A Simple Guide to Eating Like a Human
Written by Katie Tallo.
Meet Jack. He’s human. Jack likes to go up hills so he needs energy. Food gives him energy. Meet Jill. She’s human too and she ingests food to survive and thrive. When she was born, she opened her mouth and cried for food. So did Jack. They chewed like humans and swallowed like humans. Eating came naturally to them. It gave them lots of momentum.
Then one fateful day, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of organic strawberries and they found a case of liquid strawberry-flavoured meal replacements instead. Life quickly went downhill. Jill began counting calories. Jack super-sized his food and wanted it real fast. Going up hills became a drag. Instead, Jack and Jill preferred to spend their time lining up at all-you-can-eat buffets and microwaving all the processed, chemical-soaked, hormone-infused food products they could get their hands on. Jack’s bowels became irritable and Jill napped a lot. They decided to break up. They were sad. Life sucked.
What went wrong?
Why did they feel like crap all the time? Maybe they’d caught a virus up on the hill or maybe they were just over the hill. In truth, they had forgotten how to eat. They had forgotten they were human. They were no longer listening to their bodies, their instincts, their inner selves. Jack and Jill had forgotten that they needed real food to survive and thrive. They may have lost their momentum, but all was not lost.
Jill picked herself up, read a few inspiring books and blogs, and realized what had happened. She quickly dragged herself back up the hill and started eating organic strawberries again. She sent Jack a tweet and asked him join her. Together, they rediscovered the simple art of eating like a human, fell back in love, bought a blender for making green smoothies and lived happily ever after. Their momentum was back! How did they do it? How do you do it?
A very simple, very human guide to eating:
Question
Ask yourself what you are eating. If you don’t know what it is or where it came from, don’t eat it.
Simplify
Choose food, not food products – lively, simple food made from natural ingredients.
Savour
Delight in the food you eat. Slow down. Focus on the flavour. Chew. Swallow.
Stop
When you have eaten enough, stop eating. When you’re not hungry, don’t eat.
Digest
Let your body have enough time to digest, rest and rejuvenate before eating again.
Love
Love your body enough to listen to it, respect and nourish it with good, wholesome real food.
Here are some of the people, books and blogs that have guided me towards a healthier, happier and more human outlook on eating:
- Donna Davis of Elation Centre who set me on a path towards more conscious eating.
- The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone’s loving approach to eating.
- Skinny Bitch, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin’s no-nonsense, tough-love guide to not eating crap.
- Crazy Sexy Life, an uplifting forum created by wellness warrior, Kris Carr.
- Breaking the Food Seduction, Neal Barnard, M.D.’s eye-opening guide to naturally ending food cravings.
- Food Rules, Michael Pollan’s powerful, simple and wise eater’s manual.
- The Thrive Diet, professional Ironman Brendan Brazier’s plant-based whole food plan for staying healthy for life.
- Raw Food Life Force Energy, Natalia Rosa’s beautiful book on the healing power of natural, raw foods.
- Be More With Less, Courtney Carver’s wonderful blog on simplifying life where she often discusses vegetarianism.
- Zen Habits, Leo Babauta’s simplicity seeking blog where he regularly discusses healthy eating.
- Rowdy Kittens, Tammy Strobel’s awesome blog on living simply where she has been known to dig into the big picture around eating.
- Peaceful Planet, Leah McClellan’s serene blog where she expresses her thoughts on all things peaceful, including peaceful eating.
What is your ideal way to eat like a human?
What ways of eating give you momentum?
Photo by Darwin Bell.
57 Responses to “A Simple Guide to Eating Like a Human”
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Katie, I love the story – it’s SO simple and so powerful. It can’t help but attract everyone. You know we see eye to eye when it comes to food. On Day 11 of vegan diet, which feels incredible and tastes beyond delicious, I am thinking of this long term. And I am very conscious of being a super healthy vegan. I eliminated most if not all of processed food in my life a long time ago and I don’t go to fast-food places or hardly any chains except in dire social circumstances. Becoming conscious of my eating was one of the BEST thing I did in my 30s and exploring food, green juicing, raw foods, green smoothies, giving up bad habits, giving up meat, staying away from processed and fried food and still being kind to myself when slip-ups happen, it’s an amazing journey. I highly recommend a self-look for everyone when it comes to this super important topic! Thank you Katie!
