Now, surrounded with all the flashing screens and blaring voices, pick up the remote control and, one by one, shut off each screen -- zap, zap, zap. With all the screens blank, take a moment just to feel the silence. This quiet space is where unlearning begins. This quiet is where you begin to discover and explore your own inner wisdom about food. This quiet is where you can begin to hear your own voice, rather than what the latest talking head tells you to do.

Ask yourself:
What foods make me feel satisfied?
What amounts of different foods give me energy?
When am I hungry?

We've all had many opportunities to collect more and more voices and talking heads. It's so noisy and confusing we don't even notice one more … until we take time to be quiet.

This might sound simple. Yet, it is often scary to experience such silence and not have any direction or guidance about food. It's difficult to feel comfortable moving around in the uncharted territory of self-discovery. But, once you do, you will be able to decide from your inner knowing rather than from absorbing information. (Excerpted from Full and Fulfilled: The Science of Eating to your Soul's Satisfaction.)

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