When You’re Done With Diets

Are You Ready to Start an Evolution?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

I dug into the January issue of Bon Appetit over the New Year break and was psyched to see it dedicated to “The New Healthy.” I felt like the NOURISH site was lifted to the Bon Appetit pages, and am SO psyched that the conversation about enjoying a life free of processed food and full of fresh, seasonal, real food has reached the mainstream.

But something stood out that made me say, “I beg to differ.”

Dan Barber, the Executive Chef and co-Owner of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and one of the pillars of the modern sustainable food movement, states in a chef photo spread, “The future of healthful eating is going to be in the hands of chefs, much more than nutritionists or doctors.”

I agree that lasting change is not likely to happen at the hands of doctors or nutritionists, but I personally don’t think it’s going to happen at chefs’ tables either. You know who’s going to make the tidal shift in America?

You are. You and me and every home cook doing what it takes to get dinner on the table during busy weeknights.

I don’t dispute that chefs will inspire us, and I am grateful for that. Here in Healdsburg, I’m continuously in awe of how Spoonbar Chef Louis Maldonado elevates local, seasonal vegetables and sustainably caught fish to a fine art (I just recently made this Brown Rice Mushroom Porridge as a riff on his version at Spoonbar). And I’m psyched to see him get national acclaim for doing so on Top Chef … did you see what he did with broccoli on episode nine of Last Chance Kitchen?

But real, lasting change across America isn’t going to happen with sous vide carrots. It’s going to happen with dishes like this Leek, Lemon and Cauliflower Fettuccine (I used whole wheat spaghetti last night and it rocked). With dishes loaded with vegetables that are easy to cut up and get in the pan. With dishes packed with so much flavor that the whole family tucks in happily without goading, and that reheat for easy, healthy lunches the next day. With meals that use only a couple of pots and a cutting board so they don’t take forever to clean up afterwards.

I happened to make this pasta last night with a gorgeous head of organic cauliflower grown in the garden of our local Shelton’s market, and I’m thankful to have that choice. But if that makes you roll your eyes and think it’s too hard or too expensive to buy local and organic … don’t feel judged! That’s OK. Do what you can. If you’re committing to buying organic at Whole Foods this year, terrific. If you’re just getting familiar with the outer perimeter of your local Safeway, good on you … you’re forging into new territory and that’s a good thing.

The point is, no matter where you are on your NOURISH Evolution, taking one step forward this year will make a difference. So make this cauliflower pasta … you’ll be changing the course of history when you do.

Let Your Food Make You Laugh

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Lia Huber — 2 Comments ↓

Can we all agree that “fusilli” is a fun word to say? I know that may seem off-topic, but it’s not. Really.

I wrote last week about about the real meaning of comfort food in that food is so much more than just what we eat, and you all confirmed the notion big time with your answers to the State of the Kitchen Survey. Over three-quarters of you said you defined “being nourished” as “eating in a way that makes me feel healthy and energized.”

That ain’t no diet, folks. That’s a way of being. It’s a feeling that permeates beyond our physical cells into our souls.

So how does all that apply to Fusilli with Artichokes and Swiss Chard? Because one of the best ways to bring that healthy and energized spirit into your eating is to bring light and laughter into your kitchen. This dish not only has all the Nourishing components for your body–whole grain pasta, lots of leafy greens and seasonal goodies, a touch of goat cheese to amp up the creaminess factor–it’ll have fun with you if you let it.

Here’s an experiment.

1. Get everything ready to make this dish and take note of how you’re feeling–if you’re preoccupied about something at work, feeling rushed because of an evening activity, what have you.

2. Now look at your kid–or at yourself in the mirror–while holding a piece of dried pasta and say the word “fusilli” 10 times fast. Just try not to smile or laugh. I dare you.

3. Now … check in and see if your mindset has lightened or changed, and how that shift affects the rest of your dinner.

Did you notice a shift? Share your experience in a comment below.

This Holiday Season, Get Over the Guilt

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

Between Thanksgiving and Black Friday and Cyber Monday, I’m starting to feel gorged in every way. It happens every year for me right as November slides into December: I start to feel almost panicked about the cookies and treats and roasts ahead for the holiday season. I start to feel a sense of gloom–and guilt–that I’m going to roll into the new year 10 pounds heavier than I was at Halloween, which doesn’t feel so merry to me.

When I go there, my first response is to overexert my willpower. I’m sure it’s born of decades of dieting, but I immediately feel like, if I’m going to prevail and not gain weight, then, dang it, I’d better shore myself up for some hefty denial.

