Later in life, as we begin to diet or control our food intake, our eating habits become anything but natural. We start to diet, gain weight, diet more in response, and find ourselves involved in a vicious cycle-one that all too often results in eating less and less, binging in response, weighing more and more, gradually losing any sense of pleasure or natural control in relation to food. Diets teach people to focus on what they eat, rather than how they eat, yet it is our relationship with food that most determines if we are eating more than our body is asking for. Although many typical nutrition books look at food strictly in terms of calories and nutrients, we want to increase our awareness of the other issues that exist when we eat. There is no wrong or right way to eat.
Healthy eating is flexible.
It varies in your emotions, your schedule, your hunger, and your proximity to food. This can create food obsessions and eating disorders. All too often, we feel bad for eating french fries, but say we've been good if we order a plain baked potato. These words stigmatize food choices in ways that are destructive of natural, normal eating. The answer may not always be clear-cut, but that's all right.