Episode 19:Navigating the Balance: Michelle Lawton on Mindful Eating and Joyful Living

In this episode, Michelle Lawton shares insights on achieving a harmonious balance between mindful eating and joyful living. 

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Hello world and welcome to choices, books and gifts where you always have choices. Have a wonderful guest today. Her name is Michelle Lawton. Good afternoon Michelle. How are you today? Hi, Thank you Jay, it's great to be here. I'm very well. Great. Well, we're glad you're here. So, as I normally do, I'm going to read to you guys a little bit about Michelle.

So, you know what her background is and what she's doing. So Michelle Lawton is a food lover. Whom for the past 25 years, has dedicated her life to a healthy food and beverage lifestyle through her platform, Joyful Plate. Michelle is passionate about community volunteering in New York City for the past 15 years, and supports aspiring professional women in the food and hospitality industry.

Michelle began teaching as an adjunct professor of Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, fall 2023. Yeah. All right. Very, very cool, very cool. And, I think we got through the pleasantries and all that. So, you know, what I'm going to say first is Michelle wrote this wonderful book. It's called Moderating a Love Affair with food. Michelle, can you show us the book and also tell us where to get it?

Sure, you can get this book online and on Amazon or you can go to my website moderating alive affair with food.com. And it's available both e-book and, you know, the physical book. And you can also get it at our bookstore choices, books and gifts on E- 78th Street. Absolutely, absolutely. Alright Very good. So, part of you showing the book is my first question. So what inspired you to write Moderating a Love Affair with Food?

I have been in the biz for almost 30 years now, and it's always been on the branding and marketing side. I have a consultancy, Joyful Play, package design and, you know I live for food.

I'm one of these people who just live. I wake up, yeah, we're a perfect match, you know? I mean, yeah. I’m a Foodie Oh, great. I've met. I've met my guy. Then, you know, I wake up just so excited to smell the aromas of the coffee and, you know, look forward to eating all day long. So I always imagined expressing in a book, but I thought I would write a book about how to make a perfect omelet or, how to make risotto. I have a background working with Italian companies many years ago, and. But the truth of the matter is, Jay. Post- pandemic, I had my annual and my doctor said, blood pressure is a little high, you know, weights a little high. And, I walked out of the doctor's office saying, who need joyful plate? You know, I used to be a gymnast, and I bike around Central Park for 20 years, and I play tennis.

I'm active, and I've always been healthy. But, you know, the numbers don't lie, unfortunately. And I walked out of the doctor's office. My mom's an RN and I called her, and I said, well, I suppose I have to take this to heart. You know that if I want to live this long and healthy, joyful life, that maybe I should change my ways a bit.

So, I thought, why not tell my story I knew I couldn't be the only one. and, why not put together some practical tips? And these are tips from my professional experience. I'm not a doctor. I'm not a nutritionist. I'm not a food anthropologist. But I've learned a lot. I'm a market researcher and I've talked to, you know, literally at this point, probably a couple thousand consumers in my career.

And I've learned a lot about just, you know, human beings and emotions. And I thought it would be helpful. And if it helps a few people, then it's been worth it. Great, great. And it's, I guess the food you cook too. Is it strictly for taste or does it have a health? you know, component in there as well?

Both. You know, and that's part of the book. Like, we need food for fuel, physically to perform at our best. But also, you know, we're human beings, and, you know, we should see flavor and taste and texture and beauty. You know, food is art. I grew up in an Italian family, and I had the old grandparents that didn't even speak English.

I don't know if you've ever watched, my, Sebastian Madagascar. And he talks about, you know, eating every five feet that big food. Yeah. That's it. Oh, as someone deeply entrenched in the food industry, how do you personally navigate the balance between indulging in delicious foods and maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

Well, it's not easy, you know, and that’s really why. You'll see. there's a wink here. I do see, and I developed that with the designer. you know, it's a little bit this book is all about a little bit of having your cake and eating it, too. I think one overview is that it's really about balancing food for health with food for pleasure and joy. Okay. And so, I'm very active in the community. I go to the fancy food show. It's coming up, next month, actually, the Javis Center. And, I go out to the Natural Product Expo in California every year. And, a lot of the Italian food shows. So the reality is, when you go to these shows, you're spoiled for choice.