But I know better. I learned on my journey towards NOURISH Evolution that denying myself something only made me want it more. In fact, it was only when I removed the ban on foods I enjoyed that I lost weight and kept it off. So nowadays I take a deep breath and remind myself that celebrations are a natural part of being nourished. My job is to make sure I’m mindfully indulging in things like Swiss Chard with Grated Garlic and Braised Kale Tartines with Feta in between the feasts.

In fact, there are a few things I like to do to recalibrate myself in between Thanksgiving and the December holidays, and I’ll be sharing those secrets with members of our Holiday Surthrival Kit.

I find if I’m not mindful about how I approach this time of year, I can feel guilty (when there’s no need to be), frazzled (when a few simple strategies can keep me organized on track) and like an exhausted, prickly mess by the time family arrives on my doorstep.

Truth be told, I created the Holiday Surthrival Kit as much for me (yes, I do use those Meal Grids and day-by-day checklists) as for y’all, although I’ll admit the pretty e-cookbooks (and they are pretty) take it over the top.

Whatever you do, DO spend these weeks in between nurturing yourself and getting prepared, rather than torturing yourself with guilt or depriving yourself. You’ll be in a much better place come the end of December, and a much happier person in the New Year.

Finding the “Yes” in Saying No

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

I’ve talked to a lot of people lately who are giving up certain foods for a period of time, either for Lent or for a cleanse. Most often, the discussion is accompanied by grimaces over giving up sugar or wistful sighs at mention of meat.

But giving something up in a deliberate act doesn’t have to be about deprivation. In fact, I would argue that honing in on something that has taken a little tighter grip than we’d intended and purposefully letting it go for a spell is a powerful mindful eating practice that will open us up to something new and positive.

I’ve found that when I’m feeling anxious about a certain area it helps to take a bold action in exactly the opposite direction. If I’m stressed out about not being able to get everything done, taking a leisurely half-hour lunch in the garden reinvigorates me and leaves me much more productive than if I’d worked nonstop. If I’m freaking out about not having enough money to cover expenses, giving boldly takes my fear away and puts my needs into perspective.

That same type of “positive shock” is activated when you deliberately give up a certain type of food or habit. If you choose to set aside meat for a few weeks you can either whine about it … or you can see it as an opportunity to explore the world of vegetables, whole grains, seafood and soy in ways you’re not able to when you have the crutch of “chicken tonight, ground beef tomorrow” (and to feel great about how you’ve shrunk your carbon footprint!). If you choose to pass on desserts with highly processed flour and sugar, do it mindfully and notice how awesome your body feels in return.

Giving things up doesn’t have to be accompanied by disappointed groans. When we say “no” to one thing, we’re opening ourselves up to a “yes” in another area. When you find that yes and focus on it consistently, you’ll be amazed at just how full you feel.

Nourishing Resolutions: Give Yourself Time to Change

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

OK, let’s have it … how many of you have stuck to your New Year’s resolutions so far this year? If you’re grimacing right now, you’re not alone. Statistics show that somewhere between 78% and 88% of people give up on (or forget) their resolutions before the days on the calendar hit double digits.

My theory is that people get frustrated when their lives don’t do an about-face after seven days of good intentions. I know I used to. Then one year, about eight years ago, I gave myself an entire year to lose the 20 pounds I’d been trying to lose and everything changed. I changed.

In the years since, as I learned about behavioral change, it became clear that time was a major key to my success. It makes sense if you think about it; a habit is something we’ve done so consistently for so long that we do it without thinking. The cool thing, though, is that we can use the same process to develop new, healthier habits.

How we form habits

There is a proven progression in learning:

1. from unconscious incompetence (not knowing that you don’t know)

2. to conscious incompetence (knowing that you don’t know)

3. to conscious competence (you know what you want to do, but you still have to think about what you’re doing)

4. to unconscious competence (you automatically do what you want to do).

It’s the shift from conscious competence (the “I should”) to unconscious competence (the “I want to”) that creates sustainable change. You get to the place, in fact, where it feels uncomfortable to go back to your old ways. I hear this voiced all the time with My Nourish Mentor participants near the end of the program. They say, “I look back on how I used to eat and I wouldn’t even choose to do that any more.” Not only have their behaviors shifted, but positive emotions and experiences have reinforced those new behaviors and cemented them into place.

Getting there takes time, though. One 2009 study found this long-term shift takes an average of 66 days (incidentally, My Nourish Mentor takes 90 days … I like the extra padding for peaks and valleys).

Reforming habits in real life

Let me give you an example of how this worked in my own life. For years and years and years, I was frustrated with myself because I couldn’t lose the weight I wanted to. I tried diet after diet, but still couldn’t get the dang pounds to stay off. At that point, I was at the first stage of unconscious incompetence; I had no idea what I really needed to do to make sustainable change in the way I ate.