Well done on your vegan challenge. I am 99% vegan. It is amazing how fresh, real food wakes up our taste buds. They are dormant when we eat too much salt, sugar and junk. They dull. I can barely stand salt now, because I’m so sensitive to it. Love green smoothies, almond milk is the best. Cashew cheese rocks! It is an amazing journey of abundance. I just wish more people realized it is not about deprivation, but love.
Thank you for the ideas. I am always looking to add more variety. In fact, one reason I went vegan, Katie, is to ADD more delicious and real food variety into my life…..Thank you fro spreading the love of real food!
The Jack and Jill retelling was hilarious, and the message of your story is great! It seems (to me anyway) that there are many parts of our lives that we could simplify or recreate, if only we could avoid the constant distractions.
That is, does our work need to be filled with stress? Do we need the latest car, video game, or lipstick – just using that last one as an example – I can’t say that I ever buy lipstick.
It does seem that the advertisers want us to believe that we need all of this stuff, and it appears to be working.
I think that the concept of eating more simple food (easier to digest, fewer added chemicals, etc.) fits nicely with the idea of life simplification. I have (very slowly) been removing unhelpful activities and vices from my life and I can say that I feel better today than I did yesterday.
Thanks for the links here too – I have never seen most of them.
Have a great day!
mark´s last blog ..Innovation’s Last Stand
Have you seen Fight Club? Now there’s a creative use of “jack” as a narrative thread. But I digress. You are right. Recreating and simplifying can enliven any aspect of our lives from sex to soup. And all hail a lipstick free world! Really, what exactly is wrong with the colour of our lips? Glad you feel good about your path towards simplicity, Mark. Thanks for visiting.
Beautifully simple and well told, Katie! I loved this!
I also follow the “if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it” rule.
One thing I also do is ask myself how likely I would be to find this food naturally growing in the forest or field. The further from it’s natural state, the less healthy it is!
Raam Dev´s last blog ..It’s time to care in the real world
Thanks so much Raam. Great addition — How likely would it be to find this food naturally growing in the forest or field. If it’s a lamb grazing in a field, likely not a good choice.
Haha, yes, I could have been more clear on that.
As long as it’s growing in a field and doesn’t have a brain!
Raam Dev´s last blog ..It’s time to care in the real world
Hi Katie. This is such a creative story and an important message. I think thats why many religions and spiritual practises teach saying a prayer before and after one eats. So as to focus on the meal, and be grateful for it. Teaches us to eat mindfully like you say. Thanks for a great post
Ahh, thank you so much, Uzma. Mindful gratitude is a perfect way to engage in an eating practice. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Truly the simplest guide to eating like a human. You would think it makes sense and we should instinctively know what food is. But in this time and age, life has more chemistry than nature. Thanks so much for this simple reminder Katie. I love the way you write, the stories you tell and the message you convey.
I’m a big fan of the Thrive Diet. It’s time for me to go back and try to implement it again since I’ve been slacking off with food… a tiny bit.:)
Manal´s last blog ..Is It Time to Stop Playing Catch-up
Manal dear. Our world doesn’t make sense so we’ve disengaged from our instincts. I hope you find renewed inspiration in The Thrive Diet. Brendan always reminds me of the basics and has lots of innovative ideas. Thank you for your lovely comments.
Great use of poetic license. I often think about the root cause of all this. It’s so natural to try and peg that silver bullet. Our family of five is vegetarian (even with three young kids). We also grow some of our food in our garden. There is NOTHING that beats the taste and satisfaction of that freshness.
But obviously, not everyone can do that. But that’s where I begin to dwell on the ‘why’. I think there are a multitude of elements at play, whose convergence is the recipe for why the vast majority of ‘food’ we buy at the grocery store is processed, packaged and marketed in questionable ways. Big agri-business + hectic lifestyles + super-size mentality + the pursuit of uber-convenience + ???… the list goes on.
The benefits of pursuing a simpler diet — one that is largely, if not totally, vegetarian based — are many. Healthier body, healthier planet; growth of regional food and economic systems; slowing down and reconnecting with ourselves, our families, our friends as we ENJOY food once again. It’s almost spiritual in a way.
Sorry to go on here… just something that really hits home for me. Thanks for sparking the dialogue. Be well.