And you know, your kid in a candy shop, right? You can have if you if you're not paying attention, you know, mindlessly, by the end of the day, you can really take in a lot. So what I try to do is, know that there is going to be an abundance and over abundance, but then, you know, try to Set some boundaries. Bring a bit. bottle of water with me to the trade shows. you know, maybe eat, that morning before I go to an event, have a big, healthy, fueled, like, clean, healthy foundation so that, you know, my body is prepared to, indulge a little bit. So it's really all about being mindful and having a balance. I mean, coming back, like, the next week. I was just traveling a lot in the past month. And to be honest, I, I was a little bit back to my ways, like, I wrote this book a year ago and I still struggle with this. So, you know, it's just I put the book in the kitchen and I'm using it as a tool to just get back on track myself.

Good, good. That was good sound advice. Even when you go shopping, they say never shop hungry. And I think, you know, you eat a little something, you get something in, you know you can make better choices as well. Okay. Yes. Your book emphasizes on the importance of mindfulness in eating. Could you share some practical tips?

Sure, I have, have, you know, 5 or 6 tips that I'd love to share. You know, one of them is, set yourself up for success. Get into a healthy routine. Start the week by. What I try to do is like on Mondays in my neighborhood and our neighborhood on the Upper East Side, I go to the fruit and veg guy, and I get, you know, two armfuls of every, you know, color of veggies that you could possibly imagine, right? and then, you know, we're really fortunate in our neighborhood, we have all these great food stores. So, you know, I am I have my own business. And so I try to find healthy, convenient foods. So, you know, Cinderella has great sliced beets. you know, you can find, all kinds of foods that you can dial in cottage cheese. Just foods that you can reach for that make it easier to make that quick salad before zoom, etc. So that's tip number one is just set yourself up for success. Give us just two tips because we want to save some for the book. Right? Right. Well, you know we have to remember that when you know babies, you put on a schedule, right.

Pets. You put on a schedule. I think it's adults. What we struggle with is that, you know, we have to self-discipline and, you know, we have, we really could do whatever we want. So, I think, and I've learned this in

market research, too, that you want to put yourself on a schedule, but then also allow yourself those moments to enjoy, to make better choices. the other thing I would say, number three is cooking. you know, health starts in the kitchen. So if you learn a few tips on steaming, sorting, like I said, making a good omelet, it doesn't always have to be so gourmet. I love to cook that way, too, but. But I save that kind of for the weekends.

The slow braising or risottos or, you know, so during the week, I just, you know, I'm always cooking. I'm always slicing and dicing. So, you know, healthy eating, portion control, frequency, all that. Sounds wonderful. Okay. What are the tips in your book is about setting healthy boundaries around food how can listeners identify and establish these boundaries in their own lives?

Right. Easier said than done. It's visual. It's a challenge. The one tip that seems to really resonate with everyone is, avoid beat eating and fit and bit eating means I read it Go ahead it's kind of funny. It's because it's there, you know, that's me. it's a tough line. He pushes there. And then, yeah, yeah. I read that while I was going through your whole, and I knew bit was what it meant, but yeah, please continue. Well, for years I was writing that down on an index card and leaving it in the kitchen or on my desk and, you know, it's just, you know, being aware that when you have something within reach, it just makes it easier for you to indulge.

