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Eating Disorders, Food Freedom, Intuitive Eating, Stress

Normal Eaters Are Healthy

September 21, 2016 By Robyn 33 Comments

Healthy eating can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask. And in the warped world we live in…we often end up in a flurry of judgement and shouldas when we get to talking about healthy eating.

But instead of calling it healthy eating, let’s call it normal eating. Because ultimately, being a normal eater instead of a “healthy” eater sounds the healthiest to me.

Forget the labels - normal eaters are the healthiest. | The Real Life RD

Normal eaters can order a salad at lunch because that sounds and feels awesome, but the next day they can also order a burger and fries at lunch and eat until satisfied because that sounds and feels awesome too. And one is not good or bad, each meal just is.

normaleating

Normal eaters do not define their eating. They are not paleo or vegan or dairy free (unless you have a true medical indication, which obviously negates much of this post) or gluten free or whatever. They make choices that feel best to them physically, emotionally and mentally and whatever that conglomeration of choices makes them to the outside world…they don’t care because they don’t think about it. They just choose what they choose.
 normaleating
“Healthy eating” does not socially isolate the normal eater . They don’t hesitate to commit to social plans based on the food situation and they also don’t let social settings justify, “oh what the hell I’ll eat whatever” food choices that leave a person in a puddle of guilt and shame. Food is part of socializing but it is not the deciding factor of their social life.
normaleating
Food is not the only thing normal eaters think about or talk about. They have hobbies and interests outside of food. And outside of their weight and pant size.

Normal eaters don’t reward nor do they punish themselves with food. They eat something because they’re grown azzzz adults who can choose to freely eat whatever they want and not eat what they don’t want and they need no reason to justify doing either.

Normal eaters can recognize sometimes overeating is a part of life, not the end of their life. They can observe how they feel, become curious, and learn from the experience. They are able to withhold judgment knowing they’re human and perfection is not an expectation of existence.
normaleating
Normal eaters don’t substitute alcohol for food. Alcohol will not nourish their body, therefore margaritas are not a meal.
Normal eaters not care what time it is, when they ate earlier or how long it’s been since they last ate when they realize they are hungry and need to make a food decision – they rely on the subjective measures of how they feel and what they crave, not the objective measures such as time, calories or hours.
Normal eaters eat sometimes because it’s part of an experience or because they have a craving they want to satisfy intentionally – and therefore they eat when they aren’t necessarily hungry because that’s part of experiencing life.
normaleating
Normal eaters do not make food decisions based on what somebody else is eating, they make food decisions based on what they feel like eating knowing that their needs are not the same as the persons next to them.
Normal eaters realize that food is fluctuating and dynamic and some days will call for more cookies than kale, more laying than moving and that’s all part of the ebb and flow of life. Normal eaters realize life is more than food and that they don’t even have to get all the above statements “right.” That there is grace and freedom to be messy work in progress forever. But they do know that life is unexpected and anything but linear and healthy is not about how green their plate is on any given day.

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Filed Under: Eating Disorders, Food Freedom, Intuitive Eating, Stress

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Comments

  1. Megan King says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:14 am

    Just love everything about this.

    Reply
  2. Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:27 am

    This post is fantastic. You always put a smile on my face with your posts! I needed to read this.

    Reply
  3. Sarah @ BucketListTummy says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:29 am

    Yes, life is more than just food. Food is just food, no matter what you eat. Love this!

    Reply
  4. Abby says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:31 am

    Robyn, you are my go-to when I feel my mind going back to a restrictive mindset. I know that once I read a few posts on your blog, I will remember what is important and get back to living 😉 Thank you for this!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:23 am

      ahhh I’m so glad this is a place of re-direction and refreshment 🙂 thanks for reading abby!

      Reply
  5. Jen @ Pretty Little Grub says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:46 am

    I love this. Normal eating means so many different things. But like you’ve shown, most of all it doesn’t involve an obsession with food.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:23 am

      normal eating is whatever feels good and most freeing to you while you are fully enjoying your life 🙂 well said!

