Moving My Blog!!

I want to thank you all for reading and following my blog. I have moved my blog to worpress.org. The new url is http://www.inspiredhealthcoaching.com/2012/

Please join me there!!

GMO No or Yes?

Genetically modified organisms are plants, animals and other microorganisms that have been genetically altered to give them “special” features. 30 countries in the European Union have either banned or severely restricted GMO crops. The FDA says there is no “material” difference. I buy organic and there is a Non-GMO shopping guide. What are your thoughts? Does it concern you or do you agree with the FDA?

 

Fullness or Satiety

Do you think fullness and satiety are the same? The physical weight of food in our stomach, that is about the size of our clenched fist, is fullness. But… the emotional experience is satiety that equals satisfaction. That is why we are not satisfied with lettuce, even if we eat a very large bowl. It is also the reason we occasionally have difficulty “satisfying” our hunger, going from fridge to cabinet to freezer back to fridge. We are attempting to fill an emotional hunger. Some foods fill and satisfy us (and they can be nutritious too. Do you have any foods like that? Here’s a photo of mine…

Trigger Foods

Do you know why you eat half a package of cookies or almost the whole bag of chips? Because it makes you feel better… temporarily. Eating in response to an emotion such as anxiety or loneliness causes habits to be linked to those emotions. If you want to find out what your trigger is, write out a food journal, keeping track of the emotion immediately preceding the habit. Homemade oatmeal raisin cookies are my habit food when I’m anxious. What’s your habit food?

The Next Meal is Coming

We all have different patterns of hunger, but if you eat three healthy meals and plan 2-3 snacks to eat when your body needs the energy, you will always know another meal/snack is coming and not be so tempted to overeat “to hold you over”. Make sure to plan ahead for those crazy days and keep nutritious snack foods in small containers. A trigger for overeating is getting too hungry, but you can prevent that with pre-planning and a good grocery list. What can you add to this week’s grocery list for snacks?

The Snack Attack Hour

Do you know what time of day is the most likely time you’ll eat sugary snacks or some kind of junk food? 3:00 pm… Your energy is waning and a candy bar would boost it up, wouldn’t it? Don’t send your blood sugar spiking, only to have it nose dive, leaving you feeling worse. Keep nuts and fruit in your desk for a quick snack… protein and fiber. What else could you plan for a snack?

Best Meal Starters

Start your meals with a piece of fruit, salad or veggies and a big glass of water. Beginning your meals with vitamin and antioxidant loaded foods and hydrating with pure water is a perfect way to give your body essential nutrients. Add on the lean protein, whole grain carb and eat just the right amount… (pay close attention) when your body is comfortably full. Now you have given your body the nourishment it needs. Do you think it’s okay to indulge in dessert?

Pantry Purge Your Way Healthy Eating

While you’re running errands and doing chores this weekend, add a pantry purge to your list. Get rid of all the junk food that triggers your overeating. Replace the foods with healthy choices that are either not processed or minimally processed, such as whole grain crackers, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, beans, salsa and popcorn kernels for air popping. Do the same for your fridge and freezer. Your physical environment is key to your success in eating healthier. What satisfying, good-tasting snacks could you add to your fridge/freezer?

Lose Weight the French Way

The French eat rich foods and drink lots of wine, yet don’t gain weight. Do you want to know their secrets? They focus on quality not quantity. Their portions are smaller, their food is fresh from local markets and they sit down to each meal to actually focus on the food and take their time. No rushing for them. Americans typically eat huge portions of processed food while watching TV, using the computer or cell phone and so quickly they hardly remember what they ate. Which one sounds most appealing to you?

What Did You Have For Lunch Today?

What did you have for breakfast today? How about lunch? Did you enjoy those meals and did they leave you feeling totally satisfied and full? If you ate mindfully, noticing the aroma, taste, texture and color of each food, you not only enjoyed your meal but you were totally satisfied and can remember each thing you ate. When we are distracted by a computer, TV, reading, cell phone or any activity that removes our attention from the process of eating, we don’t listen to our bodies hunger and fullness cues, making us at risk for overeating. The taste/enjoyment level is diminished unless you focus on the food and savor each bite. Did you focus on your lunch today?

