Full of Thanks this Thanksgiving

I’ve been thinking a lot about what to focus on in my Thanksgiving blog post. Yesterday I queued up my first-ever restaurant review, but I’m saving it for after the holiday because I don’t want it to get lost in the shuffle of turkey recipes and holiday travel-mania. I’ve obviously thought a great deal about how this holiday comes with a big helping of anxiety for those suffering with food issues. But rather than write about the Thanksgiving meal itself (and all the food-related anxiety that can come along with it) as I did last year, I thought I’d take the focus off of the dinner plate and instead share with you what I’m grateful for this year.

And here it is: my list of the top 10 things I’m thanking my lucky stars for as I head up to beautiful Lake Tahoe for the holiday:

• My appetite (and taste buds). After 39 weeks of preggomania, I thought I’d lost both for good, but I didn’t, and they’re BACK!
• My family and friends, and their understanding of all the highs and lows I’ve been experiencing since little Miss Munchkin began her life inside of me at about this time last year.
• Laughter (and the discovery of things like this and this that have kept me laughing even when I couldn’t get Muffin Bunny to stop crying).
• A freezer door full of extra Munchkin Milk.
• The best husband in the world (and his first-class “shushing” skills, exhibited brilliantly during the first few weeks of Emily’s life).
• Looks from Little Miss Munchkin that make time stop, put a smile inside of me that I’ve yet to be able to describe in words….and make me think that maybe, just maybe, I could do this again in a few years.
• A roof over my head, and a job to return to in a week and a half, even though I’m terrified to cut the chord with Little Miss Munchkin during business hours (yes, I broke the rules and put two things in one bullet).
• The cutest belly in the world to look at every day (see above), which reminds me just why we should never have anything but love for our own bodies and bellies.
• This blog, which has helped me stay connected to my identity during a time that I have turned my life over to someone else.
• My readers, who continue to inspire me, reminding me daily why I wrote my book and continue to dig the meaning out of mundane life situations…and write about it here.

You’ll notice that not one item on this list has anything to do with the size of my pants or the calorie count of the beef stew I ate at my mother-in-law’s house last night.

If you’re already feeling weighed down by food anxiety, put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and write out your own list of what you’re grateful for. You might find that all of the life (and food) worries that consume your thoughts melt away into a beautiful pile of gratitude that reminds you just why this life of yours is so damn sweet.

Happy Thanksgiving. And thank you for helping to make mine one to be thankful for.

KCBS-TV Nailed It!

I have to give a huge shout-out to Lisa Sigell and KCBS-TV for their fabulous story on
orthorexia which just aired during the 11 p.m. newscast. This is such an important topic, and the station nailed it! Not only did the station get the facts right, but it picked up on all the nuances of what is a very complicated issue. Reporting at its best. So...have a look, let me know what you think, share the link with your friends, and continue to tune into KCBS-TV. I am very impressed with the station's top-quality stories. Thank you, Lisa Sigell and KCBS-TV!

A Warm Welcome

Given all the wonderful feedback I've received both online and off for my reaction to the WCBS-TV piece on orthorexia, I felt it inappropriate to switch focus abruptly and continue posting on my usual topics: food, intuitive eating, body image and even some reflections on my relatively recent entree into mommyhood. Inappropriate because I'm still processing the entire experience and trying to determine whether it's worth it for me to continue to put myself out there in front of the media and risk having my voice completely mis-represented, in the hopes of reaching a few more people with my message.

So while I continue to process the experience and respond to all of the wonderful feedback I've received from new and long-time readers alike, I thought I'd give a warm welcome to all my new visitors. To you I say, WELCOME! Sit back, pour a cup of coffee and dig into some of the thoughts I've poured out onto this site over the last few years. And then, come back soon!

I have lots of posts lined up about some pretty interesting topics, and I have one restaurant review that has been percolating in my head for weeks now -- I'm very excited about it, and just need to find a way to write it in such a way that does justice to how much I love this restaurant.

Anyway, thanks for all the positive feedback to my posts this week (if you've emailed me your reactions, feel free to post your comments next time -- others enjoy seeing all the feedback), welcome to all of you new visitors, and stay tuned -- lots of new posts to follow soon!

Additional Thoughts: Once an Eating Disorder, NOT ALWAYS an Eating Disorder

I'm sitting on my couch, laptop in lap, thinking about why I feel so unsettled that the WCBS-TV story labeled me "Orthorexic." And I'm realizing that the reason it doesn't sit well with me is because I shed that label many years ago. My entire philosophy and message in my book is that just because you once suffered from an eating disorder does not mean that you always will. I am living, breathing proof that you do not need to carry that label around with you for the rest of your life.