      Reply
  6. Marsha says

    September 21, 2016 at 10:15 am

    Yes! Yes! Yes! How many times can I say Yes! about this. I was thinking along these lines this morning as I prepare to speak to my followers about eating and how I treated my birthday yesterday.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:22 am

      happy belated! hope it was amazing :))

      Reply
  7. She Rocks Fitness says

    September 21, 2016 at 10:43 am

    This made me smile and made me realize that I will get here…EVENTUALLY! Thank you as always for your inspiration, your heart warming words, and your honesty!!! So well said…XOXO

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:22 am

      You WILL get there – keep your eyes fixed on what matters and focus on the heart. It’s a journey so be gentle with yourself 🙂

      Reply
  8. Maeve says

    September 21, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    “healthy is not about how green their plate is on any given day.”
    And correspondingly, a person’s value is not about how green their plate is either.
    Thank you for your infinite wisdom and grace, Robyn.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:21 am

      YES INDEED. Our value or identity is not in food or looks – so well said Maeve 🙂

      Reply
  9. Amy says

    September 21, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    Yes!!! I have worked so hard to recover from anorexia and was never quite sure when I would feel truly recovered. This post speaks to how I feel about food now! I feel normal and flexible and happy! Thank you for sharing this.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:21 am

      which is true recovery and freedom! so glad you have that 🙂

      Reply
  10. Kate says

    September 21, 2016 at 3:21 pm

    I can really appreciate this. I believe this is the place where we can be happiest, no matter what our size is. God gave us this gift of being able to sustain ourselves in way that didn’t have to be complicated. Normal eating frees us up to do extraordinary things.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:20 am

      because when you have more mind space you can focus on what matters and what you’re called to do – agreed kate! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Katharina says

    September 22, 2016 at 3:33 am

    Thanks for this great post!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:20 am

      thank YOU for reading! 🙂

      Reply
  12. Jennifer Lefforge says

    September 22, 2016 at 8:07 am

    Yes and yes! I met a woman at run club just the other day that expressed how exhausted she was from reading all the labels, counting all the carbs and documenting all the things. She literally said “Sometimes I just want to eat!” We have deprived ourselves of the joy of food and it’s sad. Great post. Here’s to being normal eaters!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:20 am

      yes! like, we make this wayyyy too complicated and the counting and measuring and all that has only come in recent decades and more in america than other countries. food is just food 🙂

      Reply
  13. Hilary says

    September 22, 2016 at 8:44 am

    I think this is great! I know when I first starting learning about health and nutrition I totally went into the clean eating, healthy food mode. I am finally starting to find the balance of eating foods that make me feel good, but also finding a way to socialize around food as well. I think when you find that place you know you are living your life the healthiest you can even if you get ice cream or cake more than once a week!

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      September 22, 2016 at 9:19 am

      Yes totally agree – it’s a process to get a place of “balance” (if that even totally exists) – so glad you’ve found your groove :))

      Reply
  14. Jodie says

    September 23, 2016 at 8:14 am

    This was fantastic !

    Reply
  15. Ann says

    September 26, 2016 at 4:15 am

    I can´t thank you enough for this post. I lost 60lbs and got to a healthy weight several years ago, but about two years ago started experiencing some major disordered eating. I was not eating enough and felt terrible all the time. I was the skinniest I´ve ever been, but I was totally miserable. Over the past year I´ve learned about eating intuitively but still have days when I struggle. Overall though I am MUCH happier. I am living in Europe for a year and don´t have all of my kitchen gadgets like I did at home, so I have felt “bad” and stressed about not having my normal “healthy” foods–avocado, ezekiel bread, green smoothies in my blendtec, etc. Posts like this remind me to embrace the food freedom I have worked so hard to find and to live in the moment. I am eating mindfully and walking eeeevvverywhere, it is not going to kill me to eat a croissant and some gelato. I might even enjoy it. THANK YOU.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      October 14, 2016 at 2:31 pm

      Thank you for sharing your journey Ann – living proof that it’s not just about the weight, it’s about SO much more. Gahhh Italy is so refreshing! Food isn’t so dang complicated over there and you don’t see gyms on every corner. Enjoy every bit!

      Reply
  16. Megan @ A Continual Feast says

    September 28, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    Wonderful post as always, Robyn! Thanks for being such an inspiration. I love how you live your life without guilt/shame- that gives others “permission” to do the same! 🙂

    Reply
  17. Heather @ Polyglot Jot says

    September 30, 2016 at 8:41 am

    I LOVE this post! It’s so true and I think the “healthy” eating thing is getting to be so blown up that it makes people who dont make 100% “healthy” choices feel guilty. It takes the joy out of cooking and eating and sharing a meal with loved ones.

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      October 14, 2016 at 2:29 pm

      Yes! Healthy is so much more than food

      Reply

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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