Canyon Ranch (Arizona)
It's hardly news that, as a nation, we eat badly: Alarming increases in rates of both obesity on one hand and eating disorders on the other make it clear that there's something fundamentally wrong with the way that Americans, in general, relate to food. In this environment, nothing is more important to your well-being and that of your family than establishing or strengthening a healthy, happy relationship with food.

"We have met the enemy, and he is us"
A recent study by one of the major food companies in the U.S. revealed a startling fact: It found that a large percentage of women interviewed said that they saw food as "the enemy." This is hardly surprising, given that our culture a) places enormous value on thinness, while b) incessantly marketing huge servings of convenient, nutritionally impoverished, low-cost foods. The torment these women feel is understandable but incredibly sad, especially in view of what they may be communicating to their children.

The truth is that eating is one of the great pleasures of being alive, and that food is a wonderful gift - nourishing, delicious and absolutely necessary to sustain life. In fact, cultures that treasure the richness of their food traditions and value the pleasures of the table tend to not only have a better relationship with food but also lower rates of disease and obesity than the nutrient-obsessed U.S.

The cure for a distorted relationship with food is what we teach at Canyon Ranch: Eat when you're hungry, eat until you feel satisfied, not stuffed, and enjoy a wide variety of healthy, tasty foods, emphasizing whole grains and legumes, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, small amounts of healthy fats, and occasional, reasonable treats. Combined with regular exercise, adequate sleep and stress management, this is the simple recipe for a healthy life.

Healing the relationship
A first step to healing a distorted relationship with food is, as with any relationship, setting some boundaries. A few easy-to-follow rules can help.
- Say "no" to fast food and junk food, including sodas. (In spite of what they tell you, your kids can live without these things.) And don't fall victim to the idea that adding nutrients to unhealthy food makes it good for you: Few nutritionally valuable foods have big marketing budgets.
- Eat only when you're sitting down at a table - give your body and the food that nourishes it the attention they deserve. Focus on the overall quality of the meal - conversation, lighting, music, table-setting. You may find yourself more satisfied and less likely to seek your sole pleasure in the quantity of food.
- Don't let yourself get too hungry between meals. A protein-rich snack - a few nuts, a couple of whole-grain crackers and some hummus, or a hardboiled egg
- will stabilize your blood sugar and make you less likely to overeat later.
- Finally, work on developing some trust - trust that if you exercise regularly and eat reasonable portions of healthy foods, you will achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Pass it on
And how do you teach your children (or grandchildren) to create a healthy relationship with food for themselves? The same way you teach them anything - by letting them watch you. In one recent survey, 40% of 9-year-old girls said that they had already been on a diet - it's likely that these children had picked up signals about "what girls do" not just from the culture, but from home. When parents feel worry, guilt or obsession about food, it's unlikely that their children will develop healthy eating habits, despite anything adults try to tell them.

When, on the other hand, children are encouraged to help with shopping and cooking, and share wholesome, balanced, happy meals with the family, they feel in their bones that food is a source of both vitality and healthy pleasure. And that's a gift for life.

http://www.canyonranch.com/
(800) 742-9000