So, it's the pretzels on the plane. It's, you know, the leftover cookies at Christmas. It's, you know, all that stuff. So, that's just a part of life. So I think that, you know, again, there's nothing wrong with indulging, but I was talking with a nutritionist recently, and she said it's helpful to set to own your indulgence that, I'm today, I'm going to enjoy that key lime pie, and I'm going to savor every piece. And I'm not going to. It's not about cheat day eating. It's about owning your indulgence. And then if you can't help be held responsible, like often I cannot, I think, you know, I'll put the leftover key lime pie in the freezer or, you know, I'll give it to a neighbor. So just make it a little easier for those boundaries.

Yeah. That's, what I it sounds like that's what you mean by mindfulness eating. If I'm going to eat something a little out of the real, realize it, know it, and then, you know, continue to eat healthier, at the other times, you know, like, I think you can, you know, mix it in like, I mean, probably have this in common.

I have an Italian background, too. I love cheeses and, burrata. And, you know, my aperitivo moment, you know, with, almonds and, olives and, you know, all of it, but, I realize my doctor appointments actually coming up in a couple of weeks, my annual. And so I. It would be better blood pressure, I hope so.

I'm working. I actually got a cough. And so that's, you know, that's been, a really great learning experience because it's chapter one of my book, Love Your Self Inside and Out. And I think once you know what's happening on the inside, then you know, you can appreciate it. so I'm going to try to take it easy on the cheese in the next couple weeks.

I do too. I got to take it easy. In your experience, what are some of the common challenges that people face when trying to adopt a more mindful approach to eating? What will they run into? Yeah, I've been thinking about this since you asked me the question a couple days ago. And, you know, it's hard enough to manage our own mindful eating, right?

You know, just even in the confines of our own kitchen. Right. or with our partner. but I think also food is, it's so emotional, in terms of the cultural context and, you know, like you were mentioning your Italian parents and grandparents, these traditions go back, I mean, to the beginning of time. And so every, you know, culture has a tradition of eating, and what I've heard from other people is that sometimes they find it difficult, you know, family celebrations, you know, you go home for the holidays and you might be trying to follow a certain new regimen so that you can be in charge.

But then, you know, your answer is, oh, you must try my pavlova or, you know, some, like, you know, your grandmother says, I haven't finished your plate. And so, like, other people can put a lot of pressure on too. Yeah. So I, I think and again, you know, I'm not a pro, but I think it's perfectly acceptable to say, you know, I'm having this. I'm not, you know, of course there are all these people now on these diet of taking things away, and that's a good choice. Choices for them sometimes. But I do think that, you know, you want to be polite. And maybe when you're at the dinner table, you know, thank someone for taking the time to make a beautiful meal for you. But it doesn't mean that you need to, you know, have an entire plate or seconds. You're really you're in charge. You're in charge

Yeah. Like in life. You know, it sounds like, you know, you set boundaries, setting boundaries. You know, sometimes that's hard to do with family and peer pressure. But you got to do that. You got to set the boundaries.

Yeah. I mean I think what I'm learning through this book I'm still learning is, you know, you have to do what's best for, a doctor, a chiropractor actually told me once, pay attention inside now. Pain means pay attention inside now. And so, like when you're aware of your body and how you feel, you know, I have a tiny bit of reflux from being in the biz over the years.

And, you know, I've learned about the heart, the blood pressure. So, you know, when you pay attention to how you're feeling, then you'll know, okay, maybe I won't reach for that because I didn't feel great yesterday when I had a whole, you know, whole bag of popcorn, for example.

Perfect. You're doing such a great job. So you mentioned the concept of fuel foods and fun foods in your book. Can you elaborate on how listeners can utilize the concept? Yes. you know, I believe that we need both, if we limit ourselves and we take all those fun foods away, eventually there might be a moment where, you know, you can overdo it. So, All right. Fuel foods is kind of what we are. I think most people know. It's just harder to, you know, to enforce with yourself. But it's, all kinds of fruits and vegetables. They're all good. maybe more veg, you know, fruit. occasionally. you know, good grains, brown rice. Is can was, nuts, walnuts., all those, all those nutritious foods that when you eat, your body feels great.

