Family style dinner: Trout, Blistered tomato salsa, Purple Asparagus & Roasted Green Beans
This month, I'm exploring intuition as it pertains to eating. This is part three, on the ways we eat that aren't related to hunger. For the original long-form article, check out my Substack.
There are so many reasons we eat that aren't related to hunger. They seem to get quickly pathologized these days, which is a lost opportunity for most of us to better understand how we nourish ourselves. It's true that for some of us, emotional eating is a massive block to wellbeing, but I'm more interested in exploring the subtleties many of us employ even when the ill effects aren't so apparent.
When there is awareness of subconscious patterns, we can start to work with these behaviors in a conscious way.
This is personal. Even though I'm a nutritionist, I can't say I have this piece totally nailed. While learning how to eat the right foods for my body has dramatically decreased my desire to eat when I'm not hungry, I sometimes eat for reasons that go beyond hunger.
To avoid feeling negative emotions. When tensions rise in the house, I notice myself reaching for food as a way to ground, numb out, or feel something good. Of all the ways I eat that aren't about hunger, this is the hardest to gain awareness of in the moment.
Moving too quickly. I am often trying to get an unreasonable amount of stuff done every day. Sound familiar? When I'm in high gear (which is just about every weekday), I find it hard to slow down at mealtime and allow my natural hunger signals to lead, as discussed in last week's newsletter.
Cultural and familial reasons. In my 20s, I spent a year in South America. I had been a vegetarian before I left, but I began eating meat again in Argentina — not just because Argentinians eat A LOT of meat, but because I was staying in people's homes, and it didn't feel right to impose my chosen diet on their generosity. Fully living the adventure I was on felt more important than honoring my personal dogma at that moment in time.
To share mealtime with others. If I lived alone I would probably not eat after 3 pm, because that's what feels best to my body. But dinner is a family ritual I value, and it would feel strange to sit at the table and not eat while everyone else does. I want to be clear that this is very different from eating foods that harm you because you don't want to impose — something I'll explore another time.
Turkey Burgers with Sumac-Yogurt Sauce
2 pounds ground turkey meat
5 small zucchini coarsely grated
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (stems included)
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced
2 teaspoons salt
Sumac Yogurt Sauce
1 cup sour cream (or non dairy sour cream)
1 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (or plain coconut yogurt if dairy-free is desired)
grated lemon zest from 1 lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice
minced garlic- 1 clove (omit if avoiding garlic- you can sub with chopped chives)
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sumac
1 teaspoon salt
Make the Sumac yogurt sauce by placing all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and stirring until combined. Chill until ready
Combine all the ingredients for the turkey burgers except the oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into burger patties- I usually make small ones unless I’m in a hurry to get dinner on the table. I use a medium size cookie scoop to portion. It’s cleaner and faster but not necessary.
Heat a grill medium hot. Rub grills down with an oiled paper towel to grease. Grill the turkey burgers until cooked through. (You can also make them in a cast iron skillet) Serve with yogurt sauce on the side.
Food is a gateway into all of life. How we eat is how we love, and how we move through everything else. It's through this process of understanding the ways I eat that aren't about hunger that I've learned how much I need meditation, pause, and time in nature. When I create pockets of spaciousness in my day, I'm more likely to pause before reaching for something sweet after my teen implodes, for example — and do the harder thing of staying with my feelings.
Ready to take the deep dive? Read more about the 20 Week Health Reset:
