How do we deal with comfort eating?

"I am stressed, I eat. I am stressed more, I eat more."

"I love sweets."

"When I eat, I can't stop."

Many of us are aware of the emotional eating struggle and the devastating health challenges it brings along with it. But we don't seem to be able to stop it. Why? 

Here's the problem, HABITS,  

Our urge to go to the refrigerator to find comfort foods that will make us feel better takes over. Why? Because that is what we have known for so long and is intimately familiar to our minds. It is habitual. You literally are addicted to this behavior loop. 

Then we end up paying the price for a brief moment of pleasure. Each of those moments accumulates into inevitable excess weight, inflammation, aches and pains, and disappointment in ourselves. 

Most of the time it isn't even about the food. It's about an emotion, a feeling we're trying to soothe WITH the food. 

And sure, a snack will ease those emotions at the moment. When the food ...

In this message, I share with you how to connect with source of emotional eating by doing this one thing.

Many of our habitual patterns, including eating, come from our childhood. In this blog post I shared how the smell of fried cabbage and pancakes remind me of mom standing in the kitchen on Saturday night while i am watching Chip and Dale to the rescue. It simply reminds me of my mom's love. So it's natural to my body, when I am stressed, to want fried and sweet food. 

Can you think of childhood memories connected with food experiences and accompanying emotions?

• Who was in the picture? It might be someone you care about, for example,  a family member. 
•  What was the food? Can you think of that foods sensual qualities: texture, smell, taste, color, temperature.?
• How old were you? It might be the 5 year old you or younger you.
• What was the emotion and feeling associated with it? Think about love, safety, care.
• How does it reflect your food choices now? Do you sti...

There is a difference between QUALITY TIME and FOOD TIME with ourselves and loved ones.

We often collapse these two into one. Why is that? Why do we eat foods that we know are not healthy for us? Knowing that we still feel the impulse to do it. Then we feel guilty about it and a vicious cycle continues. It is so deeply ingrained in our psyche. It has become a tradition or memory that we feel emotionally connected to. 

What if it were true when we tap into the origin of 'comfort' foods, we could tap into how to change the patterns that don't serve us? What if this is the way out of old habits with unhealthy comfort foods and into a new and better definition of comfort, and food?

How did the whole thing with family traditions and food start? 

When was the first time you remember you felt connected with your family at the dinner table? 

A Vicious Cycle

I was 5. My mom was cooking cabbage.  I was watching Chip and Dale To The Rescue. Remember it? That memory is so strong that ...

I eat because I love. And I am a lazy cook.

I often get asked what and how I eat.  As I sat down to journal my reflection, allow me to share with you my current meal situation.

I start prepping my meal when I am about 30% hungry. 

To prep, I ask myself, how can I feed my body with love? What can I make to nourish my body? 

On days I feel a lack of energy, what can I make to lift my energy?

On days I feel down, what can I eat to feel good?

When I am tired, what can I eat to relax?

I make my meal accordingly.  I cook like I would feed someone I love. 

Hey, I am still on my way. I still sometimes struggle to give myself time to cook. I do not want to stand in the kitchen and cook!

So I prep.

I find the time on the weekend to pre-cook for the week. I prep the foods that may take time. On some weeks, I make brown rice, on some, red potatoes. I may even chop veggies and place them into Single serving containers. I am also not shy about buying a bulk of frozen v...

Hi {{ first_name }},

In this message, we'll talk about types of pain, the causes of pain, and five steps to breaking the pain cycle.

Do you know someone who is in pain? Maybe it is you.

Have you found that when we experience pain, it's really hard to say Yes to many things such as exercising, being active with your grandchildren, and even eating healthier?

We do want to be stronger, feel less inflamed, have more energy, and just simply feel better. We have all positive intentions of doing good but pain cuts into all our good efforts. 

How do we handle pain? Precisely, how do we break the vicious cycle of pain?

If you or you know someone who is experiencing pain, please keep reading. This message may be just the life and happiness saver they need!

The most important foundational step to breaking the cycle of discomfort is to tune into your body and to have two-way communication. 

Btw, what kind of pain are we talking about?
Physical pain (when your body is inflamed or misa...

Wanna be happy? Obviously.  Everyone wants to be happy. Though, we often do, say, feel, and think in ways that lead to us feeling quite miserable. Why is that?

Well, one of the things on my mind is how we are designed as human beings. For thousands of years, our physiology hasn't changed. We still have the same survival mechanisms (hunt, food, reproduce), safety (shelter), and belonging mechanisms (love, be loved, belong). But, in modern society, technology, and innovation are moving us towards more consumption, more and faster technology,  more rich flavors, and so on. With modern influence,  we get overstimulated with information (Kajabi says, on average, consumers see 5,000 ads a day). We over-consume technology and over-indulge with unhealthy foods. 

Our body is complex but at the same time is a simple system. It needs the same as what it needed thousands of years ago. 

So we run on autopilot chasing the carrot of better and more; not realizing it's time to slow down and do o...