Picky eaters

This TED talk caught my eye because I know a few “picky eaters”. Katie Kimball's TED talk is aimed at parents and teachers but I found some useful and insightful information in this talk. She outlines the five P's of picky eating: Palette, Pain, Processing, Pressure and Power. 

I found Processing particularly fascinating. Did you know that if you have sensory processing difficulties you may struggle with eating? For example, if you are trying to eat in an overstimulating environment—too loud or too bright—you may lose your appetite.

I am leery of the snacking between meals or grazing approach to eating because I don't think it allows us to build an appetite. We need to feel hungry. Remember, hunger comes in waves, we don't have to give into initial hunger pangs because we can catch the next wave. In order to build up our appetite we have to go without eating (consuming any calories) for at least a few hours. 

Have you heard that the best time to try a new food is when you are hungry? This is true. When we build up an appetite, the first food we eat will taste good. We can use this to our advantage, to try new foods and to eat our less than favourite foods. For example, if you struggle to eat vegetables or certain vegetables, try eating them first when you are feeling really hungry. 

We have to eat every day, we face the issues we have with food every day of our lives. I believe it is worth the time and effort to understand our relationship with food. Intuitive Eating is an approach to food that focuses on our body's cues of hunger and satiety. It may be a good place to start changing our relationship with food. I learned about Intuitive Eating in this podcast and I wrote more about it in this post.