Author avisha Categories Blog, Food & Nutrition, Lifestyle Posted on 0 Comments

Three Ways to Avoid Overeating

We all do it. Sometimes the amazing aroma and delicious flavour gets the best of us. Especially if we’re a bit on the hungry (or hangry) side.

I’m talking about overeating at meals.

This can have a big impact on our weight, energy levels, and overall health and well being. Of course our body needs food to fuel it and we often eat amazingly healthy foods. Right?

But we may still overeat. In this post I’m going to give you three solid tips for preventing that from happening. Seriously! If you can make these three things a regular habit and part of your daily routine you’ve got one up on the overeating cravings.

Three Ways to Avoid Overeating at Meals

Sometimes those holiday feasts are just amazing.

And it’s not just the abundance of delicious food but also the people, the decorations, and the ambiance.

It is way too easy (and common) to indulge on those days.

But it doesn’t always stop there.

Sometimes we overeat on regular days. Or at regular meals. Or All. The. Time.

Here are three tips to avoid overeating at meals.  And if you turn these tips into habits you can ditch the willpower!

Tip #1: Start with some water

 

 

When your stomach is growling and you smell amazingly delicious food it’s too easy to fill a plate (or grab some samples with your bare hands) and dive into the food.

But did you know that it’s possible to sometimes confuse the feeling of thirst with that of hunger? Your stomach may actually be craving a big glass of water rather than a feast.

Some studies have shown that drinking a glass or two of water before a meal can help reduce the amount of food eaten. And this super-simple tip may even help with weight loss!

Not only will the water start to fill up your stomach before you get to the buffet, leaving less room for the feast but drinking enough water has been shown to slightly increase your metabolism.

Win-win!

Tip #2: Try eating mindfully

You’ve heard of mindfulness but have you applied that to your eating habits?

This can totally help you avoid overeating as well as having the added bonus of helping your digestion.

Just as being mindful when you meditate helps to focus your attention on your breathing and the present moment being mindful when you eat helps to focus your attention on your meal.

Do this by taking smaller bites, eating more slowly, chewing more thoroughly, and savouring every mouthful. Notice and appreciate the smell, taste and texture. Breathe.

This can help prevent overeating because eating slower often means eating less.

When you eat quickly you can easily overeat because it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach is full.

So take your time, pay attention to your food and enjoy every bite.

Bonus points: Eat at a table, not in front of the screen, off of a small plate and put your fork down between bites.

Tip #3: Start with the salad

You may be yearning for that rich, creamy main dish.

But don’t start there.

(Don’t worry, you can have some…just after you’ve eaten your salad).

Veggies are a great way to start any meal because they’re full of not only vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and health-promoting phytochemicals but they also have some secret satiety weapons: fiber and water.

Fiber and water are known to help fill you up and make you feel fuller. They’re “satiating”.

And these secret weapons are great to have on your side when you’re about to indulge in a large meal.

Summary:

Have your glass of water, eat mindfully and start with your salad to help avoid overeating at meals.

Recipe (Water): Tasty (and beautiful) Pre-Meal Water Ideas

If you’re not much of a plain water drinker or need your water to be more appealing to your senses here are five delicious (and beautiful looking) fruit combos to add to your large glass of water:

  • Slices of lemon & ginger
  • Slices of strawberries & orange
  • Slices of apple & a cinnamon stick
  • Chopped pineapple & mango
  • Blueberries & raspberries

Tip: You can buy a bag (or several bags) of frozen chopped fruit and throw those into your cup, thermos, or uber-cool mason jar in the morning. They’re already washed and cut and will help keep your water colder longer.

References:

https://authoritynutrition.com/7-health-benefits-of-water/

http://summertomato.com/the-science-behind-mindful-eating-what-happens-to-your-body-during-a-mindful-meal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author avisha Categories Blog, Lifestyle Posted on 0 Comments

Let’s Enjoy the Holiday Season Shall We? My Top 5 Tips for Managing Stress During the Holiday Season

The Holiday Season is upon us and with that inevitably comes STRESS. Stress to get the house decorated, to entertain, to buy the right gift, to host the perfect party. The list goes on. There are so many sites and posts on the internet giving tips on how to manage stress that even finding the right avenues becomes stressful!

Well, I hope to help you with what I believe to be the Top 5 Tips for Reducing Stress during the Holiday Season.

Take Time for Yourself

Plan time during your day to exercise, meditate, get outside! Walking is a great way to relieve stress and the fresh air will clear your mind.

Set a Budget and stick to it!

Plan out how much you want to spend and stay with what you can afford.

Say No Sometimes

You don’t have to say yes to every party invite. This is the time of year to be with the people that you want to be with. Don’t be afraid to say no to an invite that you know will only be out of obligation and/or will not provide you any joy.  The same idea applies if you are the host.  Bring people to you that will help you to celebrate the season.  Enjoying is every bit as important as giving joy.

Keep It Simple

Do not put unrealistic expectations on yourself, whether it be decorating the house, cleaning, providing the perfect meal. Everything does not have to be perfect nor should you do it all yourself. Delegate, delegate, delegate. You’d be surprised how many people are looking to do something and are happy to help!

Practice Forgiveness & Acceptance

Just because it’s the Holiday Season, it doesn’t mean that people will change how they are. Knowing and accepting this prior to get togethers will help to put you in to a good mindset and make your Holiday Season a happy one.

I wish you all the best for this Holiday Season and I hope that you delight in what this time of year is about, celebrating and being with the ones you love.

