Do You Eat In Your Car?

I was talking with my battle buddy the other day and she brought something to my attention that I have not realized before. She asked me how I did with my eating plan for the day. I told her I ate two cookies from Subway along with two Veggie Flatizzas. I had been running around most of the day, skipped breakfast, and was starving by mid-afternoon. She said that at other times when she has asked me about eating and I had gotten off plan, it was a similar pattern and I was in my car! She then asked me to drill down as to why I wanted the cookies. My first thought was that I was craving sugar which makes sense - my blood sugar would have been low because of skipping breakfast and lunch. But, when I talked through it with her, I saw some deep rooted issues around food and wanting comfort when I'm in my car. That awareness will help me in the future. I think most of us who have struggled with obesity for many years have deeper rooted issues with food and once we become aware of those issues, we can take the steps we need to face the fears and move past it.

Eating in our car is a common practice these days. We're all time-starved, running around trying to get everything on our to-do list done. I will be going to Indy to a small business conference today, so I know I will be eating in my car at some point along today. However, with my new awareness, I will make sure that I prepare by bringing some fruit so my blood sugar doesn't drop and create those intense cravings that combined with the deeper seated issues makes temptation to binge on junk food overwhelming.

Do you eat in your car? Is that when you are most likely to get off track with your clean eating plan? Do you carry healthy food with you if you know you're going to be away from home for long periods of time? Do you know why you eat what you eat? What purpose does it serve? Is it for nourishment or comfort?

Food for thought.

Kathy

Big vs Small Meals

I am taking a nutrition course at Vanderbuilt University through Coursera.org and found the topic of balanced nutrition from Dr. Benardot fascinating. He used the picture above as an example of our cellular capacity being the small cup and the pitcher being what we consume when we eat large meals. His theory is to eat and drink smaller amounts throughout the day so you keep your nutrient levels balanced. I know this is a controversial topic. I have even heard some doctors refer to it as grazing and not letting your digestive system get a break. Dr. Bernardot says that we should not let ourselves get hungry or thirsty, that we should consume water in timed intervals because by the time we feel thirsty, dehydration has already taken place. He says that if you consume too much food at once you risk toxicity, wasted energy, increased fat storage and can develop insensitivity to nutrients. If you take in too little it can lead to malfunction, poor metabolism, inadequate protective systems, and reduced cell life. Smaller meals at regular intervals makes sense to me. I know if I go too long without eating or drinking water, I'm in trouble. The cravings kick in and are so hard to overcome. The solution seems simple, but it actually takes planning and effort. It's easy to get busy and distracted and forget to eat until several hours have passed and you feel famished. I'm going to give this smaller, more frequent meals and timed intervals of water a try. I know I need to bring my water intake UP! I'm going to set the timer on my iPhone and drink a smaller amount of water rather than trying to drink 32 oz in a short period of time.

Kathy