How Does Your Food Make You Feel?

When we choose what to eat, most of consider a few things:

1) how hungry am I?
2) what's available?
3) is this convenient and relatively easy to pull together?
4) who else is eating with me?

What might your choices look like if you considered how well the food nourished your body (and mind) and how well the food satisfied your hunger pangs and how well the food worked in your body?  That's a lot to ask of a turkey sandwich and carrot sticks and dip with a fruit salad and a few walnuts, but it might tick a lot of boxes.

So many of us on the health and wellness journey already know what we're "supposed" to be eating.  Healthier fare more often.  Duh.  But, what is it about our human nature that sometimes says I just want an ice cream salted caramel fudge bar?  First of all, we are not robots.  We can't be expected to perform when it comes to food choices.  So many of them are emotional.  What do I feel like eating?  What sounds good to me right now?  What textures or temperatures do I want?   

Because food is primarily fuel to keep the body alive, and because food is partly pleasure--we want yummy things, we are always balancing competing impulses which gets tiresome.  This week--and maybe even longer--what could happen if you considered how well the food you choose will nourish you--and keep your body healthy and happy?  Lower sat fat means lower cholesterol.  Goodbye fries and hello baked potato.  Higher lean proteins means more satisfaction and less hunger.  Goodbye pizza slices and hello chicken on a green salad.  Higher fiber means more fullness and regularity.  Oh poop.  (Sorry I had to.)  Goodbye white wonder bread and hello whole grain as a first ingredient bread.  You get it.  So try it.  See if the healthier choice feels like the obvious choice more often.  Practice and progress--not perfection and falls from grace.  Let this journey feel easier. 

Reduce Stress Through Meditation

Stress is a killer.  It robs you of living in the present moment.  It keeps your digestion from working correctly.  It helps you crave sweets and saturated fats and gain weight around the abdomen.  It can also ruin a good night's sleep because of ruminating over the past and worrying about the future.  The hormones (adrenalin and cortisol) that are released through the adrenal glands when the body perceives stress can suppress your immune system.  Can it get any worse?

Stress has its positive side.  If we never had a deadline, we might not get anything done. The urgency to follow through keeps us motivated.  That's a good thing.  The problem is that when stress takes over your life and keeps you from living in the present.

The antidote to stress is not eliminating it entirely, because that's not possible.  It's in managing it through activities that keep you grounded in the present moment.  Maybe this is through reading or making art or gardening.  These activities have a way of focusing the mind on one thing that is happening right now.  For centuries, meditation with mindful breathing has been practiced for this very reason.  When you are singularly focused on your breath, coming in and going out, you open yourself up to new possibilities because you are not fixated on the past or tormented by the future.  You unclutter the mind which in turn calms the body.

Even if you don't think you can sit still for very long, you can develop a mindful meditative practice.  I know this to be true, because I have been teaching meditation to hundreds of people for six years. You can improve with practice, and it does feel easier over time.  In fact, you can actually prevent the stress response from occurring in the first place if you practice meditation and mindful breathing on a regular basis, i.e. daily.  This is why I started the "three breaths" meditation on instagram during the covid19 pandemic.  It was a simple way to practice three intentional breaths to calm the mind and body during a stressful time in history.

Life is tough.  Don't we all know it.  Some times are tougher than others, and I would call this time in our history challenging at the very least.  For this reason alone, it pays to look at healthy ways to manage stress so that we can maintain a healthy lifestyle.  If something as simple as breathing with intention can do just that, I encourage you to follow me on Instagram and practice along. 

Instagram.com/karenastromsky

...And I Took the Road Less Traveled...

When I was applying to colleges--back when I was sixteen years old...I was asked to submit a piece of writing to Georgetown University.  I chose to write about the Robert Frost poem, The Road Less Traveled.  It resonated with me in my adolescent years, and it speaks to me now.  A few years ago I was taking a writing class, and we were asked to memorize a poem and recite it to the group.  I chose this very poem thirty seven years later.  Maya Angelou would say that is the power of poetry.

