January feels like it was a year ago and I’m wondering…can you even remember the intentions you made for 2020? Funny how we get so motivated the first of the year and how easily we can slide back into old behaviors. It might be time to check in with yourself as we transition into Spring. You might be thinking it’s time to “spring clean” your nutrition game and hopefully this post will give you some simple ways to get back on track with your eating and behaviors that impact food choices.
#1 AVOID ADDED SUGARS: Did you know you’re supposed to limited added sugars to 25 grams a day or less? It lurks in so many common foods we consume on the daily and the grams add up fast! Read your labels on packaged foods (ex. condiments, cereal, bread, yogurt, etc.) Also “healthy” beverages like kombucha can be loaded with added sugar. I wrote a whole post about added sugars if you need a refresh 😉
A tip I like to share is to try not to start your day off with something sweet because it will set you up for a day of craving more sweet foods. Even if it’s a few pumps of sugar free vanilla or stevia in your morning latte that sweet taste will have you craving more throughout the day. Sugar (glucose) raises blood sugar which triggers the pancreas to release insulin. When there is excess insulin in the blood fat burning is turned off and switches to fat storage mode. This will also cause increased sugar cravings and decreases satiety due to hormone imbalances.
#2 FILL UP ON FIBER: Fiber helps regulate blood sugars and increases satiety by slowing down the absorption of glucose. Filling up on fiber stretches the stomach and signals to your body to stop releasing the hunger hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin stimulates appetite, increases food intake and promotes fat storage. Aim for 25-35 grams of fiber/day from whole foods (NOT man-made fiber in packages goods ex. Fiber One bar). An easy way to think about it is to try and get 10 grams of fiber per meal.
#3 HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE: You’ve probably heard me say this before, but our bodies have a difficult time differentiating between hunger and dehydration. So you might feel hungry, but really it’s dehydration and you just need to drink more water. Every single cell, tissue, and organ in the body require water to function properly. Even mild dehydration can cause symptoms of fatigue and weakness. Here’s the goal: take your weight and divide it in half and that’s the minimum about of oz of water you should be consuming/day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs your water goal is 75-150 oz water/day. I aim to fill up my 40 oz Hydroflask at least 2 x day and also drink unsweetened tea and use water to make my smoothies (that all counts as well) Coffee, soda, and juice don’t count sorry 😉
#4 GET MORE SLEEP: Have you ever noticed how much you crave all.the.crap. after a poor night’s sleep?? Gimme all the donuts, sugary lattes, chips, etc. if I don’t get 7-8 hours of sleep. Poor sleep cause a disruption in hunger/satiety cues and increases hunger hormone production. Cravings are often for ultra processed highly palatable foods because your body is needing that immediate energy it can get from those foods. You also don’t have the energy to cook and put together pretty and balanced meals when sleep deprived…you just want something quick and dirty.
I wrote up my tips for better sleep here and try getting into bed 30 minutes before you usually do and push that up until you’re getting a solid 7+ hours of sleep.
#5 CUT OUT INFLAMMATORY FATS: These types of fats are found in man made industrial seed and vegetables oil and artificial trans fats. Omega-3 fats are amazing for health and found in fatty fish (salmon), walnuts, chia seeds, ground flaxseeds, cod liver oil. Omega 6’s have health benefits, but we don’t need them in large quantities in order to keep the omega 3:6 ratio in check. If our Omega 6 intake is too high compared to our Omega 3 intake over a long period of time can result in chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can lead to heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and many types of cancer.
Think Omega 3’s are anti-inflammatory and Omega 6’s pro-inflammatory. Ideally the ratio of Omega 6’s to Omega 3’s is 4:1 (or less!) but most people have a much higher ratio closer to 16:1..eeeek!
Read labels on all your packages food. Even foods that tout themselves as “healthy” AKA “skinny popcorn” can have these inflammatory fats lurking in them. Avoid peanut oil, cotton seed oil, safflower oil, corn oil, palm oil, canola oil, palm oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil. Also avoid anything hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Think about it this way…any fruit or nut you could press the oil out yourself is less processed and any small and hard nuts/seeds had to be made by processing. My “go-to” fats are avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, and I love myself some ghee.
xx, A