When I finally walked away from silver bullets and diets of the month and dug into learning sound nutritional truths, I knew what I needed to do to lose the weight for good—eat more vegetables and whole grains, and less calorie-dense meat and refined foods—but I didn’t know how to get there without feeling like I was giving up all I enjoyed (sound familiar?). I had gotten to the second stage of conscience incompetence.

I decided to tackle one area at a time. To start, I set out to double the amount of vegetables I ate each day. Sounds easy, sure, but when you’re not used to consuming vegetables in large quantities, there are a lot of hurdles. Like refrigerator space, for instance—I had no idea how much space a pound of kale could take up! And then there was repertoire. Most of my go-to’s at the time centered on refined grains and meat—sandwiches made with deli meats for lunch, pasta with meat or sausage and a bit of veggies for dinner. I was in this third stage of conscious competence for quite some time, working at how to get more vegetables on my plate in a way that got me excited about—not dreading—eating them.

But I did get there over time, and I eventually reached the fourth stage of unconscious competence. Now if I don’t get enough vegetables during the course of the day, I feel a bit off kilter and will crave them for dinner; eating an abundance of veggies has become my norm.

So if you’re struggling with the resolutions you made earlier this month, I urge you to give it time. Set your sights on something you want to change and, over the next two months, experiment, work out the kinks, mess up and try again. Most important, though, consistently practice the way you want to be.

Temptation in the 20%: How to Stop Eating When You’re Full

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Lia Huber — 1 Comment ↓

Hara hachi bu is a Japanese term that roughly translates to “eat until you’re 80% full.” It sounds simple, I know, but many deeply profound concepts wear a simple shell. This is one of them. Hara hachi bu is sound advice for many reasons. It takes your brain about 20 minutes to register how much your body has eaten, for instance, so stopping when you feel about 80% full means you’ll likely top off around 100%. It also gets you tuning in to every bite rather yielding to the temptation to mindlessly barrel through a burger.

temptation-stop-eating-full

For me, though, that 80% is the border over which the battles of will are fought. Here’s a snippet of what my brain sounds like when I’m eating a so-juicy-and-delicious-all-I-can-do-is-close-my-eyes-and-hum burger and I hit my 80% mark.

Willful Me (turning a shoulder to Mindful Me): “Shut up, I’m eating.”

Mindful Me: “You know, you’re just going to feel like crap if you eat the whole thing.”

Willful Me: “I’m not listening, I’m not listening …”

Mindful Me: “Seriously, why don’t you just put the rest down and take it home.”

Willful Me: (suddenly taking faster bites): “But there’s really not enough left to take home.”

Mindful Me: “Then why don’t you just put down those last couple bites so you don’t stuff yourself and you can feel a bit better about this whole thing.”

Willful Me: (holding the last bite in front of my mouth): “But I WANT this burger!”

I’ll bet if you miked everyone’s minds at that burger joint you’d hear a lot of conversations that sound like this.

The problem is, we don’t have much experience in listening to our bodies and stopping when we’re full—much less 80% full. Instead, we’ve just re-engineered our food so that we can eat more and more and more of it (oh, I remember the glee when Snackwells would come out with a new cookie flavor). Or we’ll “lighten” something up with the implicit notion that we can eat more of it.

But that’s missing the point.

When we ignore our body’s cues for the sake of … MORE … we’re snubbing our nose at the complex, wonderful system that connects our brains to our tummies.

FYI, I did feel awful after eating that whole burger. I was nauseous and uncomfortable all night, and was mentally flogging myself with guilt (“what was I THINKING?”). But I had another experience with another burger a few months later that felt entirely different.

I cut the burger in half and luxuriated in every bite of the first half. Then I noticed myself starting to feel full. I waited for a few minutes, sipping my beer, and noticed that I continued to feel more full even without eating more. Sure, I was still eyeing that other half. But I remembered how it had felt when Willful Me had had her way last time and, finally, I pushed my plate away.

“I’m done,” I said.

“Aren’t you going to have any more?” Christopher asked?

“No,” I answered. “I’m done.”

I felt great. I felt respectful. I felt at peace.