Post-Christmas Food Strategy

So you made it through Christmas, maybe with a little too much food and drink. This is the time of year when “holiday foods” not typically available the rest of the year are plentiful and present in our eating environment. For those triggered by visual cues of food, this is the toughest. If all the food was not eaten, share with co-workers or wrap it in individual containers to either freeze or pack away in the pantry. No food is bad or good, but if it triggers you to overeat, don’t set yourself up. Love what you eat but love how you feel MORE.

The Perfect Snack

Walnuts are not only a good source of monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, but this snack could help us better respond to stress. What more could you ask of a snack food? According to a study published in the Journal of the College of Nutrition, walnuts and walnut oil reduced blood pressure during stress. This was accomplished with the participants consuming 1.3 ounces of walnuts… a perfect snack size. Move over chips!

Anti-inflammatory Foods

If pain and inflammation are plaguing you, check your diet for possible culprits. Processed foods, refined carbs, saturated fats and sugar are known inflammation causing substances. Try cutting them out of your diet for a few weeks and increase foods typically eaten in a Mediterranean diet: fresh vegetables and fruits, olive oil, fish, lean protein and whole grains. See how differently you feel now…

Post-Breakfast Blood Sugar Drop

You know that shaky, jittery feeling you sometimes get midmorning after eating a hard roll with butter and a cup of coffee? If you reach for a sugary donut to get a quick sugar boost, your “good feeling” will be very temporary, followed by rapid blood sugar drop. Start your day with some protein and fiber to fill you up and keep your blood sugar even for hours. Kick that sugar craving junkie away. How about a hard-boiled egg (you can make in advance), whole grain toast and a piece of fruit? You can even pack that and take it with you to save time. I’ve got all your excuses covered…

Pack the Goodies Away

Food is very abundant throughout the holidays making consuming healthy portions tougher. Do you have candy dishes on display “for company” or plates of cookies for visiting relatives? In studies done by Brian Wansink PhD, of Cornell Food and Brand Lab, visible food triggers are difficult to resist. Unless you want to battle and overeat, don’t leave the food out. Package it up and store it away until company comes to visit. Making it a little less convenient to munch on junk food will save you calories.

Peppermint and Hunger

Just as the aroma of food wafting through the air can entice us to eat, smelling peppermint can distract you from hunger and you tend to eat less. A study done by psychologist Bryan Raudenbush, a professor at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, concluded that peppermint scent may also control cravings from emotional hunger. Eating peppermint candy or chewing gum does not work, so use peppermint oil.

Do You Love Your Food?

Did you ever eat food that you didn’t really love? Maybe you thought you’d like it, but it didn’t taste quite as yummy as you expected, but you ate it anyway. Consciously choose to eat only the foods you really love, when you are physically hungry and stopping before you reach total fullness. If you only love sweets, you obviously need to choose some healthy foods that you like (you can’t dislike them all) but don’t waste calories on foods you don’t really enjoy. My favorite food is my husband’s spicy chili. What is your favorite food?

Sugar Cravings

Sugar cravings can make even the strongest person appear to have no control. When you understand what causes this intense desire, you can more effectively take charge. For those that crave the sweet stuff, triggers from previous experiences release dopamine, the “feel good” neurotransmitter, causing this longing that it very difficult to overcome with sheer willpower. Triggers can be places, emotions, people, bodily sensations such as pain, just to name a few. What do you think is the first step in handling a trigger?

Mindful Eating

What did you eat for your last meal? Do you remember everything on your plate? If not, you probably were distracted. The best way to change your eating patterns, to eat just the right amount to nourish your body and truly enjoy every bite is through mindful eating. The first step is to remove all distractions… no computer, TV, cell phone, magazine, etc. while eating. Have you been focusing only on your food?

Eat Less with Aromatherapy

Here’s an interesting use for vanilla extract that may help you to eat less. Inhaling the aroma of the extract right before eating a meal can fool your brain into thinking you’ve eaten more than you actually have. Alan Hirsch M.D., founder of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation states that smelling the aroma helps you to lose your sensory excitement earlier and cues your body to feel content sooner, so you end up eating less. Interesting… I am going to try it. How about anyone else?