Author avisha Categories Cancer Coaching, Lifestyle Posted on 0 Comments

Small, sustainable weight loss may reduce risk for breast cancer

Small, sustainable weight loss may reduce risk for breast cancer

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay News  |  Dec. 8, 2017

It’s never too late for women to lose weight to lower their breast cancer risk, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that a 5 percent or greater weight loss after menopause could lower the odds of breast cancer by about 12 percent. For a 170-pound woman, a 5 percent weight loss would be 8.5 pounds.

“A modest weight loss that seems to be sustainable could have important health consequences,” said lead study author Dr. Rowan Chlebowski. He’s a research professor in the department of medical oncology and therapeutics research at the City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.

“These are encouraging findings. You don’t have to get to a normal weight to see a benefit, and you don’t need to lose a colossal amount of weight. A 5 percent weight loss is achievable on your own,” Chlebowski added.

Obesity is a known risk factor for breast cancer. But Chlebowski said it hasn’t been clear if losing weight could prevent breast cancer. And if weight loss could make a difference in breast cancer risk, it wasn’t known if there was an optimal time to lose weight.

This study included data on more than 61,000 postmenopausal women from the Women’s Health Initiative, a large, long-running study of older women by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The women were all ages 50 to 79 when they entered the study between 1993 and 1998. None had a history of breast cancer and all had a normal mammogram when the study began.

Women’s weights were measured at the start of the study and again three years later, Chlebowski said. Their health was then followed for an average of more than 11 years.

During that time, more than 3,000 women developed invasive breast cancer.

From the original group, more than 8,100 women lost 5 percent or more of their body weight. The researchers compared these women to more than 41,100 women whose weight remained stable.

The women whose weight remained stable had an average body mass index (BMI) of 26.7. BMI is a rough estimate of body fat based on height and weight measurements.

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, while 25 to 29.9 is overweight and over 30 is considered obese. A 5-foot-6-inch woman who weighs 170 pounds has a BMI of 27.4, according to the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

Women who intentionally lost weight in the study started out with a BMI of 29.9.

“Women who had a 5 percent or greater weight loss were heavier and less active,” Chlebowski noted.

The researchers found that when women lost even more weight — 15 percent or more of their body weight — the risk of breast cancer went down 37 percent.

There are a number of factors linked to weight loss, such as less inflammation, that could explain the lower risk of cancer, Chlebowski said. But the study did not prove that weight caused breast cancer risk to drop.

In addition to finding that losing weight was linked to reduced breast cancer risk, the researchers also looked to see what affect gaining weight had. More than 12,000 women gained weight during the study, and overall, that gain didn’t seem to boost the risk of breast cancer.

However, when the researchers looked at specific types of breast cancer, they saw a 54 percent increased risk of a type of cancer called triple negative breast cancer in women who gained weight after menopause.

Chlebowski said it’s not clear why weight gain would boost the risk of this specific cancer.

Dr. Virginia Maurer, chief of breast surgery and director of the breast health program at NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, N.Y., said this is an important study that shows it’s never too late to lose weight.

“Losing weight and increasing exercise are two things you have control over,” said Maurer, who wasn’t involved with the study. “You’ll lower your risk of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, joint diseases and other cancers related to weight.”

She recommends three to four hours of aerobic exercise a week, along with some strength training.

 

Author avisha Categories Lifestyle, Podcasts, The Health Hub Posted on 0 Comments

The Profound Effect of Touch

 

We had an amazing guest on The Health Hub recently, Lydia Denworth, who spoke to us about Affective Touch. Lydia is the author of two acclaimed books of popular science “Toxic Truth: A Scientist, A Doctor and the Battle Over Lead” and “I Can Hear You Whisper: An Intimate Journey through the Science of Sound and Language”. She is a regular contributor to Scientific American and writes the Brain Waves blog for Psychology Today. Her work has also appeared in a wide range of national publications including Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Parents.

Here is a snippet of what we learned.

Affective Touch

There are five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Of these 5, what would you say if I told you one can affect children at a molecular level? Would you know which one? If you guessed touch, you would be correct. While it is widely accepted that hugging and cuddling are beneficial in nurturing relationships, especially in infants, it is now believed that a loving touch, a slow caress or stroke, can increase the brain’s ability to construct a healthy sense of self.[1] Who knew a simple touch could pack such a powerful punch?!

In the last few years, neurologists have discovered that we have a specialized neurophysiological system – affective or emotional touch. This system consists of nerve fibers triggered by exactly the kind of loving caress a mother gives her child. These new fibers, which are present only in hairy skin such as the forearm or the back and known as C-tactile (CT), are thought to spark the limbic part of the brain which monitors emotion. A recent study of 94 infants over the span of 5 weeks to 4 ½ years at the University of British Columbia showed consistent differences between high-contact and low-contact children at five specific DNA sites. Two of these sites fall within genes: one plays a role in the immune system and the other is involved in metabolism. This same study revealed that

“children who had been more distressed as infants and received less physical contact had a molecular profile in their cells that was underdeveloped for their age.” [2]

Wow!

Touch is the first of our senses to be available to us, as early as in utero. Affective touch is not only physically rewarding, but also has the potential of positive social development. In these times when the lines of acceptable touching seem so blurred, it’s comforting to know that a slow, gentle caress on the arm or back at an early age can set the stage later in life for deciphering what is appropriate versus inappropriate.

So hug your loved ones a little tighter and recognize that you are helping to develop their sense of self as well as their future relationships.

 

[1] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/10/131008132904.htm

[2] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171127094928.htm

 

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