Note to self on "Food Pushers"

My top 4 tips on staying on a healthy eating plan this holiday season and how to be polite to "Food Pushers"

1. Stall, 

Comment: Food Pusher is offering you food as soon as you get to the party or you are offered snacks between meals, and Finally offered holiday food at work or as a gift. 

Remember: these acts are acts of kindness, food is love to most people. It is still our obligation to be polite and caring even if we don't want the food being offered. 

Strategy: "The Stall" 

-Wow that looks so good, but I am stuffed, maybe later

-I will check out the desserts after (fill in the blank) I get warm by the fire, or after I get settled in, the point is to stall 

2. Take and Fake

Comment: Birthday party how to handle the sharing of the birthday cake. Also this is a great strategy at work functions that involve food.

Remember: Misery loves company, and people like to see others do bad because it lessens their guilt. You still want to look friendly and a game player, so play along with the "take and fake" It is our social obligation to look and act as part of the team

Strategy: Take a piece of cake and cut the piece of cake in half, take your time, Give the appearance of eating by taking a fork full of cake half way to your mouth and then putting it back down, the truth is for me, cake does in fact smell great, ( like a vanilla candle) so I am truthful and say Mmm this smells great. When you have the fork full of cake half way to your mouth, try to get eye contact with the hostess or someone important such as the birthday person or who is important to your career if this is at a work function.  

The secret here is that most party food is full of air and can be easily smashed to look smaller. When you see people almost done eating try to discard your smashed uneaten food and that way you are done the same time as everyone else without poisoning your body with unhealthy food.

3. Charm is your best friend

Comment: (Dinner party or your a guest at someones home) I worked all day on making this meal just for you, or this is my signature dish, I made it just for you.

Remember: No one likes to think they made the wrong decision. 

(It took me years as an adult to finally get it in my head that people do every single action for them selves, Simply put, everything is personal.)

Here is what is really going on when someone makes or offers you a personalized dish and you refuse it. They think they made the wrong decision on what dish to make or purchase for you. Its not about rejection as mush is a hurtful opinion on their ability to make the right decision. 

Scenario: You go to a dinner party and the main dish is seafood, and you hate seafood. You say yuck I hate seafood. The hostess gets hurt feeling which has nothing to do with seafood but everything to do with the fact that the hostess made the wrong decision on what to offer, they made the dish to impress and failed. 

Strategy: Take smaller portions of higher-calorie items during your meal. Then, take a small portion of the dessert. Place a tiny bite on your fork and eat it, (10 calories of the dish) and make sure you give the chef your compliments; she will be less likely to assume that you disliked the dish when you say that firm no to a second helping.

Allergies, what if you are allergic to shell fish, the first step should be taken by the hostess to ask if anyone has a food allergy before planning the event menu, but if this doesn't happen, the person with the allergy should be polite and protect themselves without broadcasting it to everyone of their health status, because (health issues are boring and private) Avoid the food, by stalling and as a last resort, use the take an fake method, which allows the offered food to be avoided at all cost. 

4 Get it to go

Comment: I made the cookies for everyone (at work), or in my case in healthcare we have family members bring or bake cookies and sugary foods for us all the time, we even have one family member who buys pizza every single weekend for the nursing staff. 

Scenario: I am working as charge nurse for the 6am-2pm shift nursing home, and a family member purchased expensive christmas cookies from a local  bakery and is full of pride and kindness as she thrust the cookies my way. 

Strategy: I make a big deal of the act of kindness, I compliment their decision on choosing the bakery or if it is homemade on the decision of what type of food they made. 

Store purchased food: 

"Wow, these are from (bakery name), I have heard they make the best (food). 

Homemade food:

"That so nice, I can see that you are good at making (the food). Give a detail, if it is cookies compliment how nicely they are decorated, or if it is a savory dish, compliment how good it smells.

Also, compliment the packaging or their timing on giving the gift, such as for a holiday or birthday. Remember this is an act of kindness and gratitude on their part. 

Now for the Get it to go strategy:

After you make them feel good about giving the food, say something in this area

"I will really enjoy this when I take my break" the point is to let then know that even though you will not eat the food now, that you will take it with you

You are at a party or holiday meal and you are having food pushed onto you while you are just trying to exit graciously. The loving comment from you should be

"Please wrap it up, I will take it with me" 

When ever possible just get the food to go.

Final thought:

Never, I repeat Never be afraid, worried, or concerned about wasting food. I think of it this way, must celebratory food is made from unhealthy ingredients such as lard, trans fats, starchy white flour, and fatted meats. Zero starving children are saved by a person over eating.