Bad Salad: Intuitive Eating
What if I told you, you could eat whatever you want without feeling guilty?
A world where that juicy hamburger and fries are equal to the “healthy choice” of a salad.
That is the dream of, “Intuitive Eating” a non-diet approach to the way we consume that breaks the cycle of diet culture and mends our relationships to food.
Food Is No Longer The Enemy
How Intuitive Eating Became the Anti-Diet
From the Keto diet, to Weight Watchers, Dan Corica, a 29 year old musician living in Manhattan, has been yo-yo dieting his entire life. Even when his waistline would decline, he realized his happiness wasn’t synonymous with a number on the scale. He spoke candidly on the morality of food, “My least favorite thing is the ‘guilty pleasure’ attitude people feel towards food they love. It’s such a deeply ingrained way of speaking about food.” He said.
‘I love ice cream, but it’s bad for me, so I’m being naughty when I talk about how much I love it.’ It’s so hard to unlearn that because it feels like a universal experience.”
In an attempt to make peace with his body and mind, Dan joined the ranks of thousands of other dieters, and began practicing Intuitive Eating, the “anti-diet” way of approaching food.
Under this mindful eating theory, they encourage honoring your hunger, acknowledging when you’re full, and controlling your inner and outer food police.
When you allow yourself to have what you want, and listen to your body cues on fullness, there is less obsession over these stereotypically “bad” foods, because you can have them whenever you want.
Intuitive Eating was brought onto the Californian wellness scene in 1995, by two dietitians who were interested in creating a guilt-free food reality. Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, created intuitive eating as a “non-diet” approach to the way we consume, breaking the cycle of diet culture and mending our relationships to food. Over the past 10 years, there has been a sharp uptick of interest in the practice of IE, and just this past year, more interest pieces and press covering an alternative approach to food and exercise. The practices of I.E. are frequently associated with the Health at Every Size movement, also known as H.A.E.S. and as a recovery technique for those suffering from eating disorders. Intuitive Eating is most applied to those with disordered binge-eating, as one of it’s main premises is removing the guilt from food.
Intuitive Eatings shifts the focus away from food, and tries to find the underlying emotional stresses that may be causing overeating to begin with.
Emotional aspects can range anywhere from sheer boredom to anxious and depressive eating. IE suggests honoring your feelings and your body, without the use of food in a multitude of ways: Writing in a journal, going for a walk, practicing yoga, calling a friend, or reading a book. This is one of the practices that is easiest to hold on to for new intuitive eaters like Corica.
“Food is no longer the enemy!” Corica exclaims. It is something that sustains me, and brings me joy.”
He goes on, “trying to eat intuitively has allowed me to try and experience real satisfaction-deeper than just ‘fullness’- when eating.” This in itself, is allowing for a deeper connection to food and getting to the bottom of why individuals feel the way they do, instead of food becoming a momentary comfort.
With high demand for exploring the theory and the deeper self, thousands of registered Intuitive Eating specialists have popped up all over the country, with hundreds located in New York alone. Donna Agajanian is just one of the hundred Intuitive Eating counselors based in New York City. After struggling with weight for most of her life, she decided to examine her feelings surrounding food and her emotional actions more closely. After discovering that over-eating or restricting certain foods from her diet came after emotional events of based on how she was feeling, she decided to work towards:
“freeing herself from over-eating by listening to her body and discovering what her emotional connection to food is.”
To Agajanian, the issue of disordered eating is pressing. In the United States, eating disorders now have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
50% of girls between the ages of 11-13 see themselves as overweight, and 91% of women in the United States attempt to control their weight through dieting, according to the ANAD (National Association of Anorexia and Associated Disorders).
There is an issue with the way we’re approaching “health” and food, outside of constantly being inundated with media to “eat clean” and extreme exercise routines. Feelings of shame or guilt that have worked their way into society through the capitalization of diet culture.
In a world where diet culture prevails, there is a chance the Intuitive Eating wrongfully gets associated with it. Dan weighs in: “The hardest part has been staying vigilant about not turning IE into another diet.” Am I able to follow the principles of Intuitive Eating 100% of the time? Absolutely not. It’s hard to forgive myself for that when I spent so much of my life on restrictive diets where total compliance felt like a life or death situation.”