How many times do we come to a "fork in the road" and choose the well worn path?  It seems obvious that we should.  It seems like it would make sense and be easier.  Others have stood in the very same spot and chose that path.  And yet, by choosing the other path, we open ourselves up to possibilities that we never imagined possible.  It takes more effort to blaze a new trail.  It requires more of your brain and body.  But then it does more for your brain and body.  It actually fires up the brain and creates new connections, i.e. neural pathways.  The brain has a neuroplasticity just as the physical body has a flexibility. 

This is part of what it takes to be a healthy person in body and mind.  The body and mind work together.  They reinforce each other in an anti-aging, protective way.  This is why my gym boasts that they never offer the same workout twice.  They want the body (and mind) to be surprised.  They want to recruit new muscle fibers and challenge the body to be more efficient.  

No matter where you are in your health and wellness journey, looking at life with fresh eyes, building new habits and thereby weakening old unhelpful habits is a challenge right before our very eyes.  Which path do you choose?  Let the path you choose make all the difference.

Cook Well, Eat Well at Home

This pandemic has been tough in many ways, however one of the benefits is that more people are eating home-cooked meals at their own table.  There are multiple advantages to preparing your own food that include knowing what's in it, how many calories, how much seasoning, what's the portion size you will set out.  This all goes a long way in making sure you are in charge of exactly what you are getting.  This enables us to train our eyes to get satisfied with "right size" servings.  I forgot to mention that eating home cooked meals is cheaper than restaurant eating or take out.  Usually it is three times cheaper. 

I am no party pooper.  I like going out to restaurants just like everyone else.  But at this point in history, it is SAFETY FIRST, so going out has lost a lot of its appeal for me. That means I have to get more creative at home.  I am tired of my own cooking at this point, and I really enjoy cooking.  This is silly.  It's time to spice things up with fresh or dried herbs and spices.  It's time to look through cookbooks for something more interesting besides what I can think of in the moment.  When I see friends' pictures of meals they are making, it makes me realize I better get on it too.

Summer grilling is a fun way to make dinner.  Everything from proteins to vegetables and fruits can go on that grill.  You get to be outside which doesn't feel like cooking.  You get to enjoy the fresh air which doesn't feel like work.  There is less clean up which does feel like a bonus.

This week, mix things up with your food preparation, your spices and herbs or your menu and see if it breathes new life into your health and wellness plan for living a long, healthy, fit and active life while still fitting into your clothes!

Summer Fun Can Be Done

Summer is officially here as far as the calendar says.  It's been warm, hot, humid and breezy lovely for a while already though.  So, it is time to gather your thoughts and picture how you want to have a great season despite the pandemic and the restrictions it imposes.

Being a little sad about the things that are not happening this summer is normal.  Maybe consider taking a moment to reflect on those traditions and all the joy they have brought you?  If the fair, your family reunion, that vacation isn't going to come together as usual--it's time to let go so you can make room for what is going to happen. 

Living in Minnesota, I appreciate summer more than I would otherwise.  Summer is our reward for putting up with winter!  But then we had that fast dive into quarantine and staying home....  it's been a bit of a roller coaster ride with emotions, plans, cancelled plans...  Yet, this is still summer, and when it comes to an end, most people I know are sad.  No one says that at the end of a long Minnesota winter--gee winter flew by, and I didn't get to wear my boots another 100 times.... 

So, what will make your summer memorable?  What will make you feel like your precious life in summer 2020 is still happening?  What will it take for you to feel that you are maximizing the fun?  What can you still do safely that brings you joy?  Biking is one of my favorite summer activities, and C19 or NOT, it works.  That's a thumbs up for "normal."  We decided to go on our family reunion to Ocean City, New Jersey.  It won't be the same.  My mom and several others won't be coming because of C19.  My brother and his family won't be coming from Australia, because they aren't allowed to leave the country for six months.  Disappointing, but this is life for now.

