Eat Well & Breathe Easy while honoring your Food Sensitivies
Do you hate to cook?
Given a choice, would you far prefer to dine out than take time to prepare a healthy meal at home?
Better still, do you think it would be totally awesome if someone else did all the cooking for you?
That last one does sound awesome, I admit.
Yet the truth is, nothing beats cooking your own food! And here’s why:
You’ll Save Money
Do you balk at the price of organic produce?
Perhaps you’ve even convinced yourself that only the ‘elite’ can afford to eat “that way”?
Do you ever have days when your cravings seem totally out of control?
Let’s say you’ve been gluten-free for awhile now, and you have no trouble sticking with that. You also try to steer clear of processed foods, and grains – either whole or refined – as much as possible.
Truth be told, you’re really proud of yourself for doing such an amazing job keeping your diet really ‘clean’!
But you’ve found there’s a catch.
If you decide to have a piece of gluten-free cake, you aren’t able to stop at just one slice.
If you buy potato chips, or bake cookies, you devour the entire bag (or batch) without skipping a beat. Chances are, you’re also REALLY hard on yourself afterwards, for caving to your cravings.
What’s going on?
In a nutshell, you could be starving!
Do you remember the mantra about taking time to chew your food?
Chances are, it was your grandmother who proffered this advice, the idea being that you chew thoroughly, at every meal. (My husband’s grandmother had a hard and fast rule to chew each bite exactly 33 times).
Do you scoff at the very thought? Do you also firmly believe that you don’t have TIME to chew every.single.bite – or you’d never leave the table?
Well, guess what?
It turns out your grandmother was right all along!
Chewing your food thoroughly is such a critical part of the digestive process, because it primes your stomach and your digestive juices for the task ahead.
Not only that, the entry point of your meal – your mouth – is also where the Gut-Brain connection happens!
What do I mean by that?
Your gut and your brain are closely connected – to the point that what happens in your gut affects your brain, and vice versa. [Read more…]
Sometimes it can feel downright overwhelming to get your health back on track!
You want to eat better – and you’ve tried – but despite your best efforts it still isn’t happening.
You try to go to bed earlier, but get sidelined watching a favorite late-night show on TV.
Or, you’re convinced that you do your best work late at night. (more on that later)
You have days, perhaps, when you really feel like crap – and that’s when you tell yourself (again) that you really, really need to get a handle on things.
We’ve all had days like that, right?
Yet even when you know better, it’s often hard to begin.
My advice?
Slow down. Take baby steps.
Pick one of the following, to start – yes, just 1! (After all, you have to start somewhere).
Jump-start your digestion
Hardly a day goes by, that I don’t hear another tip for what you absolutely MUST do first thing in the morning.
Are you swept up in the first-of-the-year weight-loss battle?
As we’ve established, it’s not uncommon post holidays to be 5-10 pounds heavier than you were two weeks ago and frustrated (yet again) that yet another year has passed where you ate all this junky food and are feeling like crap from all the over-indulgence. Chances are you’re likely thinking about what to do to start losing that weight. (It’s why Gym memberships EXPLODE during January.) You’re going to start seeing all these Detox and Cleanse programs – with the emphasis on exercising more and reducing calories.
While that’s all well & good, there’s also an elephant in the room!
What if I told you that your struggles to lose weight aren’t so much about how much you’re eating, but rather WHAT you’re eating? And that the chemicals and other irritants in your environment can also have an enormous impact on your weight!
What’s toxic to your body?
For starters, it’s all those additives and preservatives in the “fake” food you’ve been eating.
Add to this a simmering cocktail of chemicals like the BPA found in plastic storage containers, water bottles, and store receipts! (you’ve likely read about this offender in the news)
Have you stepped on the scale this week?
Post holidays, it’s not uncommon to be 5-10 pounds heavier than you were two weeks ago.
And frustrated (yet again) that another year has passed where you ate all this junky food and are feeling like crap from all the over-indulgence – too much pies and cakes and pastries at holiday parties (or too many cookies, in my case).
And now you’re regretting it!
Chances are your digestive system is also out of whack because you’ve been eating things you normally don’t eat. And you’re paying for it now with daily heartburn & indigestion – along with those extra 10 pounds.
It’s also the time of year when (after the wave of regret passes) you’re likely thinking about what to do to start losing that weight. (It’s why Gym memberships EXPLODE during January.)
You’re going to start seeing all these Detox and Cleanse programs – with the emphasis on exercising more and reducing calories.
And yet, you already know doesn’t work!
A pair of female feet standing on a bathroom scale
Let me guess.
You’re probably thinking that only food can make you fat.
It all has to do with eating too much, right?
Along with not getting enough exercise.
What if I told that isn’t the whole story?
What if I told you that losing weight has more to do with WHAT you’re eating, rather than how much?
And what if food wasn’t the only culprit?
Surprise, surprise!
It turns out that many of the chemicals hidden in the household products you’re using every single day – actually have the ability to add to your waistline.
How is that even possible?
Do you ever have days where you’re feeling super forgetful?
Like not remembering the name of your favorite book, or movie, or that ‘thingy’ you’ve been meaning to buy for weeks – what was that called again?
Maybe you’ve realized that the lines have blurred over the sequence leading up to an event that – even though it happened years ago, used to be so clear in your mind.
A ‘Brian Williams’ moment, if you will.
Then again, maybe you’re thinking one thing, but the words don’t come out quite right.
What the heck is that all about?
Are you losing your mind?
Sometimes it can feel downright overwhelming to get your health back on track!
You want to eat better – and you’ve tried – but despite your best efforts it still isn’t happening.
You try to go to bed earlier, but get sidelined watching a favorite late-night show on TV.
Or, you’re convinced that you do your best work late at night. (more on that later)
You have days, perhaps, when you really feel like crap – and that’s when you tell yourself (again) that you really, really need to get a handle on things.
We’ve all had days like that, right?
Yet even when you know better, it’s often hard to begin.
My advice?
Slow down. Take baby steps.
Pick one of the following, to start – yes, just 1! (After all, you have to start somewhere).
Jump-start your digestion
Hardly a day goes by, that I don’t hear another tip for what you absolutely MUST do first thing in the morning.
Are you someone who enjoys preparing and cooking a meal?
Or, would it be more accurate to say that cooking isn’t your favorite pastime – that, given a choice, you’d prefer someone else did the cooking for you?
Or better still – why not dine out?
Well, here are 3 simple reasons why it’s always a good idea to prepare your own food and eat at home.
You’ll Save Money
Do you balk at the price of organic produce?
Have you convinced yourself that only the ‘elite’ can afford to eat “that way”?
First of all, I want to stress that organic food is not a fad.
It’s not a food snob or an elitist thing – it’s a straight-up health thing.
Also – it’s the way food used to be grown. (Your grandparents will likely agree with me here.)
Think about that!
Second, if you frequently eat out (or rely on frozen or packaged foods for easy, quick meals) – you’re definitely not saving money!
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