Bill Gerlach´s last blog ..101 Ways to Escape the TV Trap and Enjoy Life More
Go on all you want, Bill. Well done raising your kids with an awareness of something other than the SAD (Standard North American Diet) option. Unquestionably big business has most people brainwashed into believing they need a glass of milk a day, can only get protein from meat and will wither on veggies. People are not lined up for hospital beds with protein issues. They are lined up with diabetes, heart disease and cancer — the direct result of fatty, chemicalized food products and meats. Our grocery stores have even gotten in on the veggie trend by creating veggie dogs, sausage, patties, and mock meat. If I wanted meat, I’d eat meat. I want my veggies unprocessed and like you say, there is nothing tastier. I think part of the problem for people is they are addicted to the high they get from the crappy food. The food seduction book I mentioned really opened my eyes to how cheese, sugar and meat have stuff in them that cause us to crave them. Once we’re off them for a while, we start to crave veggies.
I think beyond the physical, you’ve hit the nail on the head. It is a spiritual awakening that needs to take place — our planet, our communities, our families depend on it. I fear for us if we don’t wean ourselves off meat. Take care and thanks for sparking a rant from me.
Great post, and I agree about why people feel like crap so much of the time. The rules you give are pretty much what I follow, most of the time, though I’m so lucky that I never had to learn them, really, having grown up in the midst of the 70s “live off the land organically” craze and 10 miles from a McDonalds and a mom who cooked things from scratch and all that. So I think my taste buds freak when something has a lot of chemicals in it lol
If it’s not real, don’t eat it. That’s my motto. And what you said about if you don’t know what it is or where it came from, don’t eat it. Seriously! Yuck. People have no idea….(hint: I worked restaurants for years…lol)
Funny culture–pro-food (trendy stuff) and anti-food (diets etc) all at the same time. It’s so unhealthy. I just try to tune it all out lol
OH and one more thing: don’t buy it and have it in your house if it’s a temptation! I shake my head when friends tell me they caved to the ice cream or the chips or whatever at 1am…I’m like “You went to the store at 1am?” No, it’s in the cabinet or the fridge….I say, why? Why buy it in the first place? Buy a little one serving thing if you have a craving. Or get a treat for the whole family and really enjoy it (that’s how my mom did things-we didn’t keep stuff in the house). Enjoy it and that’s that
Leah, I worked in restaurants too and I cringe sometimes when I go to one where you can’t see the kitchen. You are right about temptation. It helps to clean out the cupboards and shift your kitchen to a junk free zone. And yeah, late night grocery store adventures are killer. I guess we have a lot of issues around food in our culture from the very personal to the commercial, to the traditional and ritualized. It’s who we are and we have a hard time changing who we are. I’m happy to say, my household has changed over the course of two or three years to a completely new way of eating. But, we are still asked, “Are you guys still eating weird?”. Different is threatening.
Maybe the people who call your way of eating “weird” are feeling pressure to change too
Definitely hard to change things. Must say, when I started in restaurants, I had a hard time adapting to all the food in front of me. I mean, I never learned how to say no when it’s all around me because it was never all around me. So I ate lots and lots of hot fudge sundaes at one place lol
Now I will say no to reading blogs for rest of the day lol
I just love the twist on Jack & Jill. I always wondered what ever happened to them and now I know. What a great story and great ending. Good thing Jack got Jill’s tweet. Thanks for the smile!
Thanks for the kudos, finallygettingtodone. Yep, that’s what happened to those two crazy kids. Thank God for twitter and organic strawberries. Cheers.
I was a dietitian for about 7 years i remember all this one study where 2 toddlers are placed in a room of food one of the toddlers comes from a family where food was controled (ie made to finish meals etc) didn’t have access to food between meals, the other came from a family where food was freely available and wasn’t forced to finish meals. The second child eats a little food and the starts playing the first child eats and eats and eats.
We’re born with an inated ability to eat enough food and it gets ruined by imposing artificial eating schedules on top of it.
The best advice I was ever given and the best advice I ever gave to my clients was “Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full!” For you that might be 1 meal a day for others that might be 6 meals a day.
Benjamin Bankruptcy´s last blog ..Budgeting apparently I need to do it-
Fascinating stuff, Benjamin. Artificial food and artificial eating schedules. We don’t stand a chance! I agree. Eating when you’re hungry is so simple and yet, so hard for most of us taught to clean our plates. Thanks for commenting. Always insightful.
Katie,
Wow, you are turning in to a great story teller, first a lessons from birds and bees and now a story of Jack and Jill with moral twist! I like your approach.
I think there are lot of Jacks and Jills are out there, as we are living hectic and hurried life with little time to eat. I see people eating on burgers while driving! When I visited Europe, I was first upset at slow service there, as I am so used to fast service and eating here in US.
Being healthy is one of my lesson I have learned so I totally with you in this one. Great job.