I’m not saying I’ve mastered the territory struggle for that 20%, but I have learned a few battle lessons. Here’s what helps me stop when I’m 80% full:

If you’re at a restaurant and you’ve got a big plate of food, create a smaller portion of it for yourself somewhere on your plate. If you’re at home, start off with a smaller portion. Then let yourself enjoy it with abandon (no guilt allowed!) and less temptation to keep eating.
If you catch yourself having a conversation like mine above, try to deliberately subvert your Willful Self. Argue back (“you know what, YOU shut up!”). Throw in some hot buttons (“Fine … if you want to feel like a helium balloon all night, go ahead. I’ll bet you’ll feel great at the pool tomorrow too.”). Your Willful Self is not playing by the rules or being rational, so throw in some curve balls to take control away from her.
Know, KNOW that you are not saving any starving children by eating the second half of your burger. Yes, it’s probably going to go to waste. So next time, you find someone to share it with.
Take a break. When you start to feel not hungry, just hit the pause button for a few minutes. It will give you time to check in with how you feel and helps disengage the autopilot that your Willful Self may have you on.
When you’re feeling somewhere around 80%, DECLARE it. Say, out loud, to yourself and/or the table, “I’m done.” It’s powerful.
Don’t believe your Willful Self when she plays the card of “but if you don’t eat it all, you’ll be hungry again in an hour.” If you get hungry again in an hour, you can have a snack.

Give these a try and let me know if they work for you!

Comfort Food

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Lia Huber — 6 Comments ↓

The weather is shifting from the hot, come-hither days of summer to the chilly slant of autumn and it seems everyone is craving comfort food. And maybe it’s not just because we’re heading indoors to flee the cold. Perhaps the “nostalgiancholy” that hits this time of year, where everything seems steeped in memories and somehow raw with emotion, is making us crave something richer, something more soulful.

I was getting a haircut recently when conversation turned to comfort food (between Kathleen, Deirdre and me in that salon, conversation often turns to food). We started with what to cook in a big, old Le Creuset . . . which led us to braised pork shoulder and various types of stews . . . which led to Kathleen’s method of roasting chicken in her Dutch oven.

“Roast chicken saved my life once,” Deirdre chimed in. Her gaze was distant. She, someone who loves to cook, went on to tell of the early days after a rough divorce when just gathering groceries leveled her, sparse as they were for one. So for a time she turned to frozen meals and convenience foods while the sorrow swept through.

And then, she roasted a chicken.

“It warmed the house up and made it smell like somebody lived there again,” Deirdre said. “It made me feel like things were OK, like I was OK.” Amazing how food has the power to do that; to wrap itself around us like a giant, ephemeral hug.

For all our talk of mac ‘n’ cheese and braises and pizza and soup, in Deirdre’s words, I heard the true meaning of comfort food.

Back to School: What’s for Lunch?

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Lia Huber — 1 Comment ↓

I love my daughter’s teachers. The other morning, as Noemi and I were packing her lunch for school, she gently stayed my hand and asked, “Is a quesadilla grow food?”

“What’s that?” I asked, not sure what she meant.

She looked at me with her I’ll-be-patient-with-you-because-I-love-you-Mama look and said, “Miss Emma says we have to eat our grow food first.”

And then it dawned on me.

We’ve all encountered it; we pack a nice healthy sandwich and apple slices and a bag of Goldfish crackers. At school, that translates into goldfish first, then a couple bites of the sandwich … and then they run out of steam before the apple sees the light of day.

So, as Noemi explained it, Miss Emma set a rule that the kids have to eat their “grow food”–the healthy stuff–first.

Brilliant, that Miss Emma.

It has become a practice we use at our table too and has opened up a new door for me to talk with Noemi about the basics of sound nutrition as we pack her lunch. I’ll even admit to a certain amount of parental pride on the days I can report to Noemi that all the foods in her lunch box are grow foods.

Anatomy of a Lunchbox

So what makes something a grow food? Here are four things to look for:

Healthy fats. Kids, like adults, need healthy fats. Omega-3 fatty acids are particularly important at early ages for neurological development and brain function. Foods like walnuts and flaked wild-caught salmon are great sources of omega-3s, and avocado and olive oil are full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Fats also add flavor and mouth feel to food … important for picky eaters.
Whole grains. Breads, crackers and pasta made from refined wheat flour can cause blood sugar levels to spike (and, in response, insulin and adrenaline levels) because our bodies absorb it so quickly. That energy spike also leads to a midafternoon slump that makes hard for kids to concentrate in the classroom. But pasta made from whole grain uses all three parts—endosperm, germ and bran—to provide protein, micronutrients and fiber in a much healthier package for sustained energy throughout the day. It might take a period of turned-up noses, but kids’ palates can adapt. Look for whole grain breads and crackers with a fine crumb to make the transition easier. And remember, corn chips and corn tortillas count too!
Smart proteins. Proteins are a natural for kids … they’re the body’s building blocks, after all. Lean lunch meats like turkey and ham are alright, but think outside the deli too. Edamame and hummus (even better, the hummus-like edamame dip below) are fun foods that transport beautifully. Quinoa salad, beans and lentils also make great lunches for kids and grown-ups alike.
Whole foods. Any kind of whole vegetable or fruit (whole meaning not processed; you can cut it up) is a welcome lunch-box grow food. Cherry tomatoes are great at this time of year, and we mix up the fruit depending on what’s in season.

