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Aileen Birkitt, RD: Posted on Wednesday, November 6, 2013 11:59 AM
Renew is
the word for today. Renew, renew. Don’t fret if you overate yesterday, or the
day before. Or maybe you didn’t eat
enough. Remember today is a new day.
You don’t
have to wait until the New Year to make
changes. Been thinking about going for a
walk? Start now, start small. (If you have clearance from your physician,
of course).
Each new
day you get a new chance to improve, to make small changes.
Erase the
guilt from overeating or not eating the right things. It’s a fresh start!
Also, if you are
experiencing signs of an eating disorder and have not discussed it with anyone,
make the call today. Get in touch with a
dietitian, therapist and psychiatrist for a proper diagnosis. There are some wonderful resources out
there.
For example
IFED (International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians) can guide you to a dietitian in your
area:
www.eddietitians.com
Many times
we refer to the eating disorder as ED.
So today, remember to renew today and kick that Ed in the butt if you are are suffering from an eating disorder!
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Aileen Birkitt, RD: Posted on Thursday, September 19, 2013 12:03 PM
Today I
would like to discuss how we are relating to food with our children. What do I mean by this? For instance, if in the morning you are
telling your child, “Eat this- you need more fiber” or “ You never eat enough
fruits and vegetables…”. Sound
familiar?
What I am
concerned about is that we are making meals into somewhat laborious tasks that
must be completed. By telling children
what they HAVE to do or what they are missing is taking away the enjoyment of
eating.
Start
making breakfast time enjoyable now so that when they are teenagers maybe they
will get up a few minutes early to eat.
How? Just make sure to offer everything (protein,
carb, fruit, dairy). And don’t nag about
what they are not eating (as a parent I know, not easy). But we can all try.
Not happy
with a cereal your child wants for breakfast?
Maybe not a “whole grain” or not enough fiber? Mix it with another cereal. Or let them have the treat cereal once in a
while and serve it with some whole wheat toast and some fruit.
My advice
for all meals is that it is up to the parents to offer balanced meals. It is up to the child to choose or not choose
to eat those things. Your job is done
once you have cooked and presented the food.
Family style eating (where your child gets to pick what they will eat-
food gets passed around) gives children more control over eating.
The point
that I would like to end with is that kids don’t need to get caught up in all
the mixed messages about food. They
should concentrate on activities they like, playing with friends, homework-
instead of the added worry of not enough vitamin C, too many carbs, not enough
fiber, etc. Let’s just treat food like
food!
Enjoy!!!
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Aileen Birkitt, RD: Posted on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 2:56 PM
I have a question for you. Do you eat meals until you are STUFFED? Do you feel gross and full when you are done with your meal? If so, here are some tips to help with this:
It may take a while, but practice mindful eating. What is this you ask? It is eating slowly, and paying attention to what you are eating. This means not eating in front of the tv, while working, reading, etc. Really try and TASTE your food. Also, don't eat until you are stuffed, but comfortably full. Remember it can take 10-20 minutes for your stomach to feel full so stop when you are SATISFIED. Also, sometimes I like to have a small chocolate after one of my meals( I mean small, individually wrapped, like 2 Hershey kisses or one Ghiradelli individually wrapped dark chocolate square). This is a nice signal to your body also that your meal is done. And, you hopefully can stop at just one since you are comfortably full!
Remember to slow down and enjoy those meals!
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