Perhaps the producer(s) at WCBS-TV think of an eating disorder as a disease that comes with a lifelong membership and/or label. But that's not true. My own experience has taught me that is not the case. My sole purpose in writing Eat When You're Hungry and spending nights and weekends authoring this blog and answering emails from people all over the world about intuitive eating, and recovery from lifelong diets, is to help people shed these labels they have given themselves.

I actually just got home from a wonderful dinner with my family to celebrate my mother's birthday. I enjoyed a delicious lamb ragu pasta followed by a fabulous chocolate bread pudding with peanut butter ice cream. I worked hard for many years to be able to get to a place where I could actually enjoy a meal like that guilt-free and data-free (un-learning the calorie and fat count of all of those foods), and yes -- I was successful, and you can be too!

Today I am Maggie Miller, mom, wife, mother, daughter, sister. I eat real food and I don't feel guilty about it. I eat real food and I don't calculate calories, fat or fiber. I'm about as "normal" an eater as you could possibly find now, with virtually no disordered thoughts about food left in my psyche. So to see that title "Maggie Miller, Orthorexic" on screen tonight really surprised me.

Please know, if you are currently suffering with an eating disorder, or simply a seemingly never-ending struggle with body image and/or food, that you can be free from it -- you DON'T have to carry that label with you forever (even if a TV station mistakenly places it next to your name).

All in the Details

After being interviewed more than a month ago, the story on orthorexia finally aired on WCBS-TV tonight. I must commend WCBS-TV for devoting air-time to such an important topic. However, I am both shaking my head and smiling while I type this: the title the station granted me was "Maggie Miller, Orthorexic." I might have preferred, "Maggie Miller, Author, Coach." I even would have taken "former orthorexic" or "recovered orthorexic."

Sidenote, I never refer to someone as an "orthorexic," "anorexic" or "bulimic." People are more than the issues with which they struggle, so I always refer to people by name and if relevant say that they are suffering with anorexia, bulimia or orthorexia...rather than define them as their eating disorder. But I digress.

That being said, I stand by my words quoted in the story. My life did open up once I finally recovered from disordered eating. I decided that life was more important than having the "perfect" diet. I set out to write "Eat When You're Hungry" with one goal: to help as many people as I possibly could to stop dieting and start living. I hope that despite the incorrect label "Orthorexic," without the word "former" in front of it, my story of recovery will come through and help others who are currently enmeshed in this labyrinth of eating choices.

I hope I remain a living, breathing example to people all over the world of someone who has successfully overcome years of restrictive eating. Remember, eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full and love yourself.

Tune in Tomorrow Night

Big news at Eat When You're Hungry! I was interviewed back in September by a producer at WCBS-TV in NY for a story she was working on about orthorexia. The story is set to air this Tuesday night during the 11 p.m. newscast. If you're not in New York, you can view the story on the WCBS-TV website. Let's try to get as many people as possible to watch this story on such an important topic. Spread the word, re-tweet my announcement on twitter, and tell your friends to tune in. If you're pleased with the story, email WCBS-TV to thank them for devoting airtime to such an important subject.

(*Disclaimer: I have not seen the story yet, so I'm hoping I'll be pleased with the reporting on orthorexia*)

I'll Bake If I Want To!

I’ve been having a craving for oat bran-raisin muffins for weeks, and finally had 10 minutes to put my little munchkin down and bake a dozen of them. Because I like to share recipes (and all other things) I love with you here on this blog, I considered snapping a picture of the treats and typing up the recipe. But then my very overtired brain started having a dialogue with itself, wondering if such a post would be a good idea.

“Oat bran is labeled by so many people as a ‘health food,’” I said to myself. “People will think that this anti-diet preacher is a fraud,” I thought. They’ll think that while I say I eat REAL FOODS including the ones with fat inside of them, that really I subsist on fat-free, fiber-filled oat bran, skim milk and dried fruit.

As I’m typing this on my computer (with a bowl of oatmeal by my side) I’m realizing what a ridiculous conversation this was that I had with myself. I blame baby brain.

Now the dialogue in my head is going something like this: “Seriously, Maggie? Because you actually enjoy (er, LOVE….and had a major craving for) something that others label as a ‘health food,’ you think your Eat When You’re Hungry message will be tarnished?”

“Well, yes,” I thought. That is exactly what I was thinking.

