Too Much Food But Not Enough to Eat
added 11/09/10
Listen to Co-op Dietitian and Better Eating for Life author Mary Choate on Tuesday mornings at 8:15 on WGXL radio! You can also meet Mary every Tuesday from 9 a.m. to Noon at our White River Junction store, where she is there to answer your nutrition questions.
Many dieters focus on food in a negative way: “I can’t have this,” and “Oh, I shouldn’t have eaten that.” “It’s me against the cake.” Food is seen as a constant temptation instead of a nourishing and powerful source of energy and health. At the holidays, it gets even worse for folks who struggle with their eating habits. Parties and treats at work can cause a downward spiral of guilt-ridden overeating.
What is so ironic is that while some of us struggle with trying to stay away from too much food, others in our community struggle to get enough food to eat. Food banks are experiencing record numbers of families using their services. Every year, the New Hampshire Food Bank distributes nearly 6 million pounds of food to 405 food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers and senior citizen homes. These agencies in turn provide the food to the over 127,000 different men, women and children throughout our state each year.
Perhaps a way to help with both of these food struggles is to link them together. For a dieter, trying not to eat the second helping of delicious pastry at your holiday party can be tough. It’s like trying to not think about a pink elephant. But what if it wasn’t just you vs. the pastry? What if, instead, you considered a wider, more mindful view of food? If you are trying to attain a healthy weight, or trying to maintain your weight over the holiday season, why not reward your efforts with your own personal food bank drive? Each time you practice the healthy eating strategies that lead to a healthy weight, “reward” yourself by adding a canned good or other non-perishable food to a box you keep in your house. Donate these goods to the local food pantry. Both you and someone who hasn’t enough food will experience the gifts of healthy eating.
It might work this way: You make an effort to eat two pieces of fruit a day. At the end of the week, you put a can of fruit, packed in its own juice, into your food bank box. Or you try to eat two servings of whole grains every day– at the end of the week you add a box of whole grain cereal to your box. Or you decide to take a 30-minute brisk walk every day after work– you donate cans of soup or stew to the box. You can do this with your family or friends and make a holiday challenge game of it. You will be eating more mindfully in many ways- aware of the food choices you are making, and grateful for the wealth you have, with access to so much food that you have to be careful to not overeat.
Food banks are especially looking for these foods:
- Canned tuna, chicken, and beans, such as kidney and black beans
- Canned stews and pasta
- Peanut butter
- 100% juice boxes
- Canned fruits in light syrup or juice, applesauce
- Canned vegetables, tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Soups
- Healthy cereals
- Pasta
- Rice
- Financial Donations:
- $1 = 4 meals!
For more information:
The New Hampshire Food Bank www.nhfoodbank.org.
