What is Normal Eating?

Normal Eating is...

Positive and flexible eating that depends on internal cues to regulate it
Being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied
Being able to choose food you like and eat it and get enough of it- not just stop eating because you think you should
Being able to use moderate constraint in your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods
Giving yourself permission to eat because you are happy, sad, bored, or just because it feels good.
Three meals a day, most of the time, but it can also be choosing a snack
Leaving some food on the plate because you know you will eat it tomorrow
Eating more now because because it tastes wonderful when it's fresh.
Overeating at times- and wishing you had more
Trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating
Knowing it takes time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life
Flexible, and varies in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger, and your proximity to food
A Normal teenager should have a food intake of 2,000 to 3,000 calories in one day.

Reference: Margo Maine, Ph. D, Director Eating Disorders Program (The Institute of Living, 400 Washington St, Hartford, Connecticut 06106)