Preeti @ heart and mind´s last blog ..No Spend Month Challenge- Update 1
Hi Preeti, Maybe I’m overdoing it a bit, but I find a good story helps people understand what I’m going on about. You’re right, Europeans know how to savour a meal for hours, don’t they? Funny how you get conditioned to want things fast. I’m so glad you’re being healthy. Thank you for your kind words and for always visiting.
Katie,
I do not think you are overdoing it. I actually thought it was very cool idea to use stories to tell a moral and educational talk. Maybe I am like a child so I like stories.
By the way, congratulations on being managing director of daily brainstorm site, according to Mary’s last post at write to done! I am so happy for you. It seems like a great site and project.
Preeti @ Heart and Mind´s last blog ..No Spend Month Challenge- Update 1
Ah Katie – what talent! I think I might use this, if I may, to show my students just what you can do with a simple idea.
You and I are clearly on similar pathways for healthy living. Right now
I have at least three friends fighting cancer, two of them decidedly overweight and on the merrygoround of dieting. If only they could get the message. well Done!
Wow, thank you Maria. Yes, please do use this. I love when I hear readers say they are going to print, use or share my articles. It just means I’m doing my job. I’m sorry to hear about your friends. Good food doesn’t make us immune to these diseases, but it certainly won’t encourage them. You can’t tell people how to eat though, you can just guide them to resources. I’ve learned that with friends of mine. When they are ready, they’ll change, but only when they are ready. Best of luck on your healthy path.
Hi Katie, I love how you told this story! It is so simple and straight to the point, I’m sure everyone can see what’s going on.
Lynn Fang´s last blog ..Biodiversity Affects You
Hi Lynn, I hope you are right and thank you for the wonderful praise. Makes my day.
I love this post! I was just talking to a family member yesterday about all the things experts are finding out are “bad” about processed and canned food. Keep it simple. That’s usually the best direction.
Melissa Gorzelanczyk´s last blog ..Easy Ways to Make the Rat Race a Much Better Ride
Hey Melissa, family talks about food are good. Simple is always best. Great to see your smiling face.
What fun this was to read! Great story and so motivating too. I have it easy this time of year because we have a huge veggie garden and fruit trees. Dinner is just out the back door
Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..How The Daily Brainstorm Will Rock Your Blog
Jean, I envy your backyard buffet. Thanks for stopping by on this busy day.
Katie,
Thanks for mentioning my site among all of my favorite veg life resources. I am so honored to part of that group and tied into an amazing post. The simple truth speaks volumes!
On a side note, it’s a shame you don’t live closer. We love the same vegetarian books, and I would love to have you over for dinner!
Have a great week!
Courtney
Courtney Carver´s last blog ..Sell Your Stuff to Pay Off Debt
Hey Courtney, It is my pleasure to mention your site. I always love your veggie-oriented tweets and posts. I’m pulling up a virtual chair to your blog and chowing down. I’ve got loads of other books on my shelf but those are my favs. Cheers!
Hi Katie,
This is such a timely post for me. I am in the process of simplification. Simplification on all the levels of my life…and food seemed to be my greatest weakness.
But, thankfully I have been able to cut out a lot of complex foods and substitute them with simple wholesome food. More soul food…just not the regular carb kind soul food
The story was so so motivating. Thank you fro sharing your insight and the list of sites. O am gonna dig deeper for sure.
Much Love,
Z~
p.s. have just sent you a note through your contact form
Zeenat, I appreciate the desire to simplify on all levels. Food is also one of my issues. I guess that’s why I wrote about it. You’re right, it is soul food when we eat well. I hope you enjoy the links. They have been invaluable to me. All the best and thank you for visiting.
Hey Katie!
Great post as always! I’ve been following your blog for a while now so I was really surprised (and a little starstruck) when I saw your comment on Write to Done, thank you so much for that!
I hope we’ll be chatting more in the future, in the meantime, keep up the fantastic work
Jessica.
Jessica, your appeal on Write to Done was so genuine, I just couldn’t help but root for you. Hope you get the scholarship. Please don’t be starstuck, I’m just a beginner myself with lots to learn. Yes, let’s chat soon – hopefully here or on the A-List Blogger Club forum.
Reading your list reminds me that with most things we care enough to do right, love is often an important factor. Without it, eating, writing, blogging, etc. are like junk food, just empty calories. I like this version of Jack and Jill.
Thank you Belinda. Hope you find, have, cherish and create all the love you need.
Katie – thank you for the link love! And thank you for the fantastic post.
