Part 5 of a series...

This is the part I was the least excited to discuss. EAT WISELY. And the subcategories were Plant Based, Wine, and privilegesModeration. There are so many triggering ideas here. The docuseries did a decent job discussing them but it's just hard to ignore some of the privileges these cultures have in regards to food that many Americans do not have access to. In each of the different cultures they showed traditional foods being made, simple foods, ALL food groups, carbs, meat, fats BUT lots of these foods were hand made from scratch. Most of the cultures did have diets that were primarily vegetarian, lots of beans and complex carbs,

So yeah, we all agree more plants are better for our bodies, and less processed foods are better for our systems. We are starting to recognize that the food industry in America and the cash crops may not be doing our bodies any favors in terms of additives, pesticides, herbicides, genetically modified, and on and on. But here is the problem with our 'advanced culture' here in the States. We have had access to these commercially available foods for as long as we can remember. We as women and moms have needed these processed foods as staples in our homes so we can work to keep up with the financial requirements of living in this advanced culture.

In Japan, Nicaragua, Sardinia, and Greece, these people never had access, or only limited access, to commercial products. Some of these places are so remote or impoverished there only job was to work their land and produce food for their family. That's crazy that I'm saying that is a privilege compared to living in the US of A.

And I don't want to say it's impossible to change eating habits and to make small changes to improve diets and health, I mean that is literally what I'm trained to do. It's just such a great learning curve, and for many people, it is either a time or financial commitment they may not have. On top of that, the added shame a mom feels when her kid eats dino nuggets for the 3rd day in a row and you don't know the last time he ate any plant matter, but you have to feed him, and you question your entire training and career and consider the consequences of your bad mothering - Hi, Me... I'm that mom. It just is a lot for women to take on when we have so much on our proverbial plate already.

Then we turn to the wine. So they're saying it's good to drink wine. Well, I took it as all the cultures made time for fun and relaxation, and that might include a glass of wine. And again, like I mentioned in Part 4, when you're unwinding consistently a glass or 2 of wine is enough and you can enjoy it. When you're using a bottle or 2 to just deal with the day-to-day, that's where we have a situation we need to address.

And what about moderation, I fucking hate this word. It doesn't mean anything, it's a scapegoat for people to shame others about how much they ate. The centenarians in the series tended to eat small amounts and leave a little extra on their plates. Also, being in those remote areas they may have experienced food shortages that make them more mindful of how much they were eating.

Ok, I'm going to just keep getting fired up so let's get to the helpful bits and the ways you can add some magic to this mundane and sometimes infuriating topic that is Eating. Honestly, because that is where my primary training is this is SOO just the tip of the iceberg.

  1. Recognize that you're feeding yourself and your family. Every time you warm up those dino nuggets or French bread pizza, that is an alchemy to prevent hangry demons from attacking you.
  2. Feed Yourself Consistently. Just like an evil queen that needs to eat souls to stay young, you need to eat consistently in order to avoid shriveling up throughout the day. Notice if there are large gaps of time where you go without eating, where you might be drinking an extra coffee instead of eating because you don't have time to sit down to a meal. Sometimes with all the 'food rules' in our society, it can be too overwhelming to think of what balanced snack/meal you should make, so it's easier to skip it than deal with decision fatigue. My go to? Apple and a cheese stick, maybe some pretzels, ooh I'm really loving popcorners right now too! But decide for yourself now, what is your go-to snack so you don't have to think about it. Eating regularly is not only great for your physical body, but it also helps to manage stress hormones as well.
  3. Add Nutrition. Kitchen Magic, adding these ingredients to your nightly non-stick cauldron to add benefits to your body, not subtract. Now here is where it can get tricky with kids, but at least try it for yourself and let your little ones see it. Add beans and greens where you can. Taco night... add black beans to your beef and extra spinach to your shredded iceberg. Spaghetti night... add cannellini beans to the sauce, a side of arugula with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a quick side salad. Soup season... add some beans and kale to the mix. This does a couple of things, it makes your meal more nutritious, you'll feel better, your insides will thank you, also it makes the meal a little bigger in the long run. Now you have more leftovers for lunches, there now you don't need to think about that, and because beans are cheap and you have more leftovers, your grocery budget ... well should probably just stay the same.

That's it. don't overthink it. Tomorrow we'll combine all these things to help you figure out the best and most effective ways you can add these ideas into your actual real life.