Mindful Eating ~ for Weight Loss, Energy, Overall Health & Wellness

Nutrition and diet info is everywhere!

We have access to a LOT of information nowadays, we're told to "only eat this", "steer clear of that" or "eat more of this", "less of that"...you get the picture.

All of these rules and restrictions on how much we should eat can be more than a little overwhelming.

Let's focus a bit more on the often overlooked benefits of WHAT you eat and drink and HOW you eat and drink it.

WHAT You Eat & Drink

The “calories in, calories out” philosophy is being drowned out with research on other factors that may be just as important. Don't get me wrong limiting calories, carbs or fat can certainly help you lose weight, but that's simply not the only factor for long-term weight loss and maximum energy for everyone. When the intense focus on how much we ate didn't work in the long-run it wasn’t really a surprise. We kinda knew that already, didn't we?

You can certainly still continue to count your calories, carbs, and fat but don't forget to also pay attention to what you eat.

Ideally, you need a varied diet full of minimally-processed foods, fewer packaged and ready-to-eat meals. This simple concept is paramount for weight loss, energy, and overall health and wellness.

3 Foods You Should Aim for Every Day:

1. A colourful array of fruits and veggies at almost every meal and snack. You need the fibre, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.

2. Enough protein. Making sure you get all of those essential amino acids (bonus: eating protein can increase your metabolism).

3. Healthy fats and oils. There is a reason some fatty acids are called “essential” - you need them as building blocks for your hormones and brain as well as to be able to absorb essential fat-soluble vitamins from your healthy salads. Use extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil, eat your organic egg yolks, and get grass-fed meats when possible. You don't need to overdo it here. Just make sure you're getting some high-quality fats.

HOW You Eat & Drink

Studies are definitely showing that this has more of an impact than we previously thought.

Are you rushed? Not properly chewing your food? Possibly suffering from gastrointestinal issues?

When it comes to how you eat let's first look at “mindful eating”. Mindful eating means to take smaller bites, eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and savour every bite. Notice and appreciate the smell, taste and texture. Breathe. This gives your digestive system the hint to prepare for digestion and to secrete necessary enzymes. This can also help with weight loss because eating slower often means eating less. Did you know that it takes about 20 minutes for your brain to know that your stomach is full?

We also know that more thoroughly chewed food is easier to digest and it makes it easier to absorb all of those essential nutrients.

Don't forget about drinking your food.

Yes, smoothies can be healthy and a fabulously easy and tasty way to get in some fruits and veggies #HelloLeafyGreens but drinking too much food can contribute to a weight problem and feelings of sluggishness.

Don't get me wrong a green smoothie can make an amazingly nutrient-dense meal and is way better than stopping for convenient junk food – just consider a large smoothie to be a full meal not a snack and don't gulp it down too fast.

If your smoothies don't fill you up like a full meal does try adding in a spoon of fibre like ground flax or chia seeds.

Keep these things in mind next time you're eating and see how you benefit.

Leanne x

p.s. check out this awesome smoothie recipe ⬇️

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Chia Peach Green Smoothie

Recipe Print Recipe

Ingredients:

Serves 1

• handful spinach

• 1 tablespoon chia seeds

• 1 banana

• 1 chopped peach

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

1. Add ingredients to blender in order listed (you want your greens on the bottom by the blade so they blend better and have the chia on the bottom to absorb some liquid before you blend).

2. Wait a couple of minutes for the chia seeds to start soaking up the almond milk.

3. Blend, Serve and Enjoy!

Tip: Smoothies are the ultimate recipe for substitutions. Try swapping different greens, fruit or seeds

to match your preference.

Bonus: Chia seeds not only have fibre and essential omega-3 fatty acids but they contain all of the

essential amino acids from protein.

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References:

• http://summertomato.com/wisdom-wednesday-salad-dressing-is-your-friend

• https://authoritynutrition.com/20-reasons-you-are-not-losing-weight/

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

• http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3061/2