A New Approach to Eating

Have you ever noticed that a significant percentage of health care workers practice unhealthy habits? Kind of a paradox, isn't it?

Many years ago, I lost 29 pounds while a member of Weight Watchers. It took me three years. Shortly after reaching my goal weight, I took a job as an Activities Supervisor at a retirement community. Within two short years, I had gained all my weight back. How could this be, especially in light of how much running I did up and down hallways throughout the day?

Besides partaking of all the extra goodies such as homemade cookies, ice cream, and candy that were incorporated in the many activities I was overseeing, I also ate on the run. I somehow prided myself for my "working" lunches - literally inhaling my food while continuing with my work.

Many years later I find myself trying to reconstruct my life, examining why it is I can't seem to reclaim my health. I heartily conclude that diets don't work, but what does?

Lately, I've been listening to audio books during my travel time. One of the most useful books I've discovered is "Women, Food, and God," by Geneen Roth who claims that if we just ate like a four-year-old does, we'd eventually find ourselves returning to our natural weight.

What if we ate like the typical nursing home resident? Case in point. A few weeks ago, while rushing along with my work, I decided to sit down with a nonagenarian lady who had been sitting at a table with her lunch for at least twenty minutes. By the time I joined her, about three fourths of the food on her plate still remained. As typical of my frantic eating style, I consumed my entire plate within about two minutes.

"My, you wolfed that down in a hurry!" the lady exclaimed.

What an embarrassing wake-up call. So, this week, I have intentionally joined the elders at lunch to watch and learn. I have mimicked their eating habits, correcting myself if I find that I'm inching ahead of them. I'm astounded at the difference it makes, in terms of how much food I eat and how quickly I eat it, when I'm not paying attention.

Yesterday, one of the kitchen workers went around the dining room asking the residents if they wanted jello cake or ice cream.

"I'll take some of that jello cake," the lady sitting next to me responded.

"That's ridiculous!" the lady exclaimed to me after the kitchen worker set the cake down in front of her. "I don't eat that much anymore!"

Listening to my body, I decided to refrain from accepting a piece of cake, and instead, ate a bowl of pickled beets for dessert. And, no, it wasn't a sacrifice. I actually had a craving for them!

In the meantime, my lunch partner took one bite of her jello cake and left the rest alone.

And so, I have hope. I ate my food very slowly (and about half as much of it) the two times I dined with the elders this week. And I didn't just survive, I thrived.

I am convinced that caregivers would be healtheir and happier if they were encouraged to both savor their food and the individuals they dine with.
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Kareen King is a Registered Drama Therapist and founder of The Golden Experience, offering keynotes, concerts, and workshops to enrich lives in long-term care. For booking information, contact her at kking@thegoldenexperience.com or visit www.thegoldenexperience.com.

Kareen's CD's which feature original songs that give voice to individuals in long-term care settings, have been used as caregiver training tools, gifts for long-term care staff and volunteers, and for personal inspiration. To hear samples and to purchase, click http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/KareenKing.