Food for Thought Thursday
How does what you eat affect how you feel?
I know we all have good times and bad times and that's just life isn't it? But maybe you've got caught up in a moment you can't snap out of? Did you ever stop and think that maybe what you are fueling your body with is keeping you from feeling well? I'm here to give you a handful of tips to consider to help you snap out of that funk!
But first let me give you a little background about myself and why food is important to me. I truly believe that food is healing and transforms your body. I graduated from the U of A in..... ohhhh a few years ago....ahem...2008, with a Bachelor's degree in food and human nutrition that I was going to use to continue to move forward and become a dietitian. Well during that time my husband had just finished his Master's degree in education and had been hired on at the Huntsville school's. I also had been growing this budding passion for photography and well I didn't end up pursuing that plan any longer. There would be stints of working in a hospital here and there trying to make sure I was sure I no longer wanted to do it. Then just last semester I decided once again I would go through the process. I was a college student again, I made a couple friends, rekindled some relationships with old teachers, and once again decided it wasn't for me. I obviously still have the love for real food, I just don't like the schedule, and that's going to be hard to break coming from being self employed. So instead I've found a new way to share my desire to help educate others about food on my time.
So back to your regular broadcast.....
Food and Feelings, I promised a handful so here it goes.....
1). Eating. Yes eating makes you happy. lol but what I really mean is not skipping meals. Keeping our body's blood sugar stable is key to preventing tiredness, crankiness, and mood swings. Reach for a meal or snack every 2 hours. The biggest culprit is skipping breakfast. Just don't do it. And by breakfast I am not talking about coffee and a doughnut. A few good choices are a high fiber cereal with a cup of fruit or some oatmeal with some milk stirred in and berries on top! Ok for those of you saying well I skip breakfast because I don't have time. I have a couple ideas for you!
*affiliate link because that microwaveable popcorn popper looks amazing! It's transparent so my kids can watch it pop, it folds up for easy storage, and it's not another huge bulky appliance!
I really hope having a visual was helpful for you! Maybe you can stroll the grocery store and spot a few of these things and give them a try next time!
Thanks for reading!
-erika
I know we all have good times and bad times and that's just life isn't it? But maybe you've got caught up in a moment you can't snap out of? Did you ever stop and think that maybe what you are fueling your body with is keeping you from feeling well? I'm here to give you a handful of tips to consider to help you snap out of that funk!
But first let me give you a little background about myself and why food is important to me. I truly believe that food is healing and transforms your body. I graduated from the U of A in..... ohhhh a few years ago....ahem...2008, with a Bachelor's degree in food and human nutrition that I was going to use to continue to move forward and become a dietitian. Well during that time my husband had just finished his Master's degree in education and had been hired on at the Huntsville school's. I also had been growing this budding passion for photography and well I didn't end up pursuing that plan any longer. There would be stints of working in a hospital here and there trying to make sure I was sure I no longer wanted to do it. Then just last semester I decided once again I would go through the process. I was a college student again, I made a couple friends, rekindled some relationships with old teachers, and once again decided it wasn't for me. I obviously still have the love for real food, I just don't like the schedule, and that's going to be hard to break coming from being self employed. So instead I've found a new way to share my desire to help educate others about food on my time.
So back to your regular broadcast.....
Food and Feelings, I promised a handful so here it goes.....
1). Eating. Yes eating makes you happy. lol but what I really mean is not skipping meals. Keeping our body's blood sugar stable is key to preventing tiredness, crankiness, and mood swings. Reach for a meal or snack every 2 hours. The biggest culprit is skipping breakfast. Just don't do it. And by breakfast I am not talking about coffee and a doughnut. A few good choices are a high fiber cereal with a cup of fruit or some oatmeal with some milk stirred in and berries on top! Ok for those of you saying well I skip breakfast because I don't have time. I have a couple ideas for you!
Yogurt with a drizzle of granola on top and this brand sneaks in a little protein!
2). Carbs. Yes I know we love and hate them. Like we love to eat them then we hate them and deprive them from our bodies. But your body NEEDS carbs! Carbohydrates help your body create serotonin and we all know that hormone helps make us happy! There's a reason that keto diet is really hard a couple days in! Based on a 2000 calorie diet you should be consuming around 900-1,300 calories of carbs. Your carbs should be complex carbs meaning they should be packed with whole grains and fiber. Again I have a couple ideas for you!
*affiliate link because that microwaveable popcorn popper looks amazing! It's transparent so my kids can watch it pop, it folds up for easy storage, and it's not another huge bulky appliance!
3). Omega-3-fatty acids. For a girl like me who doesn't like fish they are a little harder to come by which could explain my memory loss and moodiness. If you are a fan of mackerel and sardines then you are probably covered! For the rest of us, a handful (1 ounce) of walnuts can give us a full serving of omega-3s and you can find fortified foods with the omega-3s added, like margarine (this brand is also dairy free).
4). FAT. Eating too much fat, well saturated fat. So think bags of chips (which are a current crutch for me at the moment...do sun chips count lol), greasy foods, and whole milk. Foods high in fat are not helping your waist line but also your mind as they contribute to depression and memory loss. Terrifying. (currently putting that chip bag down) So a few tips would be to try to convert to 2% milk, doing so will almost cut the amount fat in half. We do almond milk because we have a dairy allergy in the house and it has zero saturated fat. And AVOID the big mac, nearly half it's calories come from fat!
5). Caffeine. Yes some can help us perform mentally and physically but too much makes us anxious, nervous, and moody. It is recommended to make water your drink of choice, but if you aren't a water drinker try and add the flavored water packets.
I really hope having a visual was helpful for you! Maybe you can stroll the grocery store and spot a few of these things and give them a try next time!
Thanks for reading!
-erika
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