Mindful Eating,(My thoughts,but mostly Jonny Bowden’s!)

I was planning on writing about the fact that many of our problems with food, weight control, digestion, etc were caused by not being mindful about our eating. Then lo’ and behold, I opened my email and Jonny Bowden had beat Diana Fletcher to it!

He said it all in a wonderful way, so I will post his words on my blog site, and suggest that you read every word!

He is wonderful, knowledgeable, and has fantastic suggestions! Here we go!

From Jonny Bowden:

In today’s fast paced and highly mobile world, few folks have the luxury of eating all their meals at an actual table. If they get one meal a day in at home it’s a lot. In New York, where I live, street food stands do a brisk business and fast food and “take-out” shops are as common as monosyllables in an Adam Sandler flick. It’s not uncommon to see people rushing through the streets, chomping furiously on anything they can hold in one hand, signaling for a taxi with the other. It’s not all that much different in less frenetic cities than New York. There are kids to chauffeur around, schedules to meet, meetings to go to, games to cheer at, ballet class, the gym, board meetings that last all afternoon, committees to chair and families to spend time with. The days of the Nortons and the Kramdens dropping in for coffee to break up the morning monotony are long over. What morning monotony? For better or worse, we live a Tasmanian devil of an existence that’s exciting, maddening and frustrating all at the same time, and, for those trying to eat well, a veritable mine field of potential disaster. To make matters as bad as they could be, there seems to be an unwritten law which I call “the law of inverse quality”. It states that the quality of food goes down as portability and accessibility go up. In other words: there ain’t no organic fruits and vegetables at the food court, folks. Time and again my clients tell me that they are victimized by the sheer ubiquitousness of crummy, sugar laden “pick-me-up” treats, processed meat sandwiches, stagnant salad bars, office snack machines, bad deli food, coffee and donut stands, fast food take out, hot dogs, burgers, pretzels, bagels and other standard “take me with you as you travel” food. And let’s not even mention airplane food. So what to do? Unless you’ve got access to a time machine, eating on the run, or at least on the move, is likely to remain a fact of life. The opportunity here is to become master of the circumstances rather than victimized by them. Like the great martial artists who learn to make lethal weapons out of such found objects as a paper clip or pencil, we need to learn to create healthy, nurturing meals out of commonly available “porta-foods”. This food needs to be stuff that travels well, is available everywhere, and still passes nutritional muster. Here’s my top ten tips for how to do just that: 1. Think Proactive. Most of the trouble comes from waiting till you’re in the middle of an emergency hunger situation before taking action (like being without food all afternoon and coming face to face with a convenient snack machine). A little planning in advance goes a long way. If you know you’re gonna be stuck in a meeting, take along something you can eat quickly and discretely that will keep your blood sugar from plummeting and your cravings at bay. 2. Lettuce is a great container. You can wrap some leftover chicken in a lettuce leaf and eat it in the car, or anywhere else a sandwich would work. Throw on some tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil and you’ve got a decent mini-meal. A couple of leaves of red-leaf lettuce make a great “wrap” and the contents are limited only by your imagination. 3. Find healthy food that travels well. Some suggestions: cottage cheese, yogurt, celery, peppers, carrots and apples. Throw some berries into a Tupperware with some cottage cheese and nuts and take it in the car with you. 4. Make it the night before. (This is the collorary of “think proactively”). At my house, we sometimes cook a weeks worth of sweet potatoes on a Sunday, and take them with us as snacks during the week. They’re as portable as you can get, they taste great cold and are a veritable vitamin store. 5. Think unusual foods. Sally Fallon, the great exponent of traditional nourishing foods, says that the best “energy bar” is a homemade, nitrous-free, lean-meat sausage. If you can find a local butcher who still makes sausage like this, grab it. 6. Think outside the box. One person’s “unusual” is another person’s delicious. Experiment. I’ve found cutting up an apple and eating it with a single serving of tuna adds crunchiness and sweetness to the tuna that makes it a taste treat. Ditto with celery. A single serving can of tuna can be gotten almost anywhere and also goes great with that baked sweet potato you made last Sunday. Or discover your own combinations. You can always find nuts, cheese, fruit and seeds. Use them creatively, or eat them right out of the package. Hint: String cheese is a really easy snack to take on the run and is available everywhere. 7. Use your blender. Many office-bound people forget that a blender is an easy accessory to keep in a desk or in the company kitchen. In a pinch, packaged meal replacements like MetRx and MyoPlex can be made quickly and are way better for you than most of the stuff at the food court. 8. Ditto for the microwave. It only takes about four minutes to make real oatmeal (not the packaged kind), and you can add some berries or soy milk and take it with you anywhere in a plain take-out coffee cup. Plus if you sweeten it a little with a good maple syrup and then let it get cold, it almost tastes like desert. 9. Make a list: Until you get good at this, don’t try to think on your feet. Make a list in advance of possible combinations that might be available while you’re traveling, or that you could easily take with you . One of my favorites is celery with cream cheese. There’s got to be at least a half dozen others just as good. Discover them. 10. Vegetable juice is a lifesaver. When all else fails, have a V-8. Fresh vegetable juice is always better, and possibly one of the best things you can put in your body, but in a pinch there’s always canned tomato juice and V-8. It takes the edge off your appetite and quenches cravings like nothing else around, and you can get it anywhere. Add celery, leave out the vodka, and you’ll almost feel like it’s happy hour.

