Gentle Eating (TM) is a phenomenal exercise in really getting in touch with your level of hunger and satisfaction. 

 During Gentle Eating (TM) one is encouraged not to speak but rather to smell, taste and enjoy food thoroughly. 

Jeanne coaches participants through their meal to take one bite at a time, put down their utensil, chew and swallow their food before taking another bite.  This allows them to truly savor the food rather than eating so quickly they don't really taste the food and overeat.

Participants are directed to stay out of their head, which may be telling them that they are hungry, and listen instead to their body for cues.  These cues let them know whether they are physically hungry or psychologically hungry.  Psychological hunger is reinforced by old messages.  If they were told to be members of the "Clean Plate Club" or if they were scolded for not eating a particular food and told, "Think of the starving children in China" as if eating food they don’t want in America will help a child who is starving somewhere else in the world. 

Gentle Eating (TM) is a very powerful experience for individuals.  The result typically is that participants reach a new level of satisfaction without feeling stuffed.  They also conclude the meal realizing that there were no distractions to their enjoyment.  In addition they don’t wonder where all the food went after the meal is over.

 "So often, a mother will spend hours preparing a meal for her family, especially a holiday meal like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Easter, and the family will consume it in 15 minutes and head back to the TV or the computer, giving little thought to the food they consumed," Jeanne explained.  "Half an hour later they want a big bowl of ice cream or some other treat because they think they are still hungry.  In Jewish homes at Passover each course is cleared before the next one is served.  People take time to relish the food in front of them.  In Italian homes, too, each course is cleared before the next is served, allowing one to digest from course to course.  We need to return to this type of eating rather than having unlimited food set on the table at once.  Just preparing a plate for each family member instead of putting all the food on the table at once might help solve the problem of emotional overeating.  I incorporate a variety of methods to impart Gentle Eating to my clients."