Tag Archive for: satiety

I Eat the Yolk. Do You?

I love eggs. I enjoy them scrambled, in an omelet, hard boiled or in egg salad. But for years before I became an intuitive eater, I would only eat the egg whites. So, my scrambled eggs would be scrambled egg whites, my omelet would be an egg white omelet, I’d eat the hard-boiled egg whites and chuck the yolk, and my egg salad was really egg white salad.

 

Yes, I had demonized the egg yolk – sorry yolk, didn’t mean to do it – I was influenced by diet culture telling me that the yolk was “bad”, it was full of fat and cholesterol, and I needed to throw it out!

 

I even look back on the meal plans I created for my clients who wanted to lose weight (I don’t do this anymore, thank goodness!), and if I was recommending eggs for breakfast, it would always be egg whites.

 

How unfair.

 

Now, as an intuitive eater I no longer fear the yolk.  I eat the entire egg. And, as a RDN and certified intuitive eating counselor, I encourage my clients to eat the entire egg as well (but only if you like eggs of course!)

 

Your food fear is real. You have been told countless times by diet culture that there are “good” foods and “bad” foods and that you are “good” or “bad” based on what you eat. Your entire day is considered “a good day” or “a bad day” based on what you’ve eaten. This list of foods includes what you’d consider snack foods such as chips, cookies and ice cream. But it also includes foods that you would consider meal food such as eggs, dark meat chicken, and white potato.

 

I think about the dozens of eggs I threw out because I substituted egg whites for whole eggs in all my recipes. Granted, sometimes egg whites perform better in recipes if you want a fluffiness to the final product. But more times than not, that’s not the reason I was throwing out the yolks.

 

Just this past Sunday I made a veggie omelet for my husband for lunch. I automatically used 2 whole eggs. And then I made one for myself. What a great feeling cracking the egg and using the entire egg!

 

The final product is so much more satisfying than eating just egg whites. It has what we call staying power!

 

Aside from the satisfaction factor (which happens to be one of the intuitive eating principles), whole eggs are a nutrition powerhouse!

 

Yes, we can talk about nutrition on your intuitive eating journey. Remember, one of my 3 essential ingredients is Nutrition Education (learn more here).

 

Egg Power

Eggs is a source of high-quality protein. It is rich in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

 

Some of the nutrients found in eggs include:

  • Vitamin B12 – helps with red blood cell formation, manufacturing DNA and nerve cells, and carbohydrate metabolism
  • Folate – helps with red blood cell formation and DNA metabolism
  • Pantothenic acid – aids carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism
  • Zinc – helps in wound healing
  • Iron – essential for oxygen transport
  • Vitamin E – promotes antioxidant activity and cell membrane integrity
  • Chromium – aids in growth and glucose tolerance

There’s More…

 

Eggs are also rich in choline – important for brain function, the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin – necessary for eye health, and vitamin D – a key factor in bone health.

 

As an intuitive eater, you are in charge of your food choices. And you will find that you make food choices that honor your health and your taste buds. What a beautiful balance that is!

 

Need help navigating this balance? Just reach out to me HERE!

 

 

Shake the Excess

Summer Slim DownWe live in a world that unfortunately tends to judge us based on how much we have.  Whether it’s having the most money, the most property, the nicest car, or the most possessions, having a lot is usually a reflection of success in our culture.  Interestingly enough, excess in your life may have translated into excess on your plate as well.

 

When you choose a restaurant or a place to eat out, do you feel like you‘re getting “gipped” if your portions appear to be smaller than what you expect?  Do you prefer to buy items in bulk to save money, but then feel guilty at the thought that the food might go to waste so you eat more than you need to just to finish it?

 

These behaviors are a product of the excess you feel you need to have in your life.  You take on too much, you potentially spend too much to “keep up with the Joneses’,” and it is not too surprising to find yourself eating too much.

 

Sometimes it is important to remember that not just in eating, but in life, having all that you need, not necessarily what you want, is enough.  For example, let’s say you had a nice meal and you feel very satisfied from it, but there is a delicious dessert on the menu that you really want to have.  You decide to eat the piece of cake because you want it and you think, “When do I ever get to have a nice dessert?”  But the thing is you have options in this situation:

 

  • Chances are, this meal is not your last, and this item that you want to eat will still be around tomorrow when you wake up.  Sometimes you say yes because it seems like this food will never come around again, however there is always another time to try it, and there is no need to go overboard if you are really satisfied. This is easier if you have successfully given yourself unconditional permission to eat when you are hungry what you want (note: this is one of the core characteristics of being an intuitive eater)
  • Another option is to have a bite or two, and then take the item home.  This can work for a main course too.  You can always wrap food and have it tomorrow.  You can also do this with dinners you make at home.  You don’t have to eat everything tonight, in one excess quantity, there is always tomorrow.
  • There doesn’t have to be a lot on your plate to consider it a good meal or a good portion.  Listen to your inner signals and when you have had enough, even if it doesn’t seem like you ate a sufficient portion, then it is enough, for now.

So while excess may seem to find its way into your everyday life, try not to let that idea trickle onto your plate.  If you are getting what you need, giving into what you want may not be the answer to making you feel your best.

 

Your turn to take action: Respect your fullness this week by eating only what your body is telling you it needs.  You might be surprised how good it feels to shake the excess!  Please share your experience below.