A follow-up to my last post about new year's resolutions... Here is a 13 step energetic reminder the really spoke to me while in studying holistic nutrition + Chinese medicine. It's helped to put some things into perspective. For those of you struggling with the side effects of your new years resolution (Whole30 crew keep reading there's more advice specific to you)... it may get worse before it bets better, but it always gets better!
1. Eat breakfast or any nutrient dense foods in the morning when your body can assimilate the most from food.
2. Don’t wait until you are starving to eat. If you wait till you are hungry to eat, your blood sugar has already dropped and you will be more likely to crave sugar and/or refined carbohydrates.
3. Avoid eating while angry, under stress, or with people you don’t like. Your food will not digest properly if you are angry or upset. Enjoying your food and being content when you eat allows our bodies to literally accept the food more effectively into our systems.
4. Eat slowly and thoroughly and breathe! Chew your food well! Carbohydrate digestion depends on the enzyme salivary amylase, which is found in the mouth. Challenge yourself to make a habit of chewing your food until it is all one consistency. Breathing relaxes your nervous system ensures better metabolism and digestion.
5. Practice eating mindfully. Sit down, turn off the television, put down your book and avoid unpleasant conversation with yourself and others.
6. Toss the microwave! Studies indicate they damage or have a negative effect
on our bodies. From a TCM perspective, microwaving renders the food energetically dead.
7. Include a good amount of cooked foods in your diet. Between 40-100% depending on season, constitution and health. Humans have evolved to require cooked food in order to obtain the energy needed to nourish our brains and thrive.
8. Refrain from drinking any liquids with your meals. Drinking liquids with meals will dilute the enzymes and acids necessary for proper food digestion. Drink 20 minutes before or after your meal. A cup of warm tea or glass of wine may enhance digestion.
9. Eat a variety, eat simply. This is not a contradiction. Eat a variety of food over a day or week, but make your meals simple and avoid complex combinations of foods within the meal itself.
10. Eat until you are satiated, not until you’re full.
11. When possible, eat dinner by 7pm. Your body is less capable of digesting heavy or complex meals at night.
12. Don’t chill the Spleen. The digestive process needs warmth. Too much raw, cold, frozen foods or iced drinks will dampen the digestive fire.
13. Give thanks for your food and thank yourself for eating consciously. Prepare food with love and consciousness.
Hey January Whole30 challengers, or anyone doing a sugar detox, or a cleanse, or an elimination diet, or.... wait anyone who had a resolution.... Here is what to expect and why.
Even if you were eating fairly clean before, (or at least you thought) beware of the detox symptoms! If there's one thing the Whole30 taught me, it's that they put sugar in everything. Your body is craving it... I know, I know. Sugar is a drug! Well according to your brain... there is no difference. so here's what to expect in the next few days, the dirty detox has already started to rear its nasty head for some of you... Hang in there!
FATIGUE - BREAKOUTS - IRRITABILITY - HEADACHES - WEAKENED IMMUNITY - HOT FLASHES AND COLD SWEATS
Your blood sugar will take time to stabilize. Stay strong. We have over 800 hormones in our bodies, and their job is to communicate with each other to convey functionality. When one hormone gets off balance, his 799 friends get really confused, because his communication turns into something resembling Charlie Brown's teacher. Sugar is a massive hormone disruptor, the good news is, your cells are constantly renewing, so it won't take long to balance itself out. Water, protein, fat and fiber will be your best buds. Like drink so much water you feel like you might drown. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, usually around day 5-8...
DEEP, RESTFUL SLEEP - IMPROVED CONCENTRATION - SUPERHERO DIGESTION - EASY TO SLEEP, EASY TO WAKE - LESS JOINT PAIN - AUTOMATIC MINDFULNESS
You're being so deliberate right now, rightfully so with all the new rules... and the changes will cause your body to be off balance and exhausted. Here comes the good part, this makes it so much more noticeable when the cloud of imbalance is lifted from your brain and your new normal will be energetic, sharp, regular (I'm talkin poop) optimistic and MINDFUL.... the list goes on and on!
I'll be posting some more tips on my Instagram story and Facebook page in the days to come. Go check it out. It's all about intension. Im here for you. Hang in there, you're doing great!
#theyearofyou