 

 

You're thriving. Your skin looks good. You know, I just started a few years ago. Green juicing. So I just take, you know, all those veg, ginger, lemons, ginger. And then I do that every Monday and Tuesday. So again it's part of the cycle. So it's setting yourself up with all those fuel foods. But then on the fun side I love a gelato occasionally. You know, I mean I'll love a gelato. Like I said, I love cheese. I think that we have to be realistic about like, do we gravitate towards comfort? You know, creamy foods? Do we gravitate towards salty foods? So, I allow my like, listen, I'm not going on a diet when I go to New Orleans.

It's not happening. So, you know, when I'm down there, I'm going to have some of those fun, spicy foods that I normally don't have, particularly when you go out, you know, to restaurants, maybe enjoy the foods that are kind of complicated to eat to make for yourself at home. But you just have to be realistic about, you know, just having enjoy them. But, maybe in small portions kind of it's a little bit of like the way I classically Europeans have, you know, the French paradox a bit, just enjoying sauces and everything. And a lot of them are thin over there because they know portion control and they follow it.

Yeah. I do think that times are changing, you know, that was the way for years now because there's so much fast food and convenience. you know, we just have a lot at our disposal now. So we have to be aware that, you know, maybe we just don't need it all within reach all the time.

Yeah, I agree with that. What I try to keep in my refrigerator now with the healthier things the cottage use, the, you know, can tuna the broccoli. And you know, if I keep the pizzas in the pop pawns in the ice creams in there. I said earlier, I'll go for that. So I try to avoid them on some level and not completely.

That’s a great point. what I try to do, I just live alone with my man. so we don't have a lot in the fridge, so we keep good, healthy foods and then, like, you know, treats. But we eat out a lot, to be honest. So, you know, I try to eat those real treats on the road or in a restaurant so that when you when you make a reservation, you really looking forward to, a beautiful night out and enjoy them.

Yeah. You know, you're going to eat something different than you do at home. Perfect, perfect. Okay.

this book discusses the relationship between food and emotional eating. How can we tell the difference between the two?

Well, as I said, it's been, you know, almost eight months now since I published the book. And, I find myself coming back to some challenges. I, I just had a big project recently, and I was on the road, and, the project went very well, but it was stressful, you know, I had to do a lot of interviews. I was on with the client for almost 14 hours a day. yeah, it was intense. And, and I came back, and I had to write a report, 100 page PowerPoint in a week, you know, and I hadn't had that kind of intense project in a while. And you know what? I needed some type of tactile snack.

I had a deadline, and, you know, I found myself like saying, oh, the book, throwing the book out the window just for this last week. And, I was emotional eating, so, I went with it because I felt like I needed something to kind of diffuse my stress. But I was aware of it. I journaled, so I think that let's be honest with ourselves about, what we reach for when we're in a stressful moment. you know, maybe it's okay to give in, but just be again, like, just be somewhat mindful of our limits and just come back, like, give yourself some grace. Give yourself, you know, permission. But then, you know, try the next week to get back on track. It's just like always come back to balance.

Got it, So, you wrote this book. What would you hope you readers will take away from the book once reading it, what do you hope that they'll grasp or hold on to Yeah, well I would say chapters one and chapters ten, love yourself inside and out. you know, we live in such a, unfortunately, sometimes a superficial society and people are, you know, just so aware of looks and appearances and, you know, that's beauty. I mean, you can appreciate that, right? but let's really remember that, we put on this earth, really to, live a healthy life. We hope to have longevity. and so, you know, like I was saying before, I really pay attention to how your body feels like. Take your pulse. You know, listen to what's happening on the inside.

And I think that'll only help us on the outside. And then, you know, the last chapter make food your friend. at the end of every chapter in this book, we have, you know, a little icon. So it's the head. And someone was telling you the other day that that little head is kind of like a friend that, you know, helps you through. So I'm hoping that, you know, you can make food your friend, not your enemy. and be a little more mindful, be more, make better choices, and, realize that, it's probably going to be your best, best friend for life. Like, you can have a lot of friends, but we need to eat.

And, you know, let's make it, that good balance. Protect your health, but also enjoy. Protect your joy. Absolutely, absolutely. In your opinion, how can people, cultivate a more holistic approach to the food and wellness? Is there a synergy there?

Yes. I personally think that, food is at the center of, of everything. and, you know, if we're eating well and being active, you know, we didn't really talk about that. but I do believe that, you know, just to take walks, get your heart going, you know, as we get older, stretch, etc., so, you know, eating and, and being active, it helps improve everything in your life.

It helps, improve your sleep, which we're learning more and more is important. Like, you know, you think about technology, like we close our computer down right for the night, and then we reboot in the morning. So, you know, that's what our body was designed to do, is to shut down. And so, you know, eating the right foods. And sometimes if I have too much sugar, you know, if I have overeating or, you know, you eat too late at night, you know, it's really hard to get a good night's sleep. on the other hand, you know, if I'm following my routine, we didn't talk about herbal teas. I love herbal teas for breaks and for cleaning the body.

So, you know, I think that when you incorporate the things that, you know, makes your body feel good, you perform better at work. You might be better in your relationships. You might say hi to your doorman in the building with the, you know, a little, happy, a little. Yeah.

Like a little, you know, just cheerful. We can really be more positive in our interactions, in our lives by thinking holistically about wellness. Yeah. And I think that's very true. I know in my own life what you went over. I mean, being active. I love the gym, I run, I bike, I play pickle ball I’m the pickle ball player and all these other things. And when I do those things, I naturally want to eat healthier. I want to do better. you know, I know I have I'm a big meditator and, I know that to learn from you on that helps me, you know, get in contact with my higher power and just to be calm. And when you meditate and you finish it, and you can keep a little bit of that with you all day long, you do just make better choices, you know, because, you know, you're sort of living in the now. And that's what we need to do. Because for a long time, I was that emotional eater late at night. a good sleep. So I get nervous, you know? Okay, I got to go to sleep so I, you know, I'd eat food because I was nervous that I was going to sleep. Was hungry, but I just did it the bit because it was there, you know, there.

Yes. Well, I look forward to, learning through all the books in your store about, you know, mindfulness and meditation. I confess, I, I don't really do a classic meditation, but, loop around Central Park on my bike feels meditative. No, no, that is beautiful. You know, whatever brings you to that space, You know, it doesn't always have to be sitting quiet. It can be some of the things that you just talked about. Absolutely. Yeah. All right, so we're coming near our time together. Okay. I want to say first, I appreciate all of the wonderful insights. And I would like to ask you, would do you have any parting thoughts that you'd like our listeners some, you know, pieces of gold or something that you think that we should leave? And as I wrote some food for thought,

Some food for thought I would say I can't help myself. I'm joyful. Plate. Right? I'm not always joyful, by the way. You know? I mean, like, I, I think that's maybe that's the good way to wrap, you know, in summary, is that just try to make friends with food, do your best. in terms of, like, trying to achieve health, but realize that your human and, you know, we all, can make mistakes or we can all get off track. Some days are better than others. some days you're going to feel, so inspired, and other days you're going to feel really vulnerable. you know, it's, it's a tough world out there. I'm learning in my old age. So, you know, I think just, just be realistic about that and enjoy. just try to keep it simple.

Yeah, I love that. Keep it simple. But you're a very knowledgeable lady, and, you know, I know I learned some things today, and, now, which is wonderful. Wonderful. Oh it’s a pleasure. So I'd like to tell the world. Thank you for tuning in. Come see us next Tuesday as well. And we will, see you next time. So thank you so much, Jay. I look forward to getting involved in the bookstore. Thank you. All right.