Last weekend I went to the movies with my son. Of course,
we weren't seeing the same movie (my tastes don't quite
mesh with my 16 old), but we did drive over together. As I
was sitting in my seat, waiting for the previews, I
overheard a conversation a few seats down from me. It went
a something like this:
"Every night I sit down with my bag of dark chocolate bits
and I eat until I am full and can't eat another bite. I
know they are good for me and I'm supposed to eat them, but
I don't even like dark chocolate!"
This was sad to me on so many levels, perhaps the saddest
being that she didn't like dark chocolate!
But let's look at what this woman was saying, and why it is
sad-and very unhealthy.
First, she is sitting down every night and eating until she
can't have another bite. To be sitting down, probably in
front of a television set, and eating is not a good habit.
I call this type of eating "unconscious eating," because
you aren't aware of how much you consume. A movie theatre
is another example. How often have you bought the large
popcorn and it was finished before the previews? I call
those "wasted calories" because you probably didn't even
have a chance to enjoy them.
She did say she ate until she couldn't eat another bite-so
perhaps she wasn't in front of the television. Yet she was
making a point to sit and just eat, until she was so full
she couldn't eat another bite. This is another unhealthy
behavior. Chances are that if you eat until you are
stuffed, especially before going to bed, you are still
going to feel full in the morning. When people overeat at
night, they tend to decide to skip breakfast the next day,
which sets themselves up for a cycle of skipping meals and
then eventually overeating because they wait too long, and
feel famished. While this behavior won't hurt you if you
only do it on occasion, this woman sounded like she overate
every night, and I'm guessing she did not eat regular meals
the rest of the time.
Let's leave the chocolate part for last, but look at the "I
know they are good for me, but I don't like them" comment.
This is a terrible reason to eat food: because it is good
for me. The primary reason you should eat something is
because you like the way it tastes-the fact that certain
foods have potential health benefits is a bonus. But to
just eat something "because I should" is wrong. Folks who
do this wind up not appreciating all the wonderful foods,
tastes and flavors found in meals and snacks.
Unfortunately, food becomes like medicine-you don't take it
because you like it, but because it's good for you.
Now, let's address the last comment "I don't even like dark
chocolate." Nevermind that the research suggesting dark
chocolate may be heart healthy. Nevermind the fact that I,
personally, am only starting to accept that there are
people who don't like dark chocolate (and I can still be
friends with them). The amounts recommended are less than 2
ounces per day, and the plant chemicals found in the dark
chocolate can also be found in other fruits, like apples.
However, to force feed yourself dark chocolate while you
don't like it? This makes food more than medicine-it makes
food a punishment.
Please don't punish yourself by forcing foods into your
mouth you do not like. Food is one of the many pleasures
we have in our lives. Of course there are many reasons to
eat fruits and vegetables, chicken and fish. And there are
also good reasons to eat cake, ice cream and chocolate.
Just don't make the reason "because it's good for me."
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With Food™, as well as access to interesting articles
and links to nutritional resource websites, visit=>
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