But then I came across this blog post talking about delicious foods that have been “hijacked by diet industry hype,” and it got me thinking – I love my oat bran muffins, darnit, and I’m sharing the recipe on my blog!

These muffins are simple and satisfying, and if we’re being honest on this blog (which we are), they really are a raisin delivery device for me. Plus, my hubby can’t stand raisins, so I don’t have to worry about them disappearing from the freezer before I’ve had a chance to get my fill of them.

Anyway, try out the recipe if you want to, but in the meantime, let me know – are there any foods you love that have been “hijacked” by the diet industry?

Oat Bran Raisin Muffins
(Courtesy of Mother’s Oat Bran – side of box recipe)
2 ¼ cups Oat Bran Hot Cereal, uncooked
¼ cup chopped nuts (I omit these and replace with raisins)
¼ cup raisins (I put in quite a bit more than this)
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup honey or molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or spray bottoms only with no-stick cooking spray. Combine dry ingredients; mix well. Add combined milk, eggs, honey and oil; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fill prepared muffin cups ¾ full. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
1 Dozen

Guest Post: How to Raise an Intuitive Eater

By Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen, MS, RD

Maryann Tomovich Jacobsen is a registered dietitian, mother of two and creator of www.RaiseHealthyEaters.com, a blog dedicated to providing parents with the most credible nutrition information. You can follow her updates on twitter.

Even though I was born an intuitive eater, I had to work at becoming one as an adult. I wish I could get back the countless hours I spent obsessing about food and weight. And while I’m grateful that I found a way out, I’m determined to spare my children of the experience.

When I first started on this journey I wanted to know the answer to one question: what makes someone eat the way they do? Why do some people listen to their hunger and satiety cues and others ignore them?

I’ve learned that parental feeding strategies have a big impact on a child’s future relationship with food. Because most food learning occurs the first 5 years of life, parents are a child’s most important “food” teacher.

On my blog, www.RaiseHealthyEaters.com, I write about three crucial factors for raising children to eat intuitively. To understand why each is so important, let’s go over each one:

1) How to feed: The most important way to help children create a healthy relationship with food is to work on how you feed them. Remember, children are born with the natural ability to regulate food intake. So focus on feeding strategies that protect their in-born satiety and fullness cues.

Ellyn Satter, dietitian, feeding expert and author of several books, created the Division of Responsibility of feeding. Basically parents decide the “when,” “what,” and “where” of feeding and children decide the “whether” and “how much” of eating. Children know how much food they need – and when parents let them decide how much to eat they learn to listen to their bodies. But if kids are controlled at mealtime, they’ll learn to eat for external reasons instead. Studies show children eat less when pressured and more when food is restricted.

2) What to feed: A parent’s main responsibility in feeding is deciding what their child will eat. Nutrition is important for growing children. For more on nutrition needs at certain ages, see How to Maximize Nutrition at Every Stage.

The goal is to expose your child to a variety of foods including fruits, vegetables, whole and refined grains, dairy, meats, beans, nuts, fats and sweets. Children under 18 months of age don’t have much room for empty calorie foods like ice cream and cookies, but as they get closer to 2 these food can be part of their balanced diet. Studies show that when offered a variety of foods, children will get the nutrition they need.

Why is a dietitian recommending you serve sweet foods? Because studies show that restricting access to such foods causes children to eat more in the absence of hunger. But you also don’t want to offer sweet foods at every meal and snack. Instead, offer them every so often at a regular snack time. But that’s not all – you’ll need to make sure your child can have as much of it as they want.

In her books, Ellyn Satter discusses this idea of scarcity of eating. When children feel they can’t get enough food, especially highly palatable foods like sweets, they will want them even more. That means restricting them to only one cookie when they really want two or three, makes them fixate on these foods more. The bottom line is kids need to learn how to eat all types of foods.

3. Be a positive role model: You can master the how of feeding and provide balanced meals but if you still battle food your child will take notice. I truly believe becoming a parent makes you a better person. The love a mom and dad have for their child is an incredible force that can be channeled into overcoming life-long challenges.

So if don’t have a healthy relationship with food, take steps to work on it. If you’ve been reading Maggie’s blog, you’re already on your way. It starts with listening to you hunger and satiety cues, making feeding yourself a priority (along with your children) and reading some good books including Maggie’s story and Intuitive Eating.

Raising an intuitive eater is not an easy task in today’s world. But if you can focus on the three crucial elements – how to feed, what to feed and being a positive role model – you’ll have it mastered in no time.