An 8 year old’s guide to intuitive eating.

by

The 4 tips below are a gathering of snippets of conversation with the Tornado.  All ideas are hers.  I’ve transcribed as stated except for her words PUKING SUCKS which I chose, repeatedly, not include…

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donuts with a spoon?! intuitive.

Mindful eating changed my life.

Whatever you choose to call it—mindful? intuitive? theraputic?–it works for me.

I’ve chosen not to tell the Tornado about it.

Using words anyway.

For me mindful eating is the consummate practice what I long to preach and say nary a word.

All that said, this isn’t the Tornado’s first post about mindful eating.

I have, in fact, learned more from her about enjoying savoring slathering embracing food and eating for the event it should be than from anyone else.

She was intuitively a mindful eater when she was younger, but school and its planned out snack time etc. tempered that trait a bit.

I didn’t fret as I knew, with time, all would even out and she’d return to more intuitive living.

I just didn’t envision it all happening as it did.

We were talking a trip to Austin and I surprised her by stealing her Dad’s frequent flyer miles.

We upgraded. 

We flew first class. 

We I grew excited for the comfy seats and failed to consider the fancy food fare which might not appeal to her.

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No worries! I thought as a flight attendant detailed all the sauce-laden main course options.  It’s not every day! Let’s just have desserts!

DessertS.

Plural.

The Tornado thought this a grand adventure until she puked the entire way to the hotel didn’t feel so well afterward.

And, as with the blessings of a shattered phone, this experience has been the greatest gift I never saw coming.

While she uses no specific word to describe how she’s returned to eating, even she has seen the difference in how she feels after resuming old habits.

I watched as it began as an outgrowth of fear (of throwing up again) and has shifted into an awareness of how she eats impacting how she feels in a positive way when she makes choices which work for her.

On that note, I give you her.

What you should think before you eat. By The Tornado

  • Am I hungry?  Don’t eat just because there is food there.  Ask yourself if you want anything right now.

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if you’re really hungry this tastes good!

  • What do I want?  Stop and think what am I hungry for? Sometimes I really want candy, but on the airplane I didn’t think about what I wanted and the desserts made me sick.  Now I think about do I want food or junk before I eat.

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making EGGSactly what she craved.

  • Slow down.  My mama always used to tell me eat slow.  I used to H-word that (Carla aside: we don’t say HATE.)   Now I get why she used to say that.  Now I stop myself and BREATHE  for a minute even if it’s my favorite food.  I learned even what I really like can make me sick if I eat it really really fast. And I barely taste it then.

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  • Always stop before you’re stuffed.  Sometimes I hold it in when I need to fart and it explodes out.  Don’t do this with food.  Stop when the ice cream still is good and your belly doesn’t feel like it will explode out.  You can put it away and save it for later or your mom will buy more if it goes bad.  Don’t eat it just because you have it.

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eat until you’re almost too full, stop and save the rest!

(drops mic. or, more aptly put, hands the mic back to Mama)

How long will her intuitive eating last this time around?

I have no idea.

Will she be waaaaay into F.W.B. like her mama?

I have no idea.

Am I totally in awe with how she’s tapped into her body at such a young age?

I am. 

I definitely wasn’t there at either eight OR eighteen.

And you?

  • What mindful eating tidbits have you learned from littles in your life?
  • Will you try any of the Tornado’s tips as you shift toward mindful eating? Im sure she’d love to know…

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Comments

  1. So so so so wise! I love this —> “Sometimes I hold it in when I need to fart and it explodes out. Don’t do this with food. ” And yes, slow it down….savour and enjoy.

  2. I LOVE this!! Wow! The tornado is wiser than all of us 😉 she must have a VERY wise mother 🙂 these tips are what we all need to work on…..which is hilarious as is it the total opposite of what she is doing….when do you think our natural intuition looses it’s power?

    • I wish I knew. For a while here it was all sugars and crap and I just watched and waited and PRACTICED WHAT I LONGED TO PREACH….

  6. I am fascinated it came as an outgrowth of not feeling well (LOL @ puking sucks).
    What a powerful gift and teaching too.

  8. awesome, awesome, awesome. I don’t think most of us are there because we haven’t had a role model like you. It’s true she has a lot of innate wisdom, but much of that comes from being allowed to see you and make choices that are guided with a loving hand.

    Definitely lessons all of us can put in to play!!!

  12. How do we lose THAT as adults? I don’t really have littles in my life but I did learn from my nephew on one weekend visit that sometimes it’s fun to pick out veggies my husband doesn’t like and watch him them. 🙂

  20. I love your change of point of view on this–very impressive that an 8 year old could think of that.

    My favorite of her list is not eating just because it’s there. Hahaha–I love that she used the farting analogy, that’s so funny!!

    Intuitive eating is THE ULTIMATE TRICK for losing weight and keeping it off–I know I will be teaching my kids how to tune into their bodies…wish they thought of that at school ya know?

  21. Your daughter has come further along than I have. For instance, I KNOW to never ever eat popcorn at the movie theater. I will be sick for HOURS if I eat popcorn at the movie theater. However, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I go to the movies? I get popcorn.

