Many people like all you can eat buffets because, well, you can eat all you want. It’s a great value. Isn’t it? My take it a bit different. My focus is on NOT eating all I can. Why? Because when you eat as much as you can, it’s uncomfortable. Maybe you can relate to some of these side effects: Unless you’re wearing something loose, your waistband is going feel like a pumped up a blood pressure cuff around your stomach Your grand plans for the day might vanish along with your energy Acid reflux reminds you of what you’ve eaten, and not in a good way Your stomach goes into overtime to digest, making you queasy I don’t know about you, but those don’t rank high for me as favorite experiences. Bu

I’ve always loved Earth Day. But for a long time, I never thought about it in relation to food. It’s not like I didn’t know food came from the earth. My family – okay, my mom – had a big vegetable garden, and I helped mulch, weed, harvest, and prepare the veggies. (With some objection, I have to admit.) We also composted food scraps, and that went back into the garden. Plus, before I was diagnosed with a dairy allergy, we used to get milk from a farm up the road. The milk was tasty, but the main draw for me was Macaroni the Pony. I guess by the time I was old enough to think about it, I had too much baggage around food to consider it as something related to Earth Day. For me, Earth Day was a

For more information about the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program, visit www.AmIHungry.com or my website. We hear all the time about food cravings. You may have experienced them yourself. A lot of times, this comes up after you see the food, maybe in an ad… in the kitchen… or on someone’s plate. Like maybe this chocolate cake. You start thinking about how good it would taste. Your mouth waters. But do you reallywant the food? Or is this just a reaction to the trigger of seeing the food? In the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating program, we talk about the 4 really test. Do you really, really, really, REALLY want the food? It’s a good question, but I thought of another approach after watching the la

Mindful eating, like all forms of mindfulness, is about being in the present moment. Paying attention to what’s happening now. Even if you have a goal for the future, you can’t focus only on that because you’ll stumble where you are. Similarly, dwelling in the past can cause problems. It can keep you stuck in old habits and thought patterns… even if they’re not ones you want to keep. At the same time, I don’t think you should ignore the past completely. Because only by looking back can you see how far you’ve come. I notice this when I’m out hiking. After a while of putting one foot in front of the other, it can all blur together. It feels like I’m not getting anywhere. But if I come to a bre

Happy Easter! And happy April Fool’s Day! I don’t remember these two coming together before, but I kind of wish they had. Because when I was growing up, I often felt like Easter was a cruel joke. First came the Easter baskets, where my brother got tasty things like Doritos and regular candy. And I got sugar-free candy and a book. Don’t get me wrong. Books are great. They were my lifeline, so I wasn’t going to complain about them. But it was the contrast that drove me nuts. Why should we be treated so differently? And when did you ever see an Easter basket advertised with sugar-free candy? Or carob instead of chocolate? Then came the Easter dinner. I often felt like I could relate to Captain