Edificio Master
When Direct Questioning Drives Conversation
The Interview Process of Brazilian Filmmaker Eduardo Coutinho
Master documentary filmmaker, Eduardo Coutinho, moves through his interviews in Edificio Master, or Master, A Building in Copacabana, in an uncomplicated and accessible way. He listens to the people sitting across from him. He is straightforward and steadfast in investigating their language. One of my favorite things about his frank interview style is his ability to ask what they really mean by repeating their words, i.e. “What does an ‘easy life’ look like?”. He is quick in the beginning, firing off surface level questions that set up a sense of ease, then allows space in the conversation for more emotional and complicated thoughts. He’s not afraid of pauses, and often gives the person an opportunity to open up and change direction on their own.
Daniela, a self proclaimed neurotic and shy tenant with three small kittens was too afraid to look at Coutinho while interviewing. For the first time in the film, the camera pulled back to reveal Coutinho leaning in listening to her, hand clasping his chin. We witness her lack of eye contact, before the angle returns back to a medium close up. Instead of letting it go, the lack of connection prompted his question, “Can I ask you something? Why do you avoid eye contact when we talk?” She turns to him. Acknowledges that it’s something she deals with often, has a hard time looking at someone without stammering or blinking too often. Says it’s based on fear. By the end of their conversation, fear is set aside, as he’s convinced her to read her poetry and share artwork that acts as a “balm for her many issues”.
Sound Walk
It’s windy. Four flights up, my fire escape sits between a tunnel of two buildings, a glorified back alley with trees, concrete and garbage. The whirl of the wind sounds like someone whistling through a straw as my hair blows back in my face. I put down my iced coffee to tie my hair up and the ice clinks the side of the mason jar. The tree adjacent to me towers over the top of my building, and the leaves rustle, swaying from side to side. The sun is hot but welcome and I realize that there isn’t a sound to describe the heat, except for maybe the hum of my air conditioner. I press my cup up to my neck and the condensation makes a weird slick sound.
At the far end of the alleyway, there is a playground where children are screaming so loud it bounces back to me. I imagine the squeaking of swings although it’s too far to hear. I’m surprised at the lack of noise, even though it’s the middle of the day. I don’t hear any honking or cars passing by, but I do hear someone singing opera and playing scales for what seems like forever. The sound is tinny and reflective of the bars it passes through to make its way to me. Two alleycats (I think it’s two- two different yelps) start meowing and I look below but can’t find them. I start thinking of Disney’s Aristocats (how is that movie from 1970?) and hum “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” in my head, tapping the window sill.
Authentic French Cuisine Finds It’s Way into the Melting Pot of Spanish Harlem
In East Harlem, a French transplant is making jambon-buerre sandwiches on crispy, warm baguette, spreading generous amounts of salted butter on both sides with a smile. “I like the naughty things” admits Chef Edward Rodwell as he tilts his signature blue fedora atop his head at a passerby,
“cream, butter- I am French after all”.
His matching blue linen tie-dye button up shirt billows in the wind, paying homage to the few years he spent living in St. Barth’s working in the restaurant scene. His husband of 13 years, Anthony Mariano, joins him in his baking and catering journey of Amuse Bouche. The restaurant, a small French storefront with local ingredients, is committed to sharing good food and community. Rodwell and Mariano recently opened their first brick and mortar store inside historical landmark La Marqueta. “Everyone has been so welcoming” said Rodwell who admits, “As two white guys in this historic area, I just feel lucky to be here”. In the meantime, Edward calls out to a few locals by name, and thanks Charlie the facilities manager, while rushing to help him clean the table tops.
Even on a quiet Saturday afternoon in La Marqueta, it is still brimming with a sense of community. As locals walk through acknowledging one another, It’s easy to forget you’re still in New York City. “You’re new here,” customers often stop and say, while grabbing large tastings of brown-buttered rice crispy treats (a bestseller) or beet and quinoa salad, if they’re looking for a savory bite. Though friendly, Edward hesitates to offer samples unless customers approach the booth. It seems his easy-going European nature, paired with Anthony’s front-footed, business savvy, compliment each other on and off the clock. Edward, who does most of the salads and sandwiches on the menu plays to his strengths, accepting that “savory is much more forgiving”. He then passes the precision baking to his partner. “Anthony is very precise, which is great for baking…me, not so much”.
Edward has followed the path of hospitality since childhood, as his parents carry on the legacy of a familial hotel in France. “Growing up in hospitality, my grandparents ran a hotel in Brittany, so it seemed like a natural progression for me to go to culinary school”. When asked about their journey through culinary school, they exchange a look.