Please read more at:  www.jonnybowden.com

If You Want to Change, You May Have to Deal With Discomfort!

We know this on one level, yet deep down inside, we hope that it isn’t true.  This is why the diet ads, the diet pills, the “magic” exercise machines sell. We want to change–we just don’t want to feel uncomfortable while we are changing!

I love the ads that say, “eat whatever you want and lose weight!”  What the what?

That doesn’t even make sense! Were people always like this? Did people always want the easy way?

I am not saying that everything has to be difficult. I often think we make things harder than they have to be, but we also want things to be really, really, easy, or we give up.

I think it comes down to this–no one wants to be uncomfortable.  We want the perfect temperature, the perfect weather, the perfect relationship, the perfect friendship, and it just isn’t always possible.

Sometimes life is uncomfortable. Sometimes, even the people we love can make us uncomfortable.

Our lives can sometimes get complicated and uncomfortable.

And change, or the attempt to change, makes us really, really uncomfortable.

I often warn people who are trying to make healthy changes that this could be very uncomfortable. Whether the change is to build a routine of exercise into their lives, to change their eating habits, or to reduce their stress, it can feel very awkward.  And not just for them–for the people around them, too.

It is important to keep focused on what you want in the long run.  If you keep that picture in front of you, of what you want your life to look like, what you yourself want to look like, you can weather the discomfort.

In the case of Stress Reduction, a technique may be to make a list of the goals: Better sleep, sharper thinking, more calmness, less colds, better relationships, clearer skin, and a happier life.

For weight loss, displaying pictures of the look you want to have, or the clothes you want to wear, can be extremely helpful.

For someone trying to build exercise into their life, a calendar or chart to track their progress with stars can be a really fun visual to use. Signing up for a race whether it is a walking, running or biking race, can help keep the goal in mind.

If you can visualize where you want to be, when the changes feel uncomfortable, you can remind yourself of the reason you are making the changes.  You need to keep the end goal in sight.

Other people can be very uncomfortable when we make changes. There are a lot of reasons for this.

It is sometimes threatening in some way, there may be jealousy, or it may put them out and change their schedule. Again, you need to keep the end game in sight.

If you are making changes that will make you happier, better your life and your health, and you are not hurting anyone, you have to keep going. No matter who is uncomfortable!

Even a Stress-Reducing Expert Feels Stressed Sometimes!

I am the expert. I help people reduce their stress all the time, yet here I am, having to coach myself! I am feeling stressed!

I have speeches coming up which I love doing. That isn’t the part that is causing me stress.  It’s all the prep, and going out of town! I have to make sure that all my handouts are ready and the family is prepared for me being gone. That is stressful.  Am I forgetting anything? Are there appointments people need to get to? Will my husband be here on time? My house is a mess! And I am not quite sure what I will wear for the speech tomorrow, and have to pack in a couple hours!

I am taking some time to breathe and meditate this morning. It’s not that I have a lot of time to do this–it’s that I know I need to do this. When we feel we have no time, that is the signal that you have to stop, and make time. No matter what.

So in the midst of chaos, I will turn on some soothing music, sit quietly and try to concentrate on my breathing. I will add some yoga poses. As I write this, I can actually feel a part of me relax. I will reassure myself that everything that needs to get done will get done. Because it always does. And if something gets forgotten or left behind, as long as it isn’t a child (!), we will all survive.

I know this will work, because, after all, I am the expert!

Huge Time Waster and Stress Inducer!

Huge Time Waster: Looking for Things!

An easy way to create space in your day is to stop wasting time looking for objects.

How much time do you waste looking for the same items, every day, over and over? Keys, cell phone, Blackberry, etc.  How much time do you spend looking for what you need every time you start a project or task? What a waste of time! You go to do some cleaning, and you left your supplies in another room. You are ready to start a job fixing something, and you cannot find the tools you need to start, let alone finish. You go into your office and nothing is where you thought you left it.

Stop. It’s time to get organized. Break the organizing into small steps and do it once and for all.

• Decide on a place for items like keys, phone, etc. and always keep them there. Sounds simple, but so many of us do not follow this rule, and we spend way too much time looking for lost items and getting frantic on our way out the door. •
• Children and students need to find one spot for their backpacks and school supplies. Every night, backpacks, lunches and projects can be put in the same place, preferably near the door, so there is no last minute freaking out before the day even begins. •
• Think of the trouble spots. Where do you get slowed down the most? Start with the one that bothers you the most, and go to that area. Buy containers and boxes to hold supplies. Keep them in the same place, all the time, with warnings like DO NOT TOUCH if you anticipate problems. (My children always used to take my tape and scissors. I now hide them.)
• If you are overwhelmed, there are professional organizers who do this work. They are able to help you “zero in” on the trouble spots and give you good, solid suggestions on how to become more organized. Once you have your tools and supplies in place for all projects, and your phone and keys in a regular “home,” you will save huge amounts of time.

Time Waster Number 3

Television

Viewing Television is a huge time waster. We need to take back the time TV viewing is stealing from our lives.

Examine what you are really doing when you sit down to watch TV. Is this television viewing really a good way to spend your time? Is it really necessary to have it on every night? Are those programs really that good that you want to sit there staring in a state of hypnosis?

I have learned various tricks to shorten the time television takes from my daily life.

• Enjoy the wonderful benefits of TiVo and recording. You don’t really have to watch a show when it is broadcast. Taping it and watching it later can give you back 15 to 20 minutes when you zap the commercials.
• Pick some shows at the beginning of the week that will really be fun to see and only watch those. Become more discriminating about what you watch and plan ahead. Teach your children to do the same.
• Stop watching all the news broadcasts. Remember, the news business is a business. Most of the time, that business seems to be to scare us with fear-promoting TV news. You can get your information in print or watch the news for one telling of the story. You do not have to listen all day.
• Limit your television viewing for one week. See if you can have a couple of nights with no television at all. You may be very surprised with the results. Notice how much time you suddenly seem to have. You are creating space and time in your life!

Time Waster #2, Definite Stress Inducer!

Time Waster Number 2: Getting Dressed in the Morning!

Why are we so confused in the morning about clothes? Every day, we have to get dressed. Every day we have to decide what to wear, based on where we will be and what we will be doing. Still, we wait until morning, staring in a stupor at the clothes hanging in our closet, wondering what we should put on.

The typical morning for many people goes like this: Where is my (fill in the blank)? Is my (fill in the blank) clean/ironed/still in existence? Do I have the sock that matches this one? Where did I leave my (fill in the blank)? Sometimes we are asking ourselves this question, sometimes other people, much to their annoyance. All of this stress and time wasting could be avoided by planning ahead.

• If you do not have time on the weekend to do much more than get laundry caught up or pick up the dry cleaning, you could at least prepare each night for the next day. •
• Even if all you wear are jeans, tee shirts, or work-out clothes, it can make your whole morning routine go much more smoothly. • Having everything laid out, clean, ironed and organized, can be so calming in the morning. Children benefit from doing this just as much as adults. (Warning: Teen-age boys will laugh at you if you suggest this.)
• Starting the day this way can create a huge difference in your morning.You will feel the benefit of creating this space when you realize that you have time for breakfast or a cup of coffee sitting down

Time Waster: Food Preparation

Wouldn’t you love to have more time? Here is an idea how to make time in your day without adding more work! I will add four more tips in upcoming blogs!

Time Waster: Trying to decide what to eat when you are in a hurry, already hungry and you have other people to feed. Planning ahead can make the whole food hassle easier. Many times, we have no time to fix dinner because we are running around like nuts to the next activity, meeting or practice. A lot of wasted time can be avoided with some simple preparation.

• Planning ahead for the shopping and the food prep creates hours of time a week. Once a week, make your list and at the same time, plan dinners and lunches so that you make sure the needed items are on the list. This will give you huge amounts of time later in the week.
• Keep a grocery list on the refrigerator where everyone in the family can write down items as they notice supplies running low. A good idea is to have a standard list of necessities you buy every week. Run off copies, leaving spaces to fill in other items. (These can be grouped the way the grocery store is set up so you can follow your list with minimum backtracking.) If you hate shopping, take turns with your partner/spouse, or hire someone to do it (If this is not possible, make it as efficient as possible so it takes the minimum of your time.)
• An extra person helping with just a few tasks in the kitchen can make the preparation time so much shorter! Even a young child can help with setting the table and as they get older they can be your “assistant,” and get out pots and pans. Older children can take one turn a week to make dinner. Don’t be too picky about what they fix. Soup and sandwiches can be a great meal if someone else prepares it and it gives you time to sit together as a family. As children grow into this responsibility, they will start planning ahead and helping with the grocery list. If meals are ready to be made, you will find you are not stopping to grab fast food which is so unhealthy and a money waster to boot. •
• Keep fresh food in the house already washed and ready to go. Make lunches the night before, for you and your children.
• Keep food in your car, so you always have something handy in times of delays and long appointments. You can keep meal replacement bars, a can of nuts, water, and other healthy snacks handy in your car if you plan ahead. You won’t get hungry and feel the urge to stop by your local fast food joint. Think about the time and money saved!
• Try to find recipes to double and freeze. If you are going to put in the work and the time, double what you do. Freeze half and you have created extra time in your life. (How nice would it be to open your freezer in the morning, transfer the evening meal to your refrigerator, and let it defrost while you are working?)
• When you make a salad, make enough to have for the next day’s lunch. Instant healthy lunch—no prep time in the morning!

It Finally Happened–They thought I was his Mother!

About a year ago, I warned my co-author, Weston Lyon, that if anyone ever thought I was his mom, we couldn’t hang around together anymore.  Well, last week, it happened.

We hugged when we met for lunch, as we were happy to see each other.  We had not been able to get together for a few months.  We happily ordered and ate our Thai food.

As I returned from the rest room, I noticed Weston talking to the waiter and I asked him what they were talking about.  He told me that the waiter had asked if this was an early “Mother’s Day” celebration.

Aaaakkk! It finally happened!  Of course, I am old enough to be his mother, but, that is not the point. I smiled and said, “Oh, that’s too bad, I was going to leave him a nice tip!”

When our young waiter brought the bill, I said, “I’ll get it, son,” to Weston. The waiter freaked out a little, and said in a slightly panicked tone, “I’m sorry!  You guys have the same noses!”

I just laughed.  He looked relieved when he realized that I had still given him a tip.

I hope Weston enjoyed his lunch as we will only be talking on the phone from now on.

Have an Attitude of Gratitude and Reduce Your Stress!

Have you ever noticed that when you are enjoying yourself, you don’t even think about stress, fatigue or being anxious?

That’s because you are concentrating on a happy event or perhaps, enjoying someone’s company.  You are grateful at that  moment, though you may not even think of it in terms of gratefulness at the time.

Being grateful is a wonderful way to reduce your stress and help you to live in the moment.  Being present and looking closely at all the wonderful abundance in your life could be the greatest stress reducer that you have at your immediate disposal.

Be grateful that you are breathing and that you are alive. Be grateful for every person who has entered your life because each one has been there for a reason and has helped you become the person you are. Be grateful for the sun and the rain and the food you eat. Be grateful for the feel of your clothes on your body and for the fact that you have clothes.

Your list  can go on and on and you will be amazed how much fun making such a list can be.

You will relax and de-stress. That is a healthy and happy place to be.

Guest Blog: Jonny Bowden

When I read Jonny’s article, I had to ask him if I could post it!

Sugar as a Health Food?

By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS

Sugar’s about to show up on food labels, all dressed up as a new “natural ingredient” sugar and a better alternative to the demon du jour, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Never let it be said that there are no “second acts” in the marketing of junk food.

OK, in case you haven’t been paying attention, HFCS has gotten quite a whipping in the press. The Corn Refiners Association tried fighting back, most notably with a series of commercials showing a clueless mother unable to explain why the stuff was so “bad,” but even the best PR campaign wasn’t able to put out the fire.

And the death blow was delivered recently by Michelle Obama who declared any product with high-fructose corn syrup to be off-limits at the White House.

So now sugar — plain old white table sugar, the poor little guy that got displaced by HFCS, is being reinvented… this time as the “natural” healthy alternative to HFCS. Oh, brother. Let’s recap for a moment. Sugar is one part glucose and one part fructose (50/50). HFCS is very close to the same formula, marginally higher in fructose — 55% fructose, 45% glucose — but probably not enough to make that much difference (or at least that’s what the proponents of HFCS claim).

But the point is moot and the argument about which is “better” diverts our attention from the real problem, which is this: The more damaging half of this dastardly duo of glucose and fructose — regardless of whether it occurs in table sugar or HFCS — is clearly fructose.

Numerous studies have shown fructose raises insulin resistance, raises triglycerides in the bloodstream and contributes to fatty liver disease. Pure refined fructose is bad news, whether it comes from HFCS or from sugar. The big problem with HFCS is the fact that it’s so cheap and widely available that it’s now in products that were never sweetened before. And the fact that it’s so cheap means that manufacturers can use a ton of it, sweetening everything in sight.

The result is that we now consume more fructose than we ever did when manufacturers used plain old white sugar. Going back to “natural” (give me a break), white sugar accomplishes exactly nothing. Refined fructose is metabolic poison, and whether we get it from the old-fashioned sugar or the cheap and abundant HFCS matters not a whit. We’re eating too much of the stuff.

And lest there be any confusion, let me add that I’m quite aware that fructose is found naturally in fruits. But fructose in fruits — surrounded by fiber, vitamins, phytochemicals and other good stuff — is a very different “animal” than refined fructose — as different as an animal’s fur is from a fur coat in the store window. You don’t need to avoid fructose when it occurs (in small amounts) in whole foods. When it occurs in refined sweeteners — be they “natural” sugar or high-fructose corn syrup — run the other way.

Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of The Seven Supplements You Need Now. His new book, The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Energy Naturally is available now.

Thanks Jonny!  Good information and lots to think about!