Let's talk about volume eating

Uhh Abby.. isn't volume eating just eating a lot of food?

Yes! Technically! But I see it differently as it pertains to nutrition. At the end of the day calories DO matter. But I typically don't focus on calories that much with clients. But that doesn't negate that our bodies have certain energy needs. Anyways- I almost lost my point. So! lets begin shall we..

Volume eating is a great thing and a good tool to utilize if you struggle with over eating or are a person who isn't satisifed with eating only a little bit. Satiety plays a huge role in our eating habits and nutrition. BUT. I deem volume eating insufficient in terms of people saying things like " wow you could eat all of these strawberries in comparision to those five doritos" while yes, each foods have different nutritional values, that doesn't mean we should never eat doritos just because you might be able to eat way more strawberries.. (idk if that's even true). We aren't eating doritos to reach our micronutrients...likely we eat them because they are a tasty snack and you might be craving them. And that is completely valid. Also, why can't people accept that all food can coexist together? Just because you eat doritos doesn't mean you are a bad person, and just because you eat strawberries doesn't mean you are a bad person.

The more we try to avoid eating a certain food or making a "healthified" version of them, the more it teaches our brains that it is a special or even sacred. This then can create a last supper syndrome, where the next time you may have that said food you may over indulge on it because you told yourself you'll never let yourself have it. BUT if we can acknowledge that we can have said food at any time, it takes away that overwhelming desire.(Easier said then done, and sometimes we MIGHT not be able to have that food again for other reasons- like being allerigic, or not being able to afford it)Anyways, It's like telling someone they can't do something, it only makes them want to do it even more. My mom became allergic to a bunch of foods after being pregnant with my twin brother and I, but that still didn't really stop her from atleast attempting to eat those foods again.. (yikes, please do not go into anaphylaxis shock people!!)

Now that is out of the way, satiety plays a key role but so does balanced eating. So yes, you can have a huge, giant bowl of popcorn and its like 130 calories right? But its not a very balanced snack, meaning it might not leave you feeling great or satisfied.It's also not balanced with the macronutrients like protein, a lot of fat(depending on which kind you buy)it might not leave you feeling very full for long- which can lead to more eating, especially if you are trying to diet and not each much. What if instead of striving to eat a huge bowl of popcorn, you had a regular bowl of popcorn, with some nuts and even some chocolate chips in there? Now you have some fiber and carbs from the popcorn, fat in the satisfying chocolate and protein from the nuts! That sounds like the better option and can be filling. People also try and eat a bunch of vegetables because they are lower in calories. BUT if we are not adding to the vegetables to make them more filling/balanced, you will find your self unsatisfied, hangry and probably very gassy...

Can we ditch plain salads in 2023? Add that dressing- did you know we need fats to help absorb certain nutritents? So, that plain salad isn't even doing as much as you think.

There is so much that goes into our diets and eating patterns. There's culture, food preference, food accessibilty, food budgets, and umm the elephant in the room... time! There are even more things im probably missing. But there are a few things I would LOVE to leave in the past.. dry boring salads, the shame on processed foods, judging people based on what they eat and lastly creating unrealistic goals. Read my last blog post if you missed me talking about goal setting!

OK gotta run, xoxox