Author: Nely Ward

0
5 Habits of Mindful Eating
by in , ,

5 Habits of Mindful Eating

5 HABITS OF MINDFUL EATING

An effective method of improving our relationship with food.

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

Mindful eating is a simple method of becoming hyper-focused on the present moment, and being aware of your senses while eating food. It can help manage eating habits, and make people feel better about their body.

The purpose is not counting calories, or tracking macros (carbohydrates, fat, or protein), and mindful eating has little to do with weight loss, although it is proven to help with losing weight. The intention is to help individuals understand and enjoy the food they eat, and remove stresses associated with overeating unhealthy foods. Mindful eating can be a fun way to make mealtimes social, or a time to reflect and savor the moment as a solo experience.

Benefits of mindful eating:

There is tons of research associated with the benefits of mindful eating, most notably the pioneering works of Jon Kabat-Zinn (leader of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School). The mindful eating method helps us understand why ‘diets’ aren’t effective in the long-term.

Simply put, diets fail to focus on behavior change. Since its introduction into dietary behavior change programming, mindful eating has become a successful strategy that improves individual success.

Some Key Benefits Include:

  • Reduced gas and bloating after meals
  • Reduced binge-eating
  • Reduced stress-eating and anxiety
  • Improved digestion
  • Improved self-control around foods
  • Improved nutritional intake
  • Improved weight loss results

HABIT 1: THE RAISIN EXPERIMENT

The raisin exercise is a good starting point for mindful eating. It’s a sensual food experience that helps tune sight, touch, smell, and taste; becoming fully aware of the moment. This exercise is designed to introduce your senses into the act of eating, helping you savor and experience the foods you eat.

Give it a try: Grab a raisin and hold it in the palm of your hand or between your finger and thumb.

Sight: Take time to really focus on it; gaze at the raisin with care and full attention—imagine that you’re an alien from outer space, and have never seen anything like this before in your life. Let your eyes explore every part of it, examining the shape, colour, texture, and any imperfections.

Touch: Move the raisin around between your fingers, feeling the texture. Try this with your eyes closed to enhance your sense of touch. Is it hard, soft, sticky, dry? Does it make a sound as it moves between your fingers? Notice what you are feeling about this object.

Smell: Hold the raisin near your nose. Inhale the aroma and notice how your body reacts.

Taste: Place the raisin between your lips and just hold it there for a few seconds. How does that make you react? Move it into your mouth, but don’t chew yet…is there a taste? What’s happening inside your mouth? How does that make you feel?

Finally, slowly begin to chew, noticing what each bite feels, and taste like. Move it around your mouth. Chew the raisin into mush before you swallow. How does it feel as the raisin travels to your stomach?

Sense how your body as a whole is feeling after you have completed this exercise.

HABIT 2: JUST ASK "WHY"

The human body creates many prompts to tell us when to take action. One of these prompts can be described as a ‘rumbly stomach’ or ‘hunger pangs’, which tells us that we are hungry, and our body needs more energy. If we don’t respond to the natural ‘hunger’ prompts we may experience low blood sugar levels and feel unwell. Because hunger is a physical feeling, we can satisfy the prompts easily with any type of food source.

However, things become complicated when our psyche gets involved. Psychological hunger, as it is known, pushes us towards snacking and overeating. It comes from the emotional desire to eat, with no physical signs that your body needs energy. This is associated with cravings, boredom, and emotional eating. Research suggests that boredom is the most common reason for psychological hunger. Why do you think cinemas sell popcorn and other snacks? To entertain you through the boring parts of a movie! But with the help of behavior change and mindfulness, we can fight back. The act of removing yourself from the boring situation that prompted the desire to snack, will satisfy your psychological desire to eat. This can be as simple as going for a walk or changing the playlist or asking ‘why do I want to snack?’.

HABIT 3: SLOW DOWN

After you start eating it can take up to 20 minutes for your body to decode the signs of fullness. Slowing down when consuming food will allow enough time for your gut and brain to communicate. This will also help reduce overeating, and aid in better digestion.

Here’s our top picks for a more satisfying feed:

Set a timer – Before you begin dinner in the evening, set a timer on your phone for 20-minutes. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself and try to take 20-minutes to eat your meal. Relax, and focus on your food.

Pause – If you find it difficult to sit down and make a meal last for a whole 20 minutes, put your fork down between each bite.Swapping the fork for chopsticks can help you slow down, too.

If you still struggle to pause, leave the table to fetch a glass of water. Or step outside and take three deep breaths, then return to your meal.

Chew for 20 – Chewing breaks down food into smaller pieces. This aids in better, easier digestion – making us feel fuller quicker. In the first 5-minutes of your meal, take smaller bites than usual and try to chew 20 times before swallowing.

HABIT 4: REMOVE DISTRACTIONS

Whether it’s wolfing down subway in the car or crunching on chips while watching YouTube in your lunch break, distracted eating is not uncommon. A review of 24 studies by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that distracted eating encouraged people to consume more food throughout the day and led to a poor relationship with eating.

