Food that Hums versus Beckons

I have followed the principle of eating food that "hums" to me, food that seems exactly right for me at the time. It's a matter of developing an awareness of what your body is saying and taking heed. If you start to feel full as you unthinkingly polish off all the food on a plate someone has served, STOP eating! Never keep eating when your body tells you enough. Where would you rather see those extra pounds, on your hips or in the trash!

Here is an insight into our food cravings and the difference between food that hums to you and food that beckons. Take note and you will gain control of your body and maintain the weight that is right for you.

Food is categorised into two kinds: ones which you want because of an inner craving, and ones you want because the stimulation comes from the outside. Much eating is a craving for sensation. It can also be a craving for a specific food. That can be tied into security feelings associated with food. It can also be tied to reward foods or comfort foods.

Specific foods which you crave "hum to you"; it's like something that's coming from within, a tune you can't get out of your head. And you can do a lot of eating around the food that's humming to you if you don't allow yourself to get it.

"Beckoning" foods don't come from the inside. You usually see them and then you want them. You're walking down the street and you see something in the bakery window. You can eat these foods and they will taste good, but they're not really satisfying a craving or a hunger. They're just there. Beckoning foods are foods you can overeat, especially if you are ignoring what you really want and going with what's beckoning rather than what's humming. You don't feel deprived if you pass them up. It may take an effort not to eat them when they're available but afterwards you don't think about it.

It's important to keep track of the difference. The humming food is what you'll really be pleasured on, satisfied, and you'll feel deprived if you don't have it. It's food that comes from an inner need. With food that "hums" you usually know you crave it without seeing it. The trick is to make distinctions, not to make prohibitions.

The minute you classify any food as forbidden, then you have deprivation and rebellion, "No-one is going to tell me what to do, not even myself!" The focus is not a negative one of cutting out something but a positive focus on "What do I really want?" Eventually you will get to a point where you're eating what you really want and need. And NOT eating what you don't want or need. Much of people's eating is a waste of sensation. Can you really taste much at a dinner party when you're busy talking?

One way to start is to eat only when and what you really want. Don't eat just because it's mealtime. Spend a moment before you eat tuning into how your body feels and if you're really hungry. If you only eat dinner to get to dessert, forget the dinner and go for the dessert! - From 'Getting Clear - body work for women' by Anne Kent Rush

Following this guide to listening for food that hums means I usually eat quite a lot less than most people and sometimes my diet must look erratic to others. However it evens out and must be healthy because as a 50 something female I am slim and fit, the same size I was in my 20s and haven't been near a doctor for at least 10 years. In case you think I follow some sort of healthfood diet, I don't! I eat chocolate and KFC or anything else that hums to me. To give you an example and hopefully some inspiration, I intend following this post up with an example of all the food I eat in a week. Meantime, start listening for that humming!