Cravings: What to do When Food Calls Your Name

cravings what to do food name Beth Rosen, RD

For the past few days, I have had a craving for brownies.  You know, the kind with the crispy, flaky top and a chewy inside?  For most of my life, I stayed away from desserts.  In order to reach that “ideal” body/size/shape, restriction of many foods became the norm.  Even with the decades of restriction, I never did see that “ideal.”  I gave up dieting years ago and retrained myself to eat intuitively and end the self-shame (easier said than done, but it is possible!).  Now, when I have a craving, I honor it.  In the past, I would have ignored it, restricted, and eaten other “healthy” foods to fill the void.  Even though that technique kept me from eating the food that called my name, I never felt satisfied (uh oh, I hear a refrain from Hamilton coming on).  From there, I would eat lots of other things, hoping for the healthy stuff to make up for the sweet craving.  Two things I noticed: One, I probably ate way more food and calories from avoiding the food that called my name than I would have if I had just eaten it, and two, the craving would never go away; I would just get really full from the foods on the “good” list.

But what do you do when food calls your name?

Ever since the realization that diets don’t work, I no longer restrict food.  I have no “bad” foods, no “guilty pleasures,” and no “oh that looks so good, but I shouldn’t.”  I will eat it all.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  I will eat any food that doesn’t cause me physical pain.  I am sensitive to gluten and dairy and I am allergic to sesame, so I avoid foods with those ingredients because the aftermath is not worth it (I will spare you the details). Beyond my intolerances and allergy, all foods fit into my eating pattern.  Instead of restricting and creating lists of foods that are off limits, I listen to my body; I eat when I’m hungry and I honor my fullness and stop most often when I am satisfied.  Believe it or not, most days I choose fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and a little dairy (with the help of a lactase pill).  And on most days, I have a little chocolate, or something sweet. There are some days where I may eat fewer vegetables and more tortilla chips, but over the course of the week, it all evens out.

When a craving calls my name, I consider why I might be craving it.  Am I hungry?  Does it contain a nutrient I might need? If I don’t know the answer, it doesn’t mean I’ll stay away from the food.  What I have learned to do is to honor the craving and be aware of why I eat. I have taken the power away from all foods, so they hold no guilt or shame over me.  This is a skill that takes practice and time, and it is worth the practice, because, in the end, I can make a tray of brownies and just have one.  Or two.  Or the whole tray.  I know I can always make another batch.  I know I can throw them out if I don’t want them anymore, and I know I can freeze them in case another craving comes my way (those gluten-free brownie mixes are expensive!).  When a food calls my name, I honor the call and move on.  No more fretting, no more self-shame or blame.  I get hungry, I eat, and I go on with my life.

It really is so freeing to eat what I love and love what I eat, and then just live.  Just as I am, because I am enough.

When a food calls your name, what do you do?

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xo

B

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Beth Rosen

Eating Attitudes™ & Gut Expert

Beth Rosen, MS, RD, CDN is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Beth Rosen Nutrition. She practices a non-diet philosophy and is a Health at Every Size" practitioner. Her goal is to end the pain of diet culture, one person at a time. Beth's techniques and programs empower chronic dieters, and those who consider themselves emotional and /or stress eaters, to ditch the vicious cycle of dieting, eat fearlessly by removing Food and diet rules, and mend their relationship with food and their bodies. Beth's works face-to-face with clients in Southbury, CT, and virtually with clients, worldwide.

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