02 Jul 08 The Daily Plate

I’m still hanging in there. Been ten days now…  Ok, I know it’s not long, but I’ve not quit. In fact, I realized that I was eating too much of some stuff. I’ve not really quit eating thing I ate before, but just less of it.

I’m finding that I CAN eat one sandwich for lunch instead of three, and although after I’ve eaten one, I could really really eat another right away, if I wait awhile, I’m not hungry after all.

My fresh fruit intake has gone up quite a bit, which, of course, is good.

I read recently that we should all eat like a three year old.  Huh?

Well, have you ever watched how a three year old eats? They take what you give them, poke around at it a bit, and then usually cram it in until they’re full. Then they push away what they don’t want and that’s it.

Trouble is, even those of us that try to eat decent fresh food often eat too much, simply because we were bought up to “clear our plates” and  got the “all the starving children in the world that would be glad of that food and you’re wasting it” routine.

Of course starving children anywhere is a real tragedy but for us to stuff extra food down that we don’t really want does nothing to help that. The  way to help is perhaps to eat a little less, and there might be some more to send overseas, or perhaps we’d have a few dollars left to give to aid charities.

Still, that three year old, doesn’t know any of that, and doesn’t care, and when she’s had enough, she’s not going to eat any more, no way, no how.

Also, the three year old doesn’t have an urge to find comfort foods like a big pile of cookies, or a pint of ice cream. They’ll eat it probably, but again only what they want, and not because they’re fed up with something!

Anyway,  it’s soon going to be dinner time here, and I’ve got a few ideas, but nothing definite yet. I’d better get to the kitchen and try and think like a three year old.

Tags: charities, comfort foods, dinner time, fresh food, fresh fruit, fruit intake, lunch, pint, sandwich, starving children, tragedy, urge