Eating is focus of class at Emory

In a new evening class at Emory University, the heart of the course is the students’ main course: their dinner, which they’ll bring to every class.

No foods are off-limits in “Appetite Awareness Training,” but psychology professor Linda Craighead wants her students to hold back from automatically munching every last bite.

“The idea is to teach people to eat really slowly and focus on enjoying the food and noticing if they are really hungry or not,” she said.

Craighead, who specializes in eating disorders and weight-management issues, said that although our culture glorifies thinness, it doesn’t really promote a trim lifestyle, making it challenging to eat a healthy diet. From the boss who brings boxes of doughnuts to work to commuters facing long drives and ubiquitous fast food, it’s easy to stray.

Still, she said, learning how to recognize stomach cues —- instead of eating out of stress or boredom —- can go a long way in battling the bulge. So does being proactive (Craighead keeps Balance bars and microwave-ready tomato soup with her at all times).

Before her class got under way, Craighead spoke about it with the AJC:

Q: So let’s say I show up at class with a generous-sized slice of pizza and a salad. Walk me through what happens next.

A: We spend the first 20 minutes in class eating dinner. The first thing is you rate your hunger on a 7-point scale. Your job is to decide when to stop, and that might be after half the slice of pizza, or if you are really hungry, and haven’t eaten anything since 11 a.m., you might need the whole slice of pizza.

Most of us eat food in front of us because it’s there. So if you are hungry, eat a fourth of the slice and then go to the salad. Then, see if you need more pizza, and if you do, eat another fourth of the slice and then go back to the salad and so on.

Q: What is the one piece of advice you would give parents to help their children develop healthy eating habits?

A: Talk to kids about the reason you eat. When they come to you and want a snack and it’s outside of dinner or other mealtime, say to them, “Think about it. Are you hungry or bored and just want something to do?”

Q: Do you sometimes crave a particular food and give yourself the OK to dive right in?

A: Sometimes you need a treat, and you can eat a small amount. We call that “effective emotional eating.” You have a frozen yogurt, and you feel better. If you go out and you have three hot fudge sundaes, you have a problem. … For me, it’s ice cream. And I love the vanilla TCBY frozen yogurt with strawberries on top.

About the course

“Appetite Awareness Training”

Begins May 6; meets Wednesday evenings until June 24. $245. Emory University Center for Lifelong Learning. Information and registration: 404-727-6000; www.eveningatemory.org