Our world and our expectations have changed, and we have adjusted for three months past, and we will continue to adjust.  As always, focusing on what you can do will bring you more happiness and more control than focusing on what you cannot do.  Just don't let summer slip away without making your mark.  Have fun doing it.  That's what summer is all about anyway.

All Fats Are Not the Same

We probably remember the fat free craze that hit the "diet world" more than twenty years ago.  The idea was that fats in processed foods made you fat, so if you take the fat out, you won't get fat.  The error in this was that when they took the fat out of products like cake, cookies, etc. they replaced it with sugar. And then people ate more because the cookies were "fat free."  Furthermore, not all fats are the same.  Some are healthy for your body and nutritionally sound for your intake.  Others are treats.

Here is the skinny on fat.  Ha!  There are healthy fats which are called UNsaturated fat.  These fats come from plants, seeds, nuts, olive, canola, sunflower, safflower and flaxseed oil and even some seafood.  These are good for you, heart healthy, and a necessary part of a balanced "diet."  On the other hand, SATurated fats are found in red meat (think marbling) and dairy, cookies, cakes, whipped cream on top of coffee sundaes, etc. 

The leading cause of obesity and becoming overweight comes from the overconsumption of SATurated fat and sugar.  (Hence the Snackwells problem.)

The moral of the story is to be mindful of which fats you are consuming--heart healthy UNsaturated fats which are good for you can be consumed regularly.  The hitch is that they are still high in Smartpoints values because they are calorically dense (a tsp of oil is a point).   On the other hand, the SATurated fats need to be considered wisely and planned for.  Eating or drinking them is not about getting in more nutrition really...it's about pleasure, which is part of our consumption too. 

This week, see if you can determine which fats you are eating more often--and which ones might be subbed out for a healthier option.  Why?  So that you can be healthy, stay within your points' target and hopefully lose and/or maintain your weight.  It's ok!  You are worth it.

Plan to Succeed and Repeat

We have too much to think about now with all that is going on in the world.  It's taking up our precious brain space that we could otherwise use for good.  With that in mind, it is all the more important when it comes to getting anything done--especially weight loss and weight maintenance--that you plan your meals and snacks. 

You, like me, want to eat three meals a day--plus snacks.  Most of the days that is the way it works.  Because of this desire and requirement to fuel the body with the right stuff, we have to think in advance when we are fresh, rested and satisfied (NOT HANGRY) about what we want to eat for the week.  That is planning 101.  What dinners would you like to enjoy this week?  That is the building block of the plan for what ingredients to source.  If you need to search recipes on WW app or Skinnytaste or whatever favorite site you have--go ahead.  Others all around the world are in the same boat.  What's for dinner?  What should I buy and make?  What will satisfy for low points?  Take their lead--let them tell you what to buy, how to portion the recipe and how many points.  Brain space saved.

Of course, you have to carry out your plan when the time comes.  Setting a routine for this makes the most sense, because planning all the time can get tedious for those of us mere mortals who aren't all that great at this.  However, the rewards are huge.  Planning means we are expecting to be successful.  It means we have what we need to eat when we are hungry.  It means we don't have to get even more stressed out about what's for dinner because we didn't make a plan long ago.  It can also be thrifty.  We don't have to make last minute take out decisions or frozen pizza choices because we are to stressed to figure it out.

At the very least, what about planning a robust meal for one night that could easily morph into a second dinner?  And, what about always making double proteins when you fire up the grill?  Not one steak but a steak and two chicken breasts OR a pork tenderloin and a swordfish steak? 

Life is work.  Don't we all know it.  However, we can be our best friend or worst enemy when it comes to a little forethought, a little planning, food prepping and storing.  You are worth every ounce of effort, and the rewards will be less stress, potentially more weight loss, staying within your daily target and feeling satisfied, healthy and accomplished.  That's worth working for.