Written by Jenn Hand, Holistic Nutritionist, Board Certified Health Coach, NBC-HWC Ever wonder about those people who just go through their lives, not worrying about what they're eating? They're the "normal" eaters; the ones who just eat when they're hungry and stop when they're full. If you struggle with obsessing over eating, here's how to stop thinking of food and what to do instead!  When I was in high school, I had a close friend who was naturally thin and didn't have any eating "issues" like I had. Debbie was tall, slender and ate like...well, a normal person! I was desperately struggling with weeks of bingeing, followed by weeks of restriction, so I looked to Debbie for inspiration. How did she eat? What were her behaviors around food? I studied her closely. When our group of friends hung out, she would indulge in whatever we all had: chicken fingers and pizza, cookies and chips. (The difference was that she didn't eat a lot of anything. If we had a pasta party for track (the night before the event, the team gets together to "carb load", a sports tradition), she wouldn't only eat garlic bread, spaghetti and cookies. She had some salad, some veggies, and a variety of the food that was offered. And because she was a close friend, I knew she didn't THINK about food all day the way I did. She ate at the pasta party and didn't give it another thought after the evening ended. Me on the other hand? I agonized over how to "save up my calories" leading up to the pasta party, fretted over what to eat when I got there, and hated myself for eating too much post-party. Whereas she didn't think about food at all, I spent all of my waking hours worrying and obsessing over what to eat or not eat. Over the years, I studied "normal" eaters. I learned how they approached food and how they developed a very non-chalant attitude towards what they ate or didn't. From my own experience healing my food issues and working with thousands of other women for the last 9 years, here's how to stop thinking of food and what to do instead:  If you prefer to listen to the podcast, do so here: 1. Make Sure You're Actually Eating Enough   One of the reasons we think about food is when our bodies actually NEED to eat! When we're trying to control our food (or looking to lose weight), we often don't eat enough. Those sneaky diet tapes in our mind think it's better to eat as little as we can and go as long as we can without eating. We may try to be "really good" and not have an afternoon snack, but then arrive famished to dinner (and end up overeating). I did a post on what I eat in a day and many people emailed me to say they were surprised and how MUCH I ate. And my old diet brain says that too :) But that's where my hunger was and I was honoring my body. Our minds very easily can tell us "no, you shouldn't be hungry" or "no, you don't need that snack", when in reality our bodies actually need fuel! Pay attention to how much you're eating and make sure the sneaky diet mindset isn't dictating what you eat :)   2. Add Protein Every Time You Eat   One helpful tip to ensure your body is balanced is to add protein to every meal and snack. Adding in protein (any kind: lean meat and poultry, dairy, vegetarian protein, beans and legumes, protein powders, etc) helps you digest your food more slowly and reduces cravings. Protein is what enables your body to regulate your blood sugar (it prevents a quick spike and crash when you just eat a simple carb) and then helps you feel more even-keeled. You can experiment with different proteins and see how they impact your hunger/satiation levels. I still notice that when I eat more protein (i.e. eggs and toast for breakfast vs a bagel with butter), I'm way less cranky, can last longer without another meal, and feel much more balanced.   3. Aim for Satisfaction   This is the cardinal sin when you're in the diet world. Being satisfied with what you eat is non-existent (you follow a plan