“Kind of a funny thing, a French chef trained in New York”,
said Rodwell on his experience at the Institute of Culinary Education in lower Manhattan. “My head professor, Danielle…she was French though”, he mentioned with a grin. Rodwell moved to New York after working in a restaurant on St. Barths frequented by New York tourists. By the end of his two-year education he knew the cutthroat kitchen life wasn’t for him. “Getting in early, it’s dark outside, leaving late, it’s dark outside, that’s not a life to live”, he said, shaking his head.
After school, Edward took a brief stint in the publishing world, but eventually made his way back to cooking in his own time, working as a private chef and caterer for clients in and out of the city. It was kismat meeting his partner who decided to leave his insurance job of 22 years and work at Amuse Bouche full-time. “We met in New York, at Boqueria downtown, a small Spanish tapas restaurant, where everyone started talking to everyone and we hit it off”, Edward beamed. Anthony soon started baking cakes, bread, and making breakfast in the mornings. “I think he was trying to show off”, Rodwell confessed. Together, they sold epicerie and French-style to-go cuisine in 2017 at a booth in the farmers market of Marcus Garvey Park at 124th street between 5th and Madison Avenue. It was there that they built up their local clientele, giving them the opportunity to bring a piece of Brittany to New York City.
A corner of New York where everyone knows everyone, La Marqueta, has been an East Harlem meeting place for locals since its inception in 1936. The Amuse Bouche team has been using the on-site baking facilities at La Marqueta since 2017, long before the opening of the storefront in April. Booths inside of the market, ranging from Hot Bread Kitchen, Mama Grace’s Afro Caribbean Food, Elma’s of Harlem and Amuse Bouche, will hopefully benefit from the new five year expansion project that will grow the market from East 111th street all the way up to 119th st. Running along the middle of Park avenue, just under the Metro North, diner’s coffee cups vibrate from the occasional hum of trains running between Grand Central and 125th street on the tracks above.
On Amuse Bouche’s rustic, wooden, communal table placed just beside their booth in La Marqueta, a perfect summer offering of “tomato pie” is tenderly laid before hungry guests. The pie was inspired by a similar tomato tart they had in the Hamptons, but this time with a crispy crust. Similar to quiche, the pie is made with pâte brisée, or shortcrust pastry, and filled with hearty pieces of tomato, feta cheese, eggs and aromatic fresh basil. Next to the pie is a loving heap of local arugula from upstate, topped with a mustard vinaigrette that cuts the richness from the tomato in half. “Our mustard vinaigrette and tahini dressing, are both like crack”, they confessed.
“People keep coming back for it.”
Edward shrugged his shoulders and said he’s been making it for most of his life, with red wine vinegar, olive oil and traditional French Maille mustard to emulsify the vinegar mixture. “I remember from my childhood, I was always making the mayonnaise or vinaigrettes…helping in any way I could.”
Arriving at 4 a.m. to bake Monday through Wednesday, and keeping La Marqueta hours 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, the pair of bakers are exhausted when the week is through. “We wake up rubbing our eyes, ready to do it all over again,” Edward laughed, while readily stirring two packs of sugar into his much needed cup of coffee.
How Emotional Eating Can Benefit You
Mary Balog is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and teacher, living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, working to highlight happiness and the communal significance of food. I got in touch with Mary over the phone just as she was groggy and waking up from an afternoon nap, but took no time for the positives of emotional eating to spill out of her.
“If you’re not emotionally eating, you’re just eating.” She affirms.
After working at University of Michigan for a short period of time curating meal plans for patients, she found herself wanting to make more of an impact on food mentality and culture. She then joined the ranks at Argus Farm Stop, a year-round farmers market in Ann Arbor, that makes it easier for consumers to support their local farmers on a daily basis.
What do you classify as “emotional eating”?
“Emotional eating doesn’t have to mean you are sad eating a pint of ice cream on the couch.
There are so many positive emotions that come out of cooking and eating.
I encourage people to consume desserts, if it's something they’re craving or if someone is coming over for a special celebration, because even a dessert has a purpose in the diet. It’s not all about getting nutrition and protein, it’s a source of pleasure, which is super important. We need company too. At the center of company, there is food.”
Have you seen any foods demonized that you disagree with?
“Of course, I feel like the majority of young women go through that, where they’re trying to maintain a certain body weight or look a certain way. We feel like we have to restrict ourselves, like we can only have so many carbs in a day. People have to be more forgiving of themselves, somedays you’re more tired and you’re more hungry. Understanding your life can be fluid and so can your diet. You’re not a failure if you don’t follow the same diet all the time. I ate pretty regimented probably up until I started working at Argus.”