I’ve been a vegetarian for a number of years and have been thinking about going vegan. I just might try it.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Hey Tammy, I never realized, until I did a little hunting and gathering, that you had so many food related articles on your lovely simple living blog. I just wanted to be sure to point people in your direction. They don’t know what they’re missing if they haven’t been to Rowdy Kittens.
I waffle between the two (vegan and vegetarian), but I think it’s worth continuing to try.
beyond being my Favorite Jack and Jill story ever, I love the simple and clear guide this gives for eating “real” food.
fun, brilliant and wonderful!
Aileen´s last blog ..Stretch Your Way Into Stress Relief With These 10 Stretches
Ahhh, thank you Aileen. You always brighten my day with your lovely and supportive comments. I hope you are well.
Katie,
Funny you mention it. I feel like crap – I think I’m Jill. I went from working in a health food store in the early 80’s and skating to work to sitting behind the desk where I can literally feel my hips grow by the minute, very stressed about feeling trapped.
The sedentary desk job (which I hate anyway) is just sharpening the guillotine. Tired, heavy, old feeling.
So…
My first change will be no more second helpings. I don’t eat much processed food, I just eat a lot!
My second change will be moving my body more. Walking, biking sounds good. I bet I could find my old skates with the red wheels.
My third change will be fruit instead of cake, cookies, and icecream.
My big change, and the ones that will promote the better lifestyle, will be getting out of this self-imposed desk/jail type job.
Thanks for the inspire.
Lisa
I hope you do it all. You’ve created a great plan for yourself which is always the best plan, when it comes from you. So happy to inspire such change and yes, break the chains. Check out Jeffrey Tang’s blog http://www.theartofgreatthings.com and Melissa’s blog http://www.peaceandprojects.com for more inspiration on leaving the day job. They both just did it and write about it quite often. Cheers.
Sorry that’s http://www.artofgreatthings.com
Nice job, Katie. I too loved the re-telling of Jack and Jill’s ill-fated trip up the hill. I don’t know how to label myself,but I’ve given up beef, most pork, sugary stuff, fatty food, processed food, and so on. I honor Meatless Monday and often eat meatless at other times.
Part of the reason is that I have Type 2 diabetes (not due to obesity)which I control by eating a healthful diet and exercising most days. No need for medications. It’s so alarming, though, to see how many obese people I see every day, many of them quite young.
Madeleine Kolb´s last blog ..Big Piece of Alzheimer’s Puzzle Solved
Sounds like you’re on a healthy path, Madeleine. Classify yourself as a health-nut! Sometimes an issue, like diabetes, guides us along the path towards healthy eating. It’s too bad that we need wake up calls sometimes but I’ve had some myself. As you say, so many people are over weight from unhealthy eating, but we’re embedded in a society that just doesn’t know how to eat anymore. Most people just don’t know where to begin. Good for you for making conscious choices.
Kate -
I’m a big exercise junkie – I think you know that from my website…but when it comes to food, I find it EXTREMELY difficult to break my habits.
Last month, I gave up coffee for the first time in FIVE years. I only drink tea now. I’m trying to reduce my cheese intake – by doing in moderately…..One day yes, One day no, etc. But I find that watching the kind of food I eat takes a lot of time, effort, and money (organic versus organic).
Hi Carolina, I know what you mean. Sugar is my big weakness. I can’t seem to shake it and I know it’s bad for me. I should try your method, one day off, one day on. The problem is the cravings continue if I keep it in my system. The book I recommended, “Breaking the Food Seduction” talks a lot about food addictions and eliminating foods to reduce cravings. I know what you mean about organic food. I spend a lot on food and when I’m eating really well, I’m spending a lot of time prepping and shopping. So when I’m busy, it’s not so easy. It’s a tough one. I’ll have to try to come up with some strategies for inexpensive and easy ways to manage eating well and share those with my readers. Take care.
Katie, very clever retelling of Jack and Jill! And I love your common-sense approach to eating. Sounds like my own. I want to see families sitting down together at the dinner table, eating wholesome and delicious meals that will nourish their souls as well as their bodies.
Thanks Jean. It might be common sense but it’s not always easy to follow. I just chowed down on a candy apple. But, on a bright note, I did share dinner with my daughter — a proper sitting-at-a-table-in-the-kitchen-no-TV-in-sight dinner. You’re right — my soul was nourished. The fish sticks didn’t help, but the family time did. I’ve got to get back on track with more healthy eating, before I come tumbling down. Thanks for popping by and reminding me to stay human.