[EXCERPT from: The #1 Thing to Ditch From Your Diet Right Now] Take a guess at what the #1 thing to ditch right now from your diet is. Is it gluten? (Surely, since it damages the gut lining.) How about sugar? (Must be it. It’s the one thing we know we should limit.) Dairy? (Inflammatory for so many folks.) Legumes? (Lots of carbs with less
Continue reading » The #1 Thing to Ditch From Your Diet Right Now
In the US, 80% of girls have been on a diet by the time they're 10 years old. In this honest, raw TED Talk, neuroscientist Sandra Aamodt uses her personal story to frame an important lesson about how our brains manage our bodies, as she explores the science behind why dieting not only doesn't work, but is likely to do more harm than good. If you or someone
Continue reading » Sandra Aamodt: Why dieting doesn’t usually work
Eight Tips for On-the-Road Wellness As holiday traveling becomes more commonplace and in many people’s lives, more frequent, I thought it might be helpful to offer some suggestions for maintaining wellness while on the road. Whether traveling by car to a destination or taking a holiday trip of some sort, here are eight tips to help you to navigate your
Continue reading » Eating Mindfully While Traveling
In the year 1621, the pilgrims who had settled in the United States set time aside to gather together, reflect on the past year, and give thanks for their fortunes, blessings, and plentiful harvest. This day became known, over the years and decades, as Thanksgiving. As it is defined, Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and
Continue reading » Thanksgiving – A Mindful Look at a Traditional Meal
How One Eatery is Serving Up Mindfulness In today’s busy, oftentimes frantic and noisy world, eating in silence is usually thought of as something to be experienced on a retreat of some sort or in a monastery somewhere. And eating in such a manner is usually regarded as difficult to imagine and a bit weird: who, after all, wants to feel restricted, limited
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Much is being written on eating mindfully and, for sure, it is a path that brings healthy results that are sustainable and lifetime oriented. It might be helpful to have a one-page guide…a pocket resource that summarizes the principles of mindful eating. A quick glance can remind you of 'what to do next'. Overall, mindful eating is a slower and more aware
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5 Keys to Embracing Mindful Eating The latest research tells us that before we are able to change anything (especially our brain cells) we must first accept ourselves as we are right now and two, give up our stories of not being enough, being unworthy or inadequate. This is nothing short of a radical mind change! Accept myself NOW? Wrinkles and all (or
Continue reading » Change Your Mind – Change Your Brain – Change Your Body
Six Steps to Gain Control of Unwanted Food Habits “She could never go back and make some of the details pretty. All she could do was move forward and make the whole beautiful.” ~Terri St. Cloud Emotional eating plays a large role in the epidemic of obesity in our country. We eat mindlessly most of the time. In addition to contributing to missing out on one
Continue reading » Are You an Emotional Eater?
Do you ever find yourself reaching for food when you’re not hungry? Do you eat out of: boredom, loneliness, frustration or other emotions? If so, does it leave you satisfied or feeling guilty and unfulfilled? Is it possible that your true hunger is for something deeper — something not related to food at all? To change mindless eating habits, we must become
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Unfortunately, most women spend their days juggling many roles, conflicting commitments and the wants and needs of others. Often we come last, if there’s time. The temptation to reach for food as comfort or distraction can be overwhelming; although the issue is rarely about food — more times than not, the underlying force is emotion. Eating emotionally can
Continue reading » The heart and soul of why women eat…it’s not what you think
Is it okay to have a "cheat meal" when you're dieting? Joy Bauer, featured nutrition "expert" on NBC's The Today Show, addressed this question during a recent segment* of "Joy's Diet SOS". Shockingly, Joy gives a weekend meal of total indulgence "two thumbs up" for dieters. Her reasons being: preventing feelings of deprivation, providing staying power for
Continue reading » “Cheat Meals”: A Frightening Concept
This year, National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is February 26-March 3, 2012. In recognition of this significant event, my thoughts are with both the individuals suffering from a diagnosed eating disorder as well as with the individuals who fall outside of the diagnostic box yet who suffer daily in many ways. As a medical professional treating people
Continue reading » Eating Mindfully: An Introduction and Overview
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh "What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said. ~A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh I found this quote from Winnie the
Continue reading » Food for Thought
With the holidays here, many people have asked me questions about eating disorders: how to recognize warning behaviors, how to handle a person believed to be struggling with an eating disorder, and a few other concerns. The following is a short list of frequently asked questions and answers which are intended to be only an overview. Please visit my website:
Continue reading » FAQs About Eating Disorders at Holiday Time
“Mindfulness teaches us to become aware of our bodies, our thoughts, and our feelings without the habit of making something 'good' or 'bad'. We become more compassionate toward ourselves, more forgiving ~ responding as a loving friend might rather than a prisoner, already guilty. Being mindfully aware when we approach food, we are able to welcome our
Continue reading » Navigating the Holidays Mindfully
Since most of us need to earn money to live, the majority of us most likely experience some form of workplace activity. Many jobs are potentially stressful in a variety of ways. Job stress is estimated to cost companies approximately $80 billion annually with eighty-nine percent of adults reporting experiences of "high levels of stress", citing their jobs
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First of all, a diet is a temporary experience: it does not contribute to a sustainable or a healthy lifestyle. Anytime a person goes "on" a diet, they will go "off" of the diet. More times than not, unhealthy habits will resume. In addition, over 95% of dieters gain the weight back ~ plus more. Another reason diets don't work is while dieting or
Continue reading » Why Diets Don’t Work
Eight simple steps to mindful eating Practicing mindfulness at mealtimes can help break unhealthful eating patterns and tune into the pleasures that food has to offer. Here are a few of my suggestions to use as guidelines ~ giving your self time and replacing compassion for criticism and joy for judgment. Be sure you are hungry: eat intuitively ~ as your
Continue reading » Make Eating Mindful
Is Your Teen Showing Signs or Symptoms Possibly Indicating an Eating Disorder? National Eating Disorder Week is February 20th through February 26th, 2011. In honor of this significant week (in the U.S.), I am speaking out to parents and loved ones of adolescent aged girls or boys suspected of having an eating disorder. Early detection and treatment is
Continue reading » Ounce of Prevention
"There are some people who eat an orange but don't really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past and future." Thich Nhat Hanh Do you find yourself eating mindlessly and then regretting it? Would you enjoy a more mindful, intentional relationship with food choices and eating behavior? The key to changing the way you eat is not more willpower or
Continue reading » How We Participate in Our Eating is How We Participate in Our Lives
