If you thought you left peer pressure behind once you graduated from high school, I'm sorry to toss this classic Minnesota phrase at you:
Yeah, no.
Mostly, we can't help it. Ope! Our brains are wired to mirror the eating habits of the people around us and of course, that makes evolutionary and cultural sense. Children learn to eat from mimicking the adults around them. (Although they have their own opinions too - I wish you could have seen the face my 2-year old niece made this morning when I handed her mom/my sister a bowl of rice with fried eggs on top. My sister was thrilled; her daughter looked like this -> ๐ฑ!)
Toddlers aside, we unconsciously eat (and drink) what the adults around us choose and sometimes that's great and sometimes...it gets in the way of our health goals.
You could find this frustrating and feel doomed to overeat whenever you're in a social situation or...use the knowledge to your advantage. Let's choose the latter!
If you arrive at happy hours or dinners with friends after not eating much all day, things are not going to go in a healthful direction. You would have to possess crazy willpower to show up starving at a favorite restaurant, with all of your besties ordering drinks and appetizers, and not over-indulge.
And so, I offer my:
Top 10 Strategies for Eating Healthfully With Others!
Get properly nourished and full during the day. Eat a balanced "PPCF" breakfast AND lunch, as in, 30 grams of Protein, a cup or more of "Plants" (aka greens, non-starchy vegetables, berries, with a focus on lots of color), the right number of Carbs (from starches or higher sugar fruits) for you activity level, and some healthy Fat. Consider a balanced snack as well. Oh look, there's you showing up excited but not starving, ready to have a blast and leave feeling great. (Lesson: When you understand how satiety works and what creates it, you can employ it wherever you are to naturally eat the right number of calories for your health goals.) โ
Scope out the restaurant menu ahead of time so you can loosely plan what you're going to order. Am I going to say look for the proteins? Yes, yes I am. (Lesson: Like the Boy Scouts, Be prepared.) โ
Know that restaurants cook with a lot of fat so if you're trying to lose weight, focus on delicious proteins and vegetables and minimize fried carbs (chips, french fries). If you have wine, skip dessert. If you want dessert, skip wine. You don't *have* to do these things, they're just fast and simple tips for shaving some calories without compromising pleasure and fun. (Lesson: Trade-offs achieve balance.) โ
Pay attention. Social eating is pretty much the opposite of mindfulness so to the best of your ability, pause. Remember that eating with others isn't just about the food, right? Take in the beauty of the restaurant. Enjoy the quality of service and hospitality. Look around the table and remember how much you love the people you're dining with. Appreciate how the food is plated, seasoned, prepared, and all the care and effort that went into it. Check in with your level of fullness and send your plate away if you're done. Remember that you can take extra food home. (Lesson: Savor.)
For the rest of my Top 10 tips, subscribe to the paid version of my newsletter! You'll also receive a recipe for Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Tomato, Scorched Pea, Peach, and Olive Salad aka summer heaven as well as simple strategies for naturally managing your appetite that you're probably not taking advantage of.
Your paid subscriptions support the time I spend sharing the loads of free content I create and provide daily on social media, my blog, and in my emails. When you upgrade you have access to additional recipes, interviews, podcast and books recommendations, studies, and other resources that I only share with my subscribers.
And of course, if you'd like to work 1:1 to learn how to put together simple, nutrient-dense meals that crush cravings and help you lose weight, click here to work with me so that we can start strategizing right away.
Better than the original Tuna Pasta Salad
The goal of healthy eating is NOT to remove all of your favorite foods and dishes from your life.
Here's the recipe in case you're on the hunt for a protein-rich lunch that can carry you for a couple of days:
Protein-Rich Tuna Pasta Salad โ Serves 2
1 5-ounce can tuna packed in olive oil, drained well 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped 1/2 cup cooked edamame 1 ounce chickpea pasta shells, cooked, drained, rinsed in cold water 1 tablespoon capers 2 tablespoons chopped onion 1 tablespoon mayo 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon mustard 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill Squeeze of lemon Salt & freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl combine tuna, egg, edamame, pasta, capers, and onion.
In a small bowl, combine mayo, yogurt, mustard, dill, and lemon. Stir to combine.
Pour dressing over tuna mixture and gently fold to combine. Season with salt & black pepper to taste.
Refrigerate for an hour (or up to 2 days) before serving.
Enjoy with fresh tomato slices! And of course, tweak away and make your own by adding celery, scallions or chives, olives, or any of your other pasta salad favorites.
I got several nice notes back last week after I wrote about thinking big picture about stress. A lot of lightbulbs went on! I remind you that an overall stress inventory can provide insights into why you feel like you're doing everything right but you're not making much progress toward your health goals, whether your goals are to lose weight, have more energy, build muscle, be more fit, have fewer hormone swings, sleep better, have better blood sugar control, lower your blood pressure, or reduce your risk for Alzheimer's or other chronic disease.
Food plays an imperative role in all of the above and so does stress.
If you're not sure where to begin in taking an inventory and figuring out how to make changes that work, click here to work with me and/or hit reply to ask questions.
xoxo Stephanie
PS If you're enjoying my newsletter, forward it to a friend! Have a lovely week.
โ
Want help knowing how to eat to beat cravings, easily prepare healthy and delicious meals, stop wasting food, and boost your energy so you feel and look...dare I say...vibrant?
โ