Consious Eating: Should I or shouldn't I?

The foods you eat affect all aspects of your life. If you listen to your body, it will give signals as to the best nutritional choices for you. Notice how certain foods affect you.

Do certain foods affect the quality of your sleep?

Are you waking up in the middle of the night?

Are you having trouble falling asleep?

Do your food choices affect how you feel first thing in the morning?

Do you wake up feeling rested?

Are your joints stiff?

Do you have a stuffy nose?

How do you feel the rest of the day? Physically, Mentally, Emotionally and Spiritually

How do you feel before, during and after a meal? Energy level before and after eating, level of hunger, stress level, bloating, gas, fatigue?

How are your bowel movements: Frequency, quality, ease of elimination?

Practicing conscious eating is one of the very first things I teach my clients and the biggest challenge most of them face. I do this by asking them to keep a Food and Mood Journal. In your Food and Mood Journal use the questions above and track what foods you are eating, when you are eating them and where you are eating them (in your car, at the table, over the sink). Before you eat that double cheeseburger, again, you can look back a few days before when you ate the same thing and see how you felt before, during and after the meal. You may be surprised to see similarities of how you felt before eating it. Chances are if you experienced indigestion, fatigue, emotional instability, constipation after eating the burger you will probably experience the same symptoms again.

Take the time to bring awareness to your food choices and notice how they are affecting you as a whole. You may be surprised to find out some of the foods, which are considered healthy, may not be for you. In addition, you may notice you are eating too many of the foods or shall I say, non-foods, that are satisfying while you are eating them but in the end give you that yuck feeling. Your conscious eating will bring insight on your choices, which than will bring you a sense of clarity, well-being and a balance of the body, mind, and spirit.

The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage. 

5 Guilt-Free Halloween Treats

Halloween is just a few days away. The bowls of candies and chocolates have already made their way to staff lunchrooms, board rooms and desks. You’ve been working hard in the gym and you deserve a treat gosh darnit!

Here are my 5 favourite guilt-free Halloween (or anytime) treats to enjoy, without feeling bad, all coming in under 150 calories.







5) 150 calories – 16 Sour Patch Kids. Also my favourite movie snack, you’ll gobble up 16 fairly quickly as they are quite small and the sourness is highly addictive. Have a glass of H2O along with this to avoid going over board.

4) 84 calories – 2 Dove Dark Chocolate Promises. You get the benefit of dark chocolate’s antioxidants all while satisfying that sweet-tooth.

3) 100 calories – My favourite chocolate, two and a half mini Reese’s cups (hate to admit I have eaten an entire tray of the big-size one too many times) or two mini bite-size Snicker’s bars.

2) 50 calories – Pucker-up for two Hershey’s kisses (plain or almond) or get your tootsie roll on with two mini Tootsie rolls.

1) 125 calories – Trick-or-Trail Mix. A DIY treat that you can put together on your own. I make enough for the entire month (you can prepare weekly if you prefer) that way I always have a healthy treat in my desk, purse, gym-bag and even in my son’s diaper bag.

Recipe: Mix 10 raw almonds, 1 tbsp raw sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds, 1 tsp cacao nibs, 1 tbsp goji berries and 1 tsp unsweetened shredded coconut. Bundle them up into individual snack-pack bags. Delicious, nutritious and guilt-free anytime of year!

The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage. 

VIDEO: Tips on Healthy Snacks

Trail mix

Look for a healthy mix that includes nuts, seeds and dried fruits; avoid varieties with high-sugar ingredients such as milk chocolate chips and bad fats such as vegetable oil. The dried fruit will provide you with healthy sugars for a quick energy boost, while the seeds and nuts will prevent your insulin level from dropping, giving you a long sustained energy level. For a healthier sweet alternative include dried fruit, shredded coconut and cacao nibs. Be sure to include almonds as well. The monounsaturated fats found in almonds provide energy-boosting essential fatty acids such as omega-3s and omega-6s.

Recipe in video: 2 tbsp Raw almonds, 1 tbsp Raw pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp Raw sunflowers seeds, 1 tbsp Goji Berries, 1 tbsp Cacao nibs and 1 tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut.

Yogurt

The magnesium in yogurt activates enzymes that are involved in the metabolism of protein and carbohydrates giving you an energy kick. This explosive source of energy is best used before physical activity (example: cardio or weight lifting). Choose plain yogurt over the fruit bottom/stirred kind as these tend to be packed with sugar. Missing the fruit? Add your own! I like: 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt, ½ cup fresh raspberries, my trail mix (see above recipe) and a drizzle of agave nectar. Yum!

Energy bars

There are many types of energy bars out there. Some contain mostly protein, whereas others are composed largely of carbohydrates. For a quick boost in energy choose a bar that leans more toward carbohydrates, such as Kashi granola bars, Larabar and Vega Energy and Vibrancy Bar. Bars are an easy on-the-go snack packed with a balance of essential nutrients.

Hummus
Hummus is a great source of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium, and copper. It will provide you with a great energy boost all while being low in fat and calories. Pair it with your favourite raw veggie combo and/or whole grain cracker or pita. 

The information presented here is not intended to replace professional medical care when needed. Consult a qualified healthcare practitioner for disease diagnosis, therapy choice, medicine selection and dosage.