Intro to Nutritional Psychology

According to an article written on the Harvard Health blog studies have shown that when individuals take probiotics (supplements containing the good bacteria), their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and mental outlook improve, compared with people who did not take probiotics. This is just one factor to your gut health nor your anxiety/stress management. “Clean eating”, eating whole foods that are typically found in the outer corners of the grocery story have shown that there is a lowered risk of depression than eating processed foods, what would normally be found in the center of a typical grocery store.

Siting the same Harvard Health blog scientists account for these difference explained above due to the tendency of “clean eating” diets tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy. They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples what I think the America culture has adapted to.

So having a healthful diet and getting all the vitamins and minerals that are recommend is clearly beneficial as well as avoiding foods that are potentially damaging to the gut and then in turn peoples mental health. The less inflamed the gastrointestinal track is, the more emotional regulation will be achievable.

My hope is to continue this series hopefully it will be fruitful.

Media Bombards Us All the Time

I have heard the word "slim" and "lean" replace the word "thin" or "skinny" recently, in an effort to be more, what? In my opinion stating words the represent a body size other that what the reader is can alter the way an individual feels about their own body. These "diets" of eat as much as you want and stay slim.... well isn't that a wonder plan, just like every other diet that ever existed. All of that language and thought process still can lead anyone to a dangerous mind set where their focus is on the size of their body, not the health of their body. 

I recently even saw a yoga teach post on Facebook about the joys of "allowing herself to eat a fruit bowl", ummm excuse me? Why do we need to have these rules where we "allow" ourselves to enjoy something?! Its food, its purpose isn't to be moral, or good and bad, or off limits. Having this mentality enables the relationship we have with food have so much power over our mindset.

What happened to when we were all toddlers and we ate intuitively what and how much our body was asking for? When eating till were was satisfied was exactly what we needed, and eating fruit was a necessity not a privilege we allow ourselves. After all we do live in a country and a world where people cannot always have access to the foods they need to survive, so why are we denying ourselves from what we need, if many of us middle class Americans can eat what we need to be healthy almost everyday. 

At times I think about how other countries and people look at us, having this estranged relationship with food when we have so much access to it. So I'm just asking every individual that the next time they label a food, remember that your thoughts and feelings about that food, isn't necessary a "fact", its just what we have told ourselves about it. Start to be curious about those thoughts and feelings, and figure out what you truly believe for you start putting labels on things. 

Okay, end of rant. 

Diagnosis Intertwined

Intuitive Eating, Is A Lot Like Mindfulness

10 principles of intuitive eating:

1. Reject the Diet Mentality
Intuitive eating says that you are the expert of your body and to eliminate rules for eating. This can be empowering and help free yourself of restrictions and allow you to gain more awareness of your body.  

2. Honor Your Hunger
Hunger is your body’s way of telling you to eat. Start to cue in to your hunger and fullness by taking time throughout the day, to check in with your body, and by asking yourself how hungry or full you feel. By doing this you’ll be able to identify those different levels of hunger and fullness.

3. Make Peace with Food & 4. Challenge the Food Police
Are there foods that you consider off-limits? Or do you feel guilty about what or how much you eat?  So make peace with food by giving yourself unconditional permission to eat. Drop the labels of "good" and "bad" or "healthy" and "junk" foods.

5. Respect Your Fullness
Learn to identify when you’re comfortably full the point when you’re no longer hungry and the food you’re eating is losing its enjoyability. Do this by taking time during your meal to ask yourself how the food tastes and how full you feel.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor of Eating
Eating should be an enjoyable, satisfying experience. Make the time special by eating with others, or making the food with others. Viewing food as precious and valuable can truly help shape the experience of eating.

7. Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food
Although eating should be enjoyable, it shouldn’t be your main source of comfort. Learning and utilizing other coping skills that revitalize your senses. Smell, touch, sight and hearing can all be as powerful as a source of comfort that taste is.

8. Respect Your Body
Accept and respect your body as it is now, whatever shape and size you are. Your body is a temple, its what protects you, moves you and holds you.

9. Exercise — Feel the Difference
 Tuning in to how exercise feels, and try experimenting with different forms of exercise and finding things you enjoy — if it’s going to the gym you don’t like, think of walking, dancing, bike riding, rock climbing or playing with your kids instead.

10. Honor Your Health
When you start tuning in to how food tastes and how your body feels when you eat, then you’ll also start noticing that some foods make you feel better than others. Strive for foods that taste good to you and, in your overall diet, get in foods that are also healthy for you.