Applying the mindful eating principle, we can avoid the distraction trap. Try one of these simple habits to assist in a distraction free eating experience.

0
The Difference Between Low Carb and Keto
by in ,

The Difference Between Low Carb and Keto

low carb vs keto

When it comes to dieting, most experts agree that taking things to an extreme can be dangerous. The keto diet, for example, can be highly effective for weight loss, but eating only 50 grams of carbs per day is not considered a balanced diet.

There’s a less restrictive option that still offers weight loss and heart health benefits associated with keto, and it’s done by going low carb, not no carb.

Low Carb Diet vs. Keto Diet:
What is The Difference?

Although the two diets both involve cutting carbs and can help with weight loss, the keto diet (short for ketogenic) is a far more restrictive way of eating and involves limiting carb intake and eating a high amount of fat, with moderate protein.

Meanwhile low carb diets limit the amount of carbohydrates consumed, especially simple and refined ones found in sugary foods, pasta and bread. Going low carb helps regulate blood sugar but it doesn’t produce ketosis, so the body will first use the glucose stored as energy, then move onto fat for fuel.

Going low carb also means you’re probably not eating as much fat as you would if you were trying to force the body into ketosis, and you’ll be eating lots of filling lean proteins and vegetables to stay energized. Like keto, low carb diets follow the same principle of cutting carbs and replacing them with protein, healthy fats, and vegetables. BMI studies have revealed that going low carb was associated with higher states of remission among people with type 2 diabetes.

Keto means the body has switched into ketosis and is using fat instead of glucose for fuel. The original use of the keto diet was developed in the 1920s to treat epilepsy, long before it became trendy. Although most people with epilepsy today control their seizures with anti-epileptic drugs, the diet is sometimes prescribed to children with epilepsy who have not responded to several medications. While the relation between WHY the Keto diet helps seizures is still be researched, studies show that it is because eating a keto diet, it has substantial changes to gut bacteria, and the gut bacteria associated with the Keto diet has shown to play a role on anti-seizure effects.

 Low carb means getting about 20% of your daily calories from carbs, which equates to somewhere between 50 to 150 grams. This way, you’re still taking in plenty of glucose, which is important for recovery and energy if you plan on exercising often. Carbs in excess can be detrimental, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided altogether.

Try these “10 High Carb Foods that are Actually Incredibly Healthy”.

Fruits, oatmeal, and other foods high in fiber allow you to get carbs and sugar without experiencing the rapid rise and fall in blood sugar you’d get by eating a candy bar or drinking soda.

By eating veggies first, protein and fats second, and then starches and sugars, you’ll slow the rate at which your body absorbs sugar so you experience a more steady supply of energy. 

0
10 High Carb Foods, that are Incredibly Healthy
by in , , , , , , ,

10 High Carb Foods, that are Incredibly Healthy

high carb foods

Over the years carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation. People often associate them with weight gain, type 2 diabetes, and a variety of other health conditions.

Yes, it is true that processed foods high in sugar and refined grains typically lack important vitamins and minerals. However, many nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods can be very good for you.

While low carb diets can be beneficial for some people, there’s no reason to avoid high carb foods altogether. Here are 10 high carb foods that are incredibly healthy:

1. Quinoa
  • Quinoa is highly nutritious and may help improve blood sugar management and support heart health. Quinoa is also high in protein and fiber, so it may be useful for weight loss, as both of these nutrients can help keep you feeling full for longer.
2. Oats
  • Oats contain many beneficial nutrients, including fiber and protein. Studies have also shown that eating oats lowers blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
3. bananas
  • Bananas are high in potassium, a mineral that play a key role in regulating blood pressure. Less ripe bananas also contain resistant starch and pectin, both of which can improve digestive health.
4. Sweet Potatoes
  • Sweet Potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, along with several other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants
5. Beets
  • Beets are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds. They also contain high amounts of inorganic nitrates, which can improve heart health and boost physical performance.
6. Oranges
  • Oranges are a good source of fiber. They also contain high amounts of Vitamin C and other healthy plant compounds. Eating oranges may benefit heart health and increase iron absorption to help prevent anemia.
7. Blueberries
  • Blueberries contain many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and help protect against oxidative damage.
8. Grapefruit
  • Grapefruit contains many beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It may provide numerous health benefits.
9. APPles
  • Apples contain a decent amount of Vitamin C, antioxidants, and plant compounds. Eating apples may improve blood sugar management, as well as reduce the risk of heart disease and potentially even certain types of cancer.
10. Chickpeas
  • Chickpeas are excellent source of plant-based protein and contain many vitamins and minerals. Eating chickpeas has been linked to benefits of heart and digestive health, as well as potential cancer prevention.

The bottom line is that it is a myth that all carbs unhealthy. In fact, many of the healthiest foods are high in carbohydrates. That said, you shouldn’t eat carbs in large amounts if you are on a low carb diet. In addition, refined carbs such as white break and pasta, may be unhealthy in high amounts.