obsessive eating is physical discomfort and emotional dissatisfaction because in fact, food is not a substitute for what you really want. 

Only eating for good health, 

for quality of life, 

to enjoy the sharing the pleasure and 

to experience the satisfaction of taste and smell, can satisfy you physically. 

Anything else that may drive you to eat is self-destructive.

You can stay in control by remembering emotional demands are not your friend. Emotional demands ignore physical needs. Your senses connect with you physically.  Trust what you see and taste with what you know, before you allow your emotions to boss you around.  Ideas that turn into obsessions about what to eat, are not in sync with your physical needs. Don't abuse your body or allow stress to defeat your eating goals.

• Be flexible with yourself and you will discover that you have the answers. 
• Your first intuitive sense is your survival instinct. Use it. 

Many people write to me because they identify with my March 23 blog: Zig Zag Eating, http://fine-tuning-eating.blogspot.com/2010/03/zig-zag-eating.html.   Is that you?

We’re in this together, and we’ll walk through this together. You are not alone. Keep your head up and your eyes open. You have "it".

Namaste.

*JaneBernard