RESEARCH shows
People who are concerned about heart disease often focus on what to avoid--saturated fat, salt and the like. While that knowledge can be useful, a relaxed attitude about food may make it easier to eat well.
"People say they can't follow a healthy diet, and their mistakes make them miserable," nationally known therapist and dietitian Ellyn Satter said in a recent seminar.
So, as an alternative to rigid, low-calorie menus, Satter developed a theory she called "eating competence," which pairs permission and discipline.
In her model, you have permission "to eat food you enjoy in amounts you find satisfying," Satter said. Self-discipline is needed to schedule regular meals and snacks, and "to tune in while you enjoy them."
To help people measure their eating competence, Satter developed a 16-item quiz. It includes statements such as:
I feel it is OK to eat a food that I like.
I eat a wide variety of foods.
I eat as much as I am hungry for.
People are asked to check answers ranging from "never" to "always" to describe how the statements apply to them. Points are assigned based on answers. (See sidebar for full questionnaire and scoring details.)
Although only one question out of 16 is about choosing nutritious foods, Satter's intuitive plan works--people who scored high were healthier.
Research at Penn State University showed people who were not eating competently were five times as likely to have high LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol. They were also seven times as likely to have high triglyceride levels.
NO LONGER FORBIDDEN
When people hear about eating whatever they want, one of the key points of eating competence, they sometimes worry that they'll go hog wild.
In a teleconference, Satter mentioned a man who had dieted for years and kept gaining more and more weight. When given permission to eat what he wanted, he ate french fries daily for three weeks.
However, in time, french fries felt like an ordinary food rather than a forbidden food, and the man was able to eat normal portions. And his weight improved.
This worked with more than one patient, Satter said. Her research showed people with higher eating competency scores ate more fruits and vegetables and had lower BMIs, or body mass indexes.
BREAKING RULES
The first step to eating competence is establishing regular, sit-down mealtimes and snack times rather than grazing, Satter said.
She encourages basic strategies such as including both high-fat and low-fat foods in meals and including all food groups. Focusing on variety and pleasure can bring balance.
Satter said people need to practice politely saying no if they're not in the mood to eat, and to break certain rules. It's OK to eat only one or two food items, to leave unwanted food on the plate, and even to eat dessert without finishing your vegetables on occasion.
Satter also encouraged people to "sneak up on new food." When trying new foods, pair them with familiar foods. It may take dozens of times of tasting a food prepared different ways before you find a dish you enjoy.
For example, "you will eat whole grains because they taste good and are filling, not just because they're good for you," Satter said.
Eat slowly and pay attention to hunger and fullness, Satter said, and portion sizes will fall into place. Learn to trust your body's signals.
REGULAR MEALS, NOT DIETS
As a dietitian, I'm impressed with Satter's psychological approach to eating. In school, I was trained to calculate each person's needs for calories, fat, carbohydrates and protein. The idea was that if people knew what to eat, with a little willpower they'd be healthy. But it's not that easy to follow a diet.
Many Americans try too hard, obsessively counting calories and mistakenly demonizing certain foods. Others have given up on obeying rigid rules.
A simple shift from avoiding "bad" foods to instead scheduling regular, balanced meals can be incredibly helpful. If you skip a meal, you're likely to be ravenous at the next meal. And no one wants a salad when he's ravenous.
Instead, consider sitting down at the table and enjoying three meals a day. Even an imperfect meal is better than skipping meals and then overeating, or grazing all day. Regular meals are the basis of eating well and feeling energetic.
Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.