    It’s like I want to be sick.

  22. Yes, i ask what i really want to eat, but i also add “that i have in the house” to keep my inner little from piping up with wanting a trip to go get something “special, just this once.” If it’s going to be special, it can’t be every day, and if i didn’t add that little bit to it, it would end up being every day.

  24. That’s a wise little one. And what fantastic lessons for all of us. I know you are so so awesome and such a great role model at one of the biggest lessons I am still continuing to learn- not using food for emotional reasons – and I wonder what she would have to say about that. ie. having something yummy when sad (or even happy). Would love to hear her take on that.

    • Ive always wanted to ask her that too—but havent because quite frankly I dont think it even OCCURS TO HER that’s a “thing” or an option.
      INTERESTINGLY—to me—it surprised me once when she was little, fell, skinned her knee for the first time and I ALMOST OFFERED HER A POPSICLE (!).
      Now it was hothot and in Texas but still—that’s not what I do to soothe so it shocked me I even had the thought.
      I squelched.
      These days she celebrates with PLAY and when she’s sad she will yammer AT me about it for…till done 🙂
      AHHHH EIGHT.

  27. Way to go, Tornado! You’re an inspiration, and a bevy of wisdom!

    Trying, trying, trying. Will likely never see the results in the form of lost weight or inches, but at least my insides will thank me. 🙂

  29. Kids are the best teachers 🙂 I love tornado’s lessons. And we too had a throw up incident. B tried to sneak an extra piece of candy on Halloween and promptly threw up, now he only ever asks for one piece.

  31. I am SO impressed! I still struggle with the “you don’t have to eat ALL the food” because it was ingrained as a child. Realizing that if I’m satisfied I don’t have to clean my plate is a work in progress. So many kudos to her for realizing that so young. It is something that will serve her well for years and years to come.

  34. I love her comment that your mom will buy more if it goes bad!! I am the worst for finishing food I don’t really want because well I paid for it and I can’t be wasteful. I have no idea what world crisis I am going to solve by eating it all. My brain is so messed up I suspect I would be able to stop eating if I had a charity jar that I paid into for the right to stop and throw away every time this scenario comes up.

  36. this reminds me of when we got upgraded on the way to NZ. I ate gluten because it looked too good not to pass up. I puked on the kiwi then passed out. Now, i definitely think before i eat. haha. But in all honestly, i love her mindfulness.. so youthful and honest

  39. I’m afraid I remain uncertain about the whole concept of it, I mean as a concept. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you aren’t. It’s alarming that we as a culture have reached a point where this is an alien concept, or even something that needs a name. 🙁 We’ve gotten to the point where all forms of consumption are in the “on” position as the default and we consider switching them off to be the action that must be specified.

    I know, I know …

  42. What a smart little girl. And what a brilliant mama for allowing her to make these discoveries and be in touch with herself at such a young age.

  43. I’m right there with the Tornado – I learned years ago that overeating or eating to much junk makes me feel sick and I hate to puke, too!!!

  44. I have a challenge for you!

    Keep up this wonderful eating behavior of yours until you reach a teenage number age!

    I’m cheering for you!!

  46. I LOVE THIS WITH ALL MY HEART!!
    I will be the first to admit I struggled with food (ate too much for comfort, and have also been too restrictive). But now I have found a balance and I chose to eat intuitively. I also think about what “Little Krysten” would think/do. I ate when I was hungry. I ate what I wanted. But I didn’t overeat and I didn’t restrict. It sounds so boring, and so basic, but as adults our thoughts and feelings about food become muddled.

  47. I’m still not there, especially when it comes to not letting food go to waste. I’m trying really hard to buy less right now so I’m not faced with the “eat it now or throw it out” conundrum.

  48. I love this! What a smart girl. I have continually been impressed by both my kids’ natural ability to know how much they need to eat. Even if they are eating something they love, they both (age 5 and 2) seem to know to stop if they start to feel full. I think a lot of kids natural ability to do this gets easily squelched when parents force them to “clean their plate.”

  49. AHHHH so cute! And awesome – kids get it RIGHT. I love their ability to recognize and identify things (in a way that a lot of adults have forgotten HOW to do) when they are given the opportunity to do so.

    Also: hilarious the number of things WE think are fantastic (like flying first class) whereas I’m pretty sure most kids would just be happy with a cardboard box and nothing else…

  52. Remembering what she reminds us- that you don’t have to finish something just because it’s there- is something I’ve been trying to master for years! Yes, it will still be there tomorrow, when I’m hungry again! So wise 🙂

  53. I was never much interested in food when I was 8…9…10…now….I only view it as fuel to get me to the next adventure. Did then. Do now. Too many other things to think about and do…!

Trackbacks

  5. […] An 8 year old’s guide to intuitive eating. by Carla – If you read Carla’s blog on a regular basis you will come to love her and her daughter (and if you don’t read her blog add it to your daily reading). Intuitive eating is definitely something I have been trying to wrap my mind around for a while. It is one of those easier said than done things. I love the advice from Carla’s 8-year-old daughter. […]

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