Community Magazine July 2016

D id you know that how you feel on the inside affects how you act on the outside? When you’re upset, your body feels and looks differently. You may get hot, become stiff or adopt certain facial expressions – sometimes in an instant. This relates to a phenomenon called “emotional eating.” When one is in a great mood, one is more likely to reach for a quality, nutritious plate of food. When one is in a bad mood, one is more likely to reach for something unhealthy. Help your family transition to and thrive on healthy food. Here are four great tools: Creating a Healthy Food Environment How? First, cultivate awareness. Emotional eating is incredibly common. Yet stuffing our emotions down our throats will actually make us feel heavier and our emotions harder to bear. If you want a break from this type of eating, begin by stating: “I know this is emotional eating that I’m doing – but I’m going to do it anyway.” And then – ENJOY what you’re eating! Instead of disconnecting from the emotions and the food you’re inviting into your body, choose to embrace the situation. Focus on the taste and on the nostalgia that food triggers for you. Note the ingredients in what you’re eating – which your body was craving. That is the first important step – recognition. Eventually, move to treating emotional eating as an exercise in self-mastery: Say, ‘Instead of indulging in emotional eating, I’m going to choose to actually think about this situation. I’m going to talk to someone about it, or write about it, or draw it out. I’m going to deal more directly with what I’m feeling and I am not going to push my emotions deep down inside of my physical body. I do not want to do that. I want to face this.’ It’s finally hot outside and we want something cold to eat. Here are my all-natural recommendations: Freeze grapes, pieces of banana, or your chosen favorite fruit. Blend them if you wish. Add spices or nut/seed butters if you like. Stay away from refined white sugar and overly processed, overly sweetened or overly-preserved foods. Let’s invest in our personal health and in the health of our loved ones by only bringing natural goodness into our homes. Conventional produce contains pesticides and herbicides. It has also been shown to contain significantly less nutrients than organic produce. Because it’s been sprayed throughout the growing process, washing or peeling conventional produce doesn’t help much. Besides, the peel is supposed to be the most nutritious part! Where to start? First things first. Check out the “Dirty Dozen” list, which details the produce that you should buy in strictly organic fashion. For the best prices, focus on the produce that is in season and therefore in abundance and in-budget. You’ll feel better, your body will be better nourished and you’ll be aiding your overall detoxification process. What’smore, you’ll be paving a revolutionary, more vibrant culture for your family and community. Creating a healthy food environment is a worthwhile effort. Watch and see – you will be thanked for it! On the go? Feel like you need to grab something to sip as you walk or bite as you drive? Ultimately, you may be doing yourself a disservice. Givenour relatively speedy lifestyles, this typeof ingestion canbequite common. When you’re “on the go”, you’re likely to grab something all too convenient, easy because it’s available. Even though you know this sort of eating isn’t good for you, you believe that you need it – to start your day or to be able to keep going. This mentality is natural and it’s not the end of the world. The main thing is to be kind to yourself, or as my grandma always advises: Take Good Care of Yourself! Tip: Buy a good thermos and prepare delicious healthy drinks to take with you; tea, shakes, soup! Pack healthy snacks, like trail mixes & produce. You’ll be doing yourself and the environment a great service. TAKE A BREAK FROM EMOTIONAL EATING GET REAL ABOUT INGREDIENTS GOING HEALTHY MEANS GOING ORGANIC NO NEED TO RUSH 1 3 4 2 ALYSSA ELBOGEN 78 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE