Body In Mind Nutrition

There is growing evidence supporting the essential nature of developing the skill of mindfulness in order to develop lasting changes in eating habits.  The dogma of dieting is clearly being questioned.  The work of becoming aware of your own eating habits and developing the skill of mindful eating is a much greater challenge than following a diet.  But the lasting effect of your efforts makes it worthwhile, life changing, and I would even say, life SAVING!!


" to help individuals cultivate awareness of both internal and external triggers to eating, interrupt dysfunctional cycles of binging, self-recrimination and over-restraint, and re-engage the natural physiological processes of eating regulation. Furthermore, the program emphasizes the pleasure and nurturing aspects of eating, while encouraging healthier patterns of food choice, in terms of both types and amount of food eaten. MB-EAT is further designed to do so in a way that is effective in internalizing and maintaining change.“

http://www.drsharma.ca/mindfulness-training-and-meditation-to-combat-obesity.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+AryaSharma+%28Arya+M.+Sharma,+MD%29

If you are a teenage girl, the values of the world you walk around in, and certainly the values of your friends, influence your risk for developing an eating disorder.  I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.  From where I sit, this is not just true for teenage girls-they were simply the subjects for this study.

"It appeared that changing attitudes within a group that had been exposed to television were a more powerful factor than actually watching the programs themselves. In fact, higher peer media exposure were linked to a 60 percent increase in a girl's odds of having a high level of eating disorder symptoms, independently of her own viewing."

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-01-secondhand-television-exposure-linked-disorders.html

  For all of you that are trying to Diet, see if this sounds familiar?

Researchers have shown that dieting sensitizes the brain to stress, which in turn, prompts cravings for treats. These brain changes last long after the diet is over. (They become genetic.) And they entice even healthy individuals to binge -- and ultimately gain or regain weight.

http://www.eatingdisordersblogs.com/ed_science_stuff/

If you haven't heard about how serious the problem of our kids become more and more sedentary and overweight, you must be living under a very big rock.  We have a problem, we know, we know.  But do we have any idea what to do about it?  This author has a great idea about the importance of mobilizing our efforts behind a relatively simple (and positive!) idea-eat your vegetables!!

"As an agriculturist and horticulturist, I believe that the answer is simple. As parents, educators, nutritionists and marketers, we have to imbue our children with the love of—and consumption of—the most beneficial food for growing bodies. This means fresh vegetables and fruits, whether store-bought or home-grown."

"Yet no single institution is sufficient; fighting a problem of this sort requires a multifaceted effort. Churches could do much more to inspire families to grow vegetables. Public and private botanical and community gardening groups should augment efforts to lure neighbors into their educational demonstration gardens. Most families, whether in the city or suburbs, can plant at least a "starter garden"—involving pre-teen children in the planting, tending and harvesting. "

http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052748704774604576035211826290534-lMyQjAxMTAxMDAwNTEwNDUyWj.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVOj2hrWcpc

First, take a deep breath and ask yourself "Am I hungry or am I craving something?".  In order to become more comfortable with your eating, it is essential to know the difference.  The first step is waking up and getting to know yourself.  If you are craving something, there are several paths to choose from.  This article describes research about taking a short walk to handle your cravings-see what you think.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/04/health/04really.html?_r=1&ref=science

 Register for Eating with Your Body in Mind Course to experience the powerful combination of Mindful Eating Strategies, Smart Nutrition, and Yoga to start your 2011 with fewer distractions!!!

http://www.bodyinmindnutrition.com/services/workshops.php

http://www.npr.org/2011/01/01/132443631/year-in-dieting-distraction-noise-cause-overeating&sc=fb&cc=fp

"What happened in eating is that no matter how much people give you to eat, you'll eat the whole thing," Ariely says. "So it's really a question of how much you start with. Because we've also tested this — we looked at what people end up with and how much they throw away. People eat everything you give them. But if you give people a mechanism to limit what they're going to have for food later on, people actually eat less as a consequence."

Research is showing that the effort to educate us about the calories in our food does NOT alter our food choices.  In particular, that we tend to eat all of the food we are served, regardless of the nutrition information. Could it be that the great majority are not aware of the body's sensations of satiety and continue eating all of the food served (and paid for!) even when it is too much?  This research discusses the fact that people may choose to eat fewer calories when they are given choices about altering the calorie content of what they eat by choosing a different side item.  Maybe taking a few seconds to consider another choice helps to increase our awareness just enough.
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/28/132413126/oh-that-hamburger-is-900-calories-yes-please?sc=fb&cc=fp

 An interesting book about the role of genetics and diet/weight- finally.


