Thoughts on Dieting and a Quinoa Recipe

I believe we should all eat when we are hungry.

I interned and now work part-time with a private practice that specializes in eating disorders. We all have that voice inside our heads that sends us positive and negative messages about our bodies, our food intake, our ability to control these things. Eating disorders, like any psychological illnesses, are normal thought patterns taken to the extreme. Those with eating disorders battle with that voice in their heads and that voice begins to win.

I have also worked briefly at a bariatric surgeon's office who specialized in lapband surgery. I had ethical issues with his post-surgery diet so it wasn't a good fit. In the time I worked there, however, I saw another form of disordered eating in both the pre- and post-surgery patients.

Both of these populations had lost touch with or flat out ignored their body's hunger and satiety cues and I, in no way, endorse this. 

If you are hungry, eat. If you are not hungry, don't eat. 

Yes, that is simplistic and  much easier said than done; but that's the premise for a healthy relationship with food.

I also do not believe in "dieting" per se. The research shows time and time again that dieting does not work. No matter the method (low carb, low fat, high protein, shakes, meal plans, or simple calorie restriction), the weight comes off (duh), the dieting stops, and the weight comes back on. The diet mentality is not effective.

One can go "off" a diet and therein lies the problem.

I'll step off my soapbox now to share a recipe and picture. I'm working on my food photography skills. Here is a version of a recipe I found in Clean Eating Magazine.

Quinoa Bowl: 1/2 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup rinsed black beans, 7 grape tomatoes halved, chopped red onion to taste, 1/4 avocado chopped, red wine vinegar to taste, lime juice, and cilantro. YUM! Nutrition Info: 335 kcal, 56g CHO, 9 g fat, 13g protein.