Every day we make choices about food that can either work for us or against us. When working against us, we are penalizing ourselves from the inside out.  Such poor penalty choices includes not only the type of foods we eat but also how and when we eat them. Here are some of the daily pitfalls to avoid and how to work around it to make some Better-For-You Choices!

Binging:
Food is the sustenance of life, along with water, and yet holds so many emotional triggers. Binging can often be an emotional response to other issues as one tries to “fill a void” and find comfort. It can also happen when you wait too long to eat and then keep eating even though filled as your mind stills believes that your body is hungry even when filled to the gills. When binging, it is common to turn to the sugary or salty low fibre, high fat foods (I don’t know anybody who binges on celery sticks!!!!).

Better Choice:

Opt for more frequent (5x), small and nutrient dense meals and include high fibre foods such as  fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, and whole grains. You will  burn greater calories and store less fat as your blood sugar levels won’t have the highs and lows.

Starving Yourself:
This is one I know well as I was an anorexic for years and limited and monitored my intake to become supermodel skinny. Instead of the International modeling contract, all I got was sicker and sicker and looked like a scrawny 12 year old boy while well into my 20’s. While starving myself, my eating disorder was also starving me of nutrients. Likewise, when you wait to eat for long periods of time without feeding your body you are in fact starving your body of the nutrients it needs to function. So when you don’t have time for breakfast you are starving your body of energy 12 to 18 hours. This will likely result in binging behaviour and likely cause over eating when your DO eat. Also, when you starve and binge your body goes into a state of “shock” and when finally fed….gobbles it all up to get all it can and then stores food as fat for another rainy day.

Better Choice:

Eat! Eat breakfast and four other small meals in a day. But make every calorie count. Eat whole foods and keep it balanced. Pack a lunch, keep raw nuts at your desk, sprinkle hemp on salads and sandwiches, have a Salba smoothie each morning, carry fruit with you for snacks and make the time to eat good food. Your body will thank you – and your waistline too!

Knowledge is Power:
The average person does not keep track of the kinds of foods they eat in a day…now I don’t like to write down or “account” for everything I am eating as it makes me feel like I can’t enjoy the food. BUT if you are aware of what effect the poor choices have on your body, then you will start to pay closer attention to what you are consuming. Get informed and learn about the effects of good choices…and the not so good ones. Don’t know? Read my book “Better Being” for facts and info that can help you get to the Better YOU!

Better Choice:

Make your choices count: opt for the higher fibre, good EFA rich poly-fats and smart veggie protein. For Most people do not pay much attention to how many low fiber calories and how much bad fat they consume daily, especially if they eat often in restaurants. Those excess calories get stored as fat.

It is called “Simple” for a Reason!:
Simple carbs, (like sugar, white flour, white rice, etc) raises your blood sugar (glucose) levels, causing your body to produce insulin and changes your metabolic rate. If you eat a lot of simple carbs you are not maximizing your calories as these have very little nutritional value. The end result is that you will end up stuffing your fat cells and have a harder time burning the fat off. Caffeine also has the same effect of raising the insulin levels,  making you start off the day S-L-O-W-L-Y.  So that coffee and doughnut is BRUTAL for your Bod.

Better Choice:

Get higher fibre into your body with a kick start of veggie protein first thing in the morning. Lay off the coffee and opt instead for a protein rich  smoothie. You won’t believe the difference this simple  tweak can make in how you feel for the remainder of the day. Lay off the chips and crackers as the late night snack, instead opt for high fibre veggies so your blood sugar levels remain stable to give your body a break and get the rest it deserves.

Sleeping on it:

When you sleep your body goes in to slow down mode. So eating anything before bed is not a great choice and consuming a simple carb is even worse. Your body will have a hard time using up this energy and will likely just store it…pick a spot: hips, stomache or tuckus…it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!

Better Choice:

If you do have to eat something like a high fibre or opt for an easily digestible veggie protein snack (like nuts or better yet roasted hempseed that is quickly recognized and used up by your body due to the essential amino acids in it that are similar to human haemoglobin). Try to drink some water before snacking as you may just be dehydrated and not know it.

Don’t Just Stand There! DO something!:
Yes I know, this is the one that everyone knows is the sure fire way to get more fit and healthier and the one that is usually the last one tried. The biggest complaint is that there is no time to do this. But you can make time to cruise the computer or flick through channels on TV….why not take some you time and get some exercise? But moving does not have to be a workout at a gym.