Sure, you’ll have other elements in your kids’ lunch box too—cheese sticks, pretzels, an occasional sweet. The idea is, though, to load in as many grow foods in as many different guises as possible, and then encourage your kids to feel good about eating them … first.

My Kid in the Kitchen

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

Moms ask me all the time if my daughter is a good eater, and I’m happy to say that she is. Part of the reason is that I put her to work in the kitchen (from an early age … see the video below). I’ve said before and I’ll say again that the more kids get involved with their food, the more likely they are to eat it. Here are a few ways that Noemi (4-1/2) and I cook together in the kitchen.

We snap beans and peas together, and husk corn … often at the table outside or on our front stoop (I think God made front stoops as a place to husk corn and eat popsicles).
Noemi “zips” greens for me. She loves, loves, loves doing this and is so proud of what a great job she does.
She cuts soft vegetables and fruits like mushrooms and strawberries. I bought a couple of plastic serrated knives from Curious Chef a couple of years ago and we’ve never looked back. Noe puts a cutting board on her her little “stove,” picks up her knife and goes.
Noe loves pounding garlic in my mortar and pestle. Last night, as I was pulling together a pasta with zucchini and pesto, she perked up and asked if she could help out. So I put her to work on the pesto (what she’s not so fond of is mommy hopping up to get her camera and then making her hold a pose …).
A different season, but Noemi also loves getting pomegranate seeds out of the pod, and little things like rolling cheese in breadcrumbs and shaping mounds of dough.

The point is, the kitchen is a really fun place for kids if you invite them to do things that they can excel at and enjoy … no matter what their age. Start them young and your kids will become naturally curious towards food, rather than looking at it as something foisted upon them.

Last night after making her pesto, for instance, Noemi was enthusiastic about sitting down for dinner. And, yes, she did eat the zucchini.

Get Over the Guilt

Posted on May 25, 2011 by Lia Huber — No Comments ↓

I came of age during the height of America’s low-fat craze; guilt is built into my circuitry. When I’d eat a virtuous meal of steamed veggies I’d end up feeling deprived, but if I dared add olive oil I’d be leveled by guilt. This deprivation-guilt cycle only intensified as I willed the numbers on the scale to drop; the more I obsessed over what was on my plate the more miserable I’d become until, finally, I’d fall off the see-saw and eat an excess of all the “bad” foods I’d been depriving myself of.

But I’ve learned it doesn’t have to be that way. And in My Nourish Mentor, others are learning it too. As one of them put it, “When I’m eating right, I don’t even want to eat the way I used to. I love that confidence and awareness in my eating.” Here’s how–and why–that happens. And it’s so simple it seems ridiculous. “Good foods” prepared in enticing ways can bring loads of pleasure and “bad foods”–if you’re talking foods like olive oil and chocolate anyway–really aren’t bad at all in reasonable portions.

For me, it was a combination of gaining a firm grasp of what certain foods were doing to my body–that olive oil helped regulate my cholesterol, for instance, and that refined starch sent my body through a tumultuous blood sugar spike without giving it anything to grow strong–and then deliberately taking my eye off the numbers and refocusing on enjoying what was on my plate.

Ironically, once I had that grounding embedded within me and stopped thinking so much, and instead just enjoyed myself, my weight actually dropped. Because what I wanted to eat had changed. And it’s not just me. The person I quoted above just mentioned this week that she’s lost 8 pounds, and another member 20, while on the program … and neither one have once felt deprived.

I’m not talking mindless binging, mind you. I’m talking about engaging with food as, well, food–not a conglomeration of nutrients and numbers and percentages that are destined to make us either miserable or fat or both. The bottom line is that our bodies know better than we think they do. And once we have a bit of a grounding in sound nutrition, we know better than we think we do.

So I challenge you to give yourself a break. See what it feels like to simply enjoy your meals. Notice how thinking about them as food instead of something sinful or healthy impacts what (and how much) you eat. Notice how it makes your body–and your mind–feel. And, sure, go ahead and check the scale. Now, that’s a mindful eating practice you’ll enjoy with every bite. I’ll bet you’ll be surprised by the results.