How did working for Argus change the way you ate?
“At Argus because it changes seasonally, I had to force myself to cook with what was there and build my meals around what was available locally instead of what was around at the supermarket. I started to get more connected to my food again. When I started cooking for myself and not worrying about little things I was eating, my weight balanced out back to where I was without the stress.”
How is Argus different from other grocery stores?
“The benefit of the Argus model is that farmers don’t have to be present in order to make money, 7 days a week, year round. There are 200 or so venders available and 75% of the revenue goes back to the farmers, whereas the cafe (attached to the store) is there to support and pay staff.”
You also work with young kids as a teacher at Sprouting Chefs, has anything surprised you while working with that population?
“Any time I am teaching a class for kids or college students, I try to get them to look at, the more meaningful aspects of food, like in a roasting class, we respect all parts of the chicken, energy and resources. One time a kid yelled ‘yeah this chicken died for us!’. We have to enjoy it and create positive experiences with food from the start, especially if it’s delicious, because it’s all just shaping how kids feel towards food.”
The Word “Fat” Still Holds Weight
The new Hulu original show Shrill, based on the book by Lindy West, is reclaiming the word “fat” by adding to the conversation of body positivity with fat empowerment. However, it may take more than a recent positive shift in the media for the word to completely change it’s meaning. In multiple conversations with New Yorkers and tourists alike in Washington Square Park, many felt empowered by the word “fat” themselves, while others still thought it held negative connotations.
Saturday Night Live star Aidy Bryant co-created, co-executive produced and starred in Shrill as the leading role “Annie”, “a fat young woman who wants to change her life, but not her body.” Recently renewed for a second season, the show satirizes the fat experience to extremes, but it’s inclusive cast of age, gender, race and confidence in body image, portrayed a more equitable form of representation on television. Nicole, a graduate student at New York University commented on the show, and her relationship with the word fat,
“I watched Shrill and I loved it but I guess it is still entering my consciousness, I am still programed to think of the word negatively.” She said.
When asked if there was a way to overcome the negativity, Nicole emphasized that watching shows like Shrill keep us moving in the right direction, “it’s how we understand body positivity and overcome fat-phobia globally.” She said.
Outside of By CHLOE., a vegan NYC hot spot near the park, two young women sat on the patio with identical avocado toasts on hearty grain bread, topped with tofu feta and almond parmesan, accompanied by steaming black coffee. The smell of freshly made quinoa burgers and baked sweet potato fries escaped onto the street from the open doors, swaying in the wind. Brightly colored, pop-art, food animations lined the “healthy fast food” menu, perfectly placed by Instagram standards. Rachel Powers, a 20 year old student at Colorado College visiting on her spring break, took a final bite of crumbling toast before commenting on fat identity as a source of empowerment instead of negativity. “As a society I believe we are extremely fat-phobic but I feel like in my life it’s a neutral phrase, not good or bad but just a descriptor.” She went on to cite pop sensation Lizzo, a Black, full-bodied, singer-songwriter advocating for body positivity and self-love in her lyrics: “Black femme women are taking the word back and using it as a source of empowerment”. She adds, with a sly smile.
Some were not as optimistic as Powers, Jason Wang, a digital strategist from California, believed that the perception of fat has changed slightly but not when it comes to body positivity. “No one wants to be fat for their own self image, and you definitely don’t want to use it towards your own self, that can be damaging to your psyche” he says. “I think people should just be healthy and happy”. When asked how he felt about the word “fat” being used confidently by full-figured women, he couldn’t see past a stereotype of fatness, “To sort of blanket say I love myself no matter what, even though I’m eating all of this crazy stuff that’s going to shorten my lifespan? I’m not sure I agree with that.” According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
“Obesity results from a combination of causes and contributing factors…such as genetics, dietary patterns, physical activity, inactivity, medication use, and other societal exposures.” Expelling the misconception that fatness is solely attributed to eating foods with high caloric values but is based on a multitude of factors, including behavior, genetics, medication and class.
Two well adjusted 18 year olds, Sam Her and Katerina Poulos, sat on a bench in Washington Square Park, beneath a blooming cherry blossom tree. Sam picked up her spoon to take another bite of the bountiful green smoothie bowl balancing on her lap and wondered aloud,
“I feel like the word fat has negative connotations when really it’s just an adjective. It doesn’t have to be anything derogatory.” both girls nodded their heads in agreement.
