Release Stress, Stop Emotional Eating, Get on Your Way to Being Fit, Fab and Feeling Fantastic

Are you an emotional eater? Do you reach for the wrong foods in order to deal with emotional issues that confound you on a routine basis? Does your diet and weight loss plan always seem to get the kibosh when strong feelings are triggered in you as a result of general stress, life challenges or relationship problems? Emotional eating has a lot to do with stress and the body’s need to process and get rid of it in some way. If you’re facing troubled times, or even if your day has been especially full, busy and chaotic, the first thing you may want to do when you arrive home is eat candy, cookies, sweets or a high carb meal. However, what you ideally should be doing when stress levels rise and evoke an emotional reaction in you, is to find a way to relieve the stress that has built up in your body.

What happens when we’re stressed? Our muscles seize up. You may feel pain – aching shoulders, headache, back pain, or

hip discomfort. Our heart and breathing rates may increase. This is because the stress of our modernday world actually evokes a primal response in our nervous system that’s known as “fight or flight” – it’s a natural reaction and means of self-preservation in the face of danger. Your body is preparing itself to make a decision. Are you going to flee, or will you stay to fend off the perceived threat?

However, because we are in the modern-day world, where very few dangers actually exist compared to our past life in the wild… the actual opportunity to physically flee from or fend off stress will never materialize. So what we are left with is a build-up of stress hormones, and a lingering tension in our bodies that needs release.

How to release stress in the body so that you won’t be tempted to numb your emotions with high carb, high sugar snacking choices?

Do cardio. Just a half hour of cardio exercise 2 or 3 days per week is enough to rid your body of the stress that is causing your food cravings and emotional eating habit. Take a quick jog around the block a few times… join the gym and hit the stair master or take a spin class a few days a week. The feel-good endorphins will definitely help the body offload stress… and they also nourish the brain and nervous system.

Stretch. Yoga, Pilates, and even just basic stretches prove incredibly beneficial if you’re looking to decrease stress in the body and put an end to your emotional eating habit.

To test this in action, wait for a day when you feel like your stress levels are fairly high and you want to cram food in your face. Instead of eating, take 20 or 30 minutes for some slow, mindful stretching. When you’re finished, cool off with a drink of clean water. Then see if your hunger has calmed down enough to appreciate a healthier choice, such as a handful of nuts and a few pieces of celery. Share some affection with a family member, partner, or even your pet. Anything that helps the body to release soothing brain chemicals will be a good way to gently rid yourself of stress and relax the nervous system. Engage in mindful breathing. Taking slow, mindful breaths tones the cardiovascular system and takes the nervous system out of that undesirable fight-or-flight state. If you feel a food craving coming on as a result of something unpleasant occurring, try to cool off with some mindful breathing. You can add in a few stretches while you’re at it. Then, go back and see if you still have a strong urge to eat that unhealthy food that will ruin your diet! Take a short nap. Believe it or not, a nap may seem counterintuitive if you’re trying to control your food choices and get more exercise. But if you’re really short on sleep, or you’ve been facing an exceptional amount of stress for a prolonged period, a 15-minute power nap can do wonders for your wellbeing and might actually give you that second wind you need to get through your workout later on tonight.

Is Going Meatless Risky to Your Health?

Probably the most important thing you’ll want to know if you decide to increase your intake of plants and plantbased sources of protein, is first of all whether it’s safe.

Second of all, will what you eat that meets your nutritional requirements?

And third, you want to determine if going plantbased will help you lose weight and bring forth any other benefits to your body.

You might wander also if there is a risk to eating mostly or all plant-based meals. The short answer to this is yes, there can be, but there doesn’t have to be.

The main concern for people who eat vegetarian and vegan meals most or all of the time is that vitamin B12, iron, zinc and other trace minerals may need to be supplemented.

The following health risks can (but do not have to be) associated with vegan or vegetarian diets that don’t include any meat:

Anemia (low red blood cell count) - manifests as extreme fatigue, slow thinking, easily gets out of breath. Signs include pallor of the skin, and paler-thannormal gums, nail beds and inside of eyelids.

B vitamin deficiency - can manifest as digestive issues, insomnia, anxiety or depression or other mood related symptoms. Mouth sores can be a sign.

Hormone imbalance. Hormone imbalance can occur with or without plants being a main feature of one’s diet. Different foods, lifestyle and environmental factors impact hormone production. You might be too high in either estrogen or progesterone if you’re only eating plants.

Increase risk of birth defects in developing fetuses. Your OBGYN will recommend a high protein diet if you’re expecting. Vegetarian and vegan diets that do not supply proper nutrition can result in neurological anomalies, particularly during the first trimester which is when the spine, brain and nervous system form. If pregnant and eating plant based, speak with your doctor for guidance on how to approach nutrition during your pregnancy. Vegetarians can develop anemia which is shortage of red blood cells. This happens because of their failure to increase iron-rich foods in the absence of red meat, and accompany these foods with other foods that help facilitate the body’s absorption of iron and other minerals. Benefits of Going Meatless Some or All of the Time Plant-based eating has become more common over the last decade, and will likely continue growing in popularity as more people gain awareness of the numerous benefits of adding plants and reducing meat consumption in one’s daily diet.