"... studies report group outcomes. Every plan has its own rare, shining success stories as well. Sometime, a diet just clicks.  Perhaps the remarkable diversity of the human organism — whose various sizes and shapes (double chins, giant thighs and all) are so clearly driven by such a vast array of different appetites and genetic cues — simply means that it is foolish to expect a single diet to serve all comers.
There. A proposal to end the war, just in time for the new year. "     


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/28/health/28zuger.html?ref=science

"The cost of not treating is astronomical, both in human suffering and medical problems," said Dr. Murray Zucker, a medical director with OptumHealth, the care management arm of UnitedHealth Group. "From a cost-effectiveness standpoint, it makes sense to treat eating disorders as quickly as possible and in as efficacious a way as possible."

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/112457489.html?elr=KArks:DCiU1OiP:DiiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUoD3aPc:_2yc:a_ncyD_MDCiU

"Support for Contrave is less about how good this particular drug combination is (it's modestly effective and has some toxicity), and more about how bad the overall state of pharmacotherapy for weight management is," said David L. Katz, MD, MPH, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. "The FDA committee's decision can be justified by invoking the 'any port in a storm!' clause."

http://www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Obesity/24049

"And I bet it’s time for you to update that ol’ workout playlist. “Best” Workout Songs of course, is a matter of taste, but the following songs are guaranteed to get your body moving (even though they don’t include The Suckers’ wonderful, non-exercise-related song by that name.) And if you don’t exercise, just think of all this great music as reason to get up offa that thing."

http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2010/04/the-80-best-workout-songs.html

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the many merits of eating sardines, which, is an acquired taste in my opinion.  But the list is quite long, and sardines are a nutritional powerhouse!  So I did a little research about exactly how I might begin the adventure of cooking sardines.  I came across this video and thought you might be encouraged to join me.  (I have received no financial support from any fishing industry and neither has any member of my family-rest assured).



http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/12/24/dining/1248069379379/broiled-sardines-with-lemon-and-thyme.html?scp=1&sq=sardines&st=cse

"A food-drug interaction is the alteration of a drug’s pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics when certain foods or beverages are consumed at the same time. Older patients are particularly at risk for negative food and drug interactions simply because this population takes more than 30% of all prescription drugs.1 Patients with cancer and/or malnutrition, gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome; patients receiving enteral nutrition; and transplant recipients are also at risk."

http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/121610p26.shtml

I have struggled with my reaction to "The Biggest Loser" (along with other TV shows about body size), but my strongest reaction is to the seductive quality of the magical transformation that we see in the contestants.  My experience is that changing habits that result in permanent weight loss requires SUSTAINABLE changes in our eating and activity patterns.  Fast weight loss is fun to watch on TV, but weight loss that is for keeps requires a very different approach.

"My concern is that such shows not only establish unrealistic expectations but could promote unhealthy, potentially risky, behaviors from viewers attempting to emulate these spectacular results (see Chart at link below). In the article, "Is "The Biggest Loser" Really a Big Winner or Just a Big Loser?" Dr. James Hill of the University of Colorado at Denver states that such entertainment is "...trivializing the complex genetic and environmental influences on our behavior and weight."

http://scienceblogs.com/deanscorner/2010/12/_nbcs_biggest_loser_has.php

The debate continues about when a gluten-free diet is recommended for the treatment of Celiac Disease.

"Our results demonstrate that metabolic alterations may precede the development of small intestinal villous atrophy and provide a further rationale for early institution of gluten-free diet in patients with potential celiac disease, as recently suggested by prospective clinical studies," the scientists conclude.



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101215121916.htm

You do know that Ronald McDonald is THE most recognizable figure to our children.  The debate starts to get interesting when you throw in the concepts of personal responsibility and parenting.

"Parents are responsible for their children’s diet. And they certainly could do a better job: almost 17 percent of American children are obese, three times as many as in the 1970s. But it would be easier for parents to do their job if they didn’t have to push back against the relentless tide of marketing aimed at their children."      

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/opinion/20mon4.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=a211

No matter what the distraction, listening to a story, watching TV, computer tasks, reading the newspaper, you name it, you will find yourself less satisfied when you eat while doing other things.  Usually, this leads to eating more.  When you are not present to really savor your food as you are eating it, you may find yourself craving more.  The research has been done on meals eaten in front of the television.  Now we have research re: snacking in front of the computer.

I know the issue for many is the feeling of not having the time to stop and allow yourself the time for lunch or a snack unless you continue to work while you eat.  You and your health are worth the investment!  Start small and commit to one meal or snack a day where you sit and enjoy your food without distraction.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_106761.html