“Even just being bigger in general, I have broad shoulders and it’s just who I am. It makes me kinda feel badass. I’m not really skinny…i’m built and I feel more empowered by that.” Katerina joined in. The two went on to discuss diet culture on social media with targeted ads of supplements and skinny teas constantly inundating their feed. “Unfortunately fat has become it’s meaning through advertisements…” Sam said. “…all over Instagram are those supplements on how to lose weight, that makes everyone feel so insecure.” She acknowledged.
NYU student Jessica Vasquez commented on her own insecurities and how she overcame them, “I haven’t always liked the word fat because i wasn’t secure with my body at one point…in high school… but I love my body now. I’m thick and I’m proud of that.” Sitting across the way, an older couple from New Jersey who wished to remain anonymous hadn’t thought of the word fat having positive connotations before, but laughed and nodded their heads, agreeing that “They could get down with that.”
Loneliness Sneaks Through the Cracks of Hardworking Hunter Students
An informal survey assessing loneliness at Hunter College found that 72% of undergraduate students experience social isolation on campus, while 28% stay socially active through clubs and sports. Desteny Echavarria, a transfer student and Media Major at Hunter College, doesn’t feel lonely due to her participation in dance, but believes Hunter’s social atmosphere is a “hi and bye situation”, where students focus on graduation above all else. 42.6% of Hunter’s transfer students come in as Juniors, leaving previous social structures behind, in exchange for stronger academics. Although Hunter offers over 100 student clubs, advertising for these groups is often limited to fliers and word of mouth.
According to recent Hunter College enrollment statistics in 2017, out of 22,918 students, 83.4% are from New York City, with 3% from other states and 5% from other countries. Jackie DePippo, a psychology major who commutes from Port Chester, believes that Hunter’s status as a commuter-heavy school, sets it apart from other colleges in the tristate area.
“I’m sure it’s easier… at NYU, where students are exploring New York together, but Hunter is mostly students who are already grounded in their surroundings.”
New York University is a destination school with 66% of students relocating from out of state.
During the survey, taken early Wednesday morning in Hunter West, students whirled by answering yes or no, while hurrying off to class. Many admitted to being active on social media, but were unaware of Hunter’s Instagram handle (@huntercollege) with a humble 7,602 followers, that often provides helpful updates of current events. “Pleasantries are exchanged in the hallways,” says Echavarria, “but it’s hard to take that extra step to create off campus friendships.” A male student comments on the Dragon Ball-Z stickers on her laptop in passing, before slowly disappearing down the hall.
How to Experience Stone Barns, Without the Price Tag
A cobweb of wire-y tree branches shoot past my car window, protecting the now dusty, golden brown fields that surround the historic Farm at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Tarrytown, New York.
Although the dullness of the grounds during the winter is an unexpected sight to my untrained eye, I remember that this six-acre operation is open all four seasons, capitalizing on the rest before spring. I imagined what the fields would look like in just a few months, the hay-like grass overturned and green, new seeds cultivating strong roots in the soil. A new beginning for the farm; ushering in the vibrancy of spring. A plate however, from the reasonably priced cafe on Stone Barns called Grain Cafe, is anything but dull. Tucked away into an unassuming corner of the literal stonewalled architecture, the cafe is lined with the freshest take aways of the day. Although the offerings are always changing, the hardboiled eggs remain a constant, politely pre-cracked awaiting consumption.
On the far wall a few flakey croissants are surrounded by remnants of already taken pastry, generous blueberry oat muffin loafs, hearty buckwheat chocolate chip cookies, and even open faced sandwiches on thick slices of ciabatta, featuring the best baloney you’ve ever tasted in your life. While Stone Barns Center is also home to Chef Dan Barber’s prestigious Blue Hill, which capitalizes on resources from the farm, the Grain Cafe offers reasonably priced findings from the farm without the price tag. The casual seating area just outside the cafe is communal with ten or so long picnic tables and benches meant to share with friends and strangers alike.
Open 10am-5pm Wednesday through Sunday, locals gathering for lunch seem at ease in their surroundings, grateful to have a peaceful place to convene. On my way out, I notice a man sitting alone, with green and yellow tortoise shell glasses, matching his frames to a tiny bag of peppery take-away arugula and freshly baked cheddar-scallion scone, contented to have found a little piece of himself on the farm.