Let's Talk Food

When it comes to food there are three questions: how much, how often, and of what quality? I have noticed that my clients fall into three categories:

• The Minimalist tends to skip breakfast and eat too few calories.
• The Crave-ers crave either sugar or carbohydrates.
• Too Busy to Cook grab a meal at a restaurant or take-out.

No judgment here; I am just stating what I have observed. At Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, co-founder Deborah Szekely would say, "Calories in, calories out." Calories in is the food we consume; calories out is our activity level.

How often: 3 meals plus up to 2 snacks. Breakfast is important because your body fasts while you sleep. Upon waking, your body needs nutrition. Breakfast is not defined as ham and eggs; break-fast is the food with which we start our day. Simply eating breakfast can boost your metabolism. Greek yogurt with fresh fruit and a handful of raw almonds can be an on-the-go breakfast. When we consume too few calories, our body goes into starvation mode and converts muscle into fat to store. When we eat regularly, our metabolism is enhanced.

How much is more complex. If I knew your weight, age, and Basal Metabolic Rate, I could figure the number of calories you should consume a day. There are wonderful sites like Vitabot on which you can record what you eat and see a report card of the nutrients you are receiving. Ideally, the protein you choose should be about the size of your fist, and the other three-quarters of your plate would be complex carbohydrates, which contain fiber and are metabolized more slowly than simple sugars, helping prevent sudden swings in blood sugar.

Crave-ers would benefit from the Glycemic Index, which lists food based on the amount of insulin produced to process it. Meat, cheese, and strawberries are very low; rice is one of the highest. So do we not eat the high-number foods? Of course not, we quantify. Instead of 3 cups of rice, how about 1.5 cups with 2 cups of salad? What I can quantify I can control. My rule: if you crave sugar, eat some protein. Protein is complex and digests more slowly, so there is no sudden rise and decline of blood sugar.

The quality of our nutrition may suffer when we eat out or grab take-out regularly. A good book that delineates chain restaurant choices is Eat This, Not That! The experts recommend three servings of fruit and two to five cups of vegetables per day. Preparing and eating natural foods can be one of life's pleasures. Organic fruits and vegetables are preferred, and reading labels is very important. If you can't pronounce it on the label, you probably don't want to put it in your body.

By being aware of how much, how often, and the quality of what you are eating, you can adjust so that you feel great.

Whisper of the Breath Diva:

In this moment I can inhale and nourish myself.