Better Choice:

Know that in every aspect and part of the day you can choose to do things like flexing, stretching and deep breathing that will help your body to burn calories, get your blood pumping and get you using the time you have to exercise. Feeling lazy? Just justify this way: the less you feel like going for a walk, the better you will feel after going for a walk! Get your metabolism going and you will feel, look and be better!

Water is Crucial:
Drinking water is a vital part of  staying hydrated and insuring that your internal organs work properly. Hydration is crucial for your brain cells and every organ in your body (including your skin) to work properly. Coffee and sodas do not count as these have the opposite effect and dehydrate you.

Better Choice:

Drink at least eight glasses of pure water daily. Not only does it quench thirst but it  helps to flush out those nasty toxins!

Lay off the Sauce:
Booze is packed with calories, and if you consume it on an empty stomach it will go straight into your blood stream and get stored as fat. An added benefit? Your body views alcohol as a toxin and tries to quickly get it out which disrupts your normal glucose production. So you are more likely to overeat as your insulin levels spike and then drop making you crave foods that are not good choices.

Better Choice:

If you do drink make sure you load up on nutrient dense food and don’t drink on an empty stomache. It will also slow down the absorption rate and allow your body to better process the alcohol. Also stay hydrated and drink water….remember: more water than wine! Take Salba while you are imbibing – it will regulate your blood sugar levels and help you to get nutrients in while you are enjoying your not so good bevies.

Juicy Culture:

The marketing machines tell us that juice is a great option as it contains SOOOOO much fruit. If you own a juicer and are making it freshly in your kitchen than this IS a great option. But buying store bought fruit juice is full of sugar and most brands have the same effect on your body as sucking on a sugar cube.  The true benefits of fruit are the high fibre and vitamins which are often either striped out or  degenerated when processed.

Better Choice:

Opt for the real deal rather than the super squeezed version. Real fruit contains more vitamins and nutrients than its juice cousin and has the benefits of the fibre that helps to regulate blood sugar levels and lowers the bad cholesterol. Also, consider buying and using a home juicer.

Snack Attacks:

Snacks are fine when taken when you are actually hungry. But compulsive eating is a nervous habit that can add on the pounds and are often the poor choices. Be aware of how much you are consuming….even those 10 cal-crackers add up when you eat the whole box over the course of a day.

Better Choice:

Be sure to monitor how much you are actually eating – keep your portions small and understand why the compulsive behaviour is there to begin with.  If anxiety is at the core then be aware of it and take the walk at lunch time to get some good mood exercise in. Also ensure that you are not snacking due to poor nourishment at meals. Make the cal’s count and get a full nutrient rich breakie in to get the most out of your morning.

Mood Food:

Eating when you are in a bad mood or upset is a recipe for disaster. Not only will you overeat, but mood eating often results in choosing the simple carbs as the go to manic munches as carbs help to produce tryptophan which is a type of amino acid that the brain uses to produce serotonin: the feel good hormone.

Better Choice:

Get some exercise instead of eating for emotion. That way you will get your blood pumping which will regenerate your cells and your mental state. Exercise will relieve stress, get you healthier and also allow your endorphins to kick in which will benefit your emotional health.

Speed Eating:

When you gulp down food you take in excess air that can result in bloating. Also food requires time in the mouth as saliva helps to break it down – without this benefit it leaves more work for the rest of the digestive tract. This is why fast eating often results in gas and tummy-troubles. Also, when shoveling it in, your are not allowing your brain to catch up as your brain requires at least 20 minutes to get the message that your stomach is full.

Better Choice:

S-L-O-W it down.  Eat with a fork and knife and avoid finger foods. Make time to enjoy your food and consciously sit down to your meal. Don’t wait until you are overly hungry and snack on healthy foods  like fruit, veggies and high fibre foods.

Avoid Packaged and Processed Foods:

Processed foods like frozen pizzas, burgers and pre-packaged ‘sides’ like rice and canned pasta soups, are excellent ways to  get unhealthy fats, lotsa sugar, high unhealthy salt with lots of excess calories and limited nutrients. These are “easy” ways to load on the pounds and have your body starved for nutritional value.

Better Choice:

Opt for high fibre with low in salt and that have whole grains and nutrient-rich vegetables at the top of their ingredient lists. Take a day a week to make the stews, soups or stoups for easy defrosted meal options that are easy and nutritious.