A healthy diet can help to reduce your chances of experiencing health complications and will support the different systems throughout your body. However, several different life factors can impact your ability to prioritize a healthy diet and can lead to toxic eating habits. In recent times, people are looking more and more to the different aspects of their daily life that might be impacting the way they consume food. Today, we are going to break down some of the eating habits and trends that could further personalize and optimize your diet to best fit your health needs.
What is Emotional Eating and How Do We Curb Its Potential Negative Effects?
Recently, people have started to pay more attention to the connection between the way they feel and their appetite levels or inclination to eat. Emotional eating occurs when people allow how they are feeling to take control of the amount of food they are eating and how often. People who participate in emotional eating find consuming food as a way to soothe their emotions. This eating habit can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food and can cause a person to experience adverse symptoms such as digestive complications that bloating supplements and gut health enzymes can help but not solve.
Due to the rise in emotional eating, many people are finding ways to curb this unhealthy habit. The first step to curbing emotional eating is to understand your own personal triggers. A person can turn to emotional eating when they feel stressed, bored, tired, burnt out, and/or depressed. Identifying the emotions that cause you to turn to emotional eating will help you best understand how to break the cycle.
Keeping track of your appetite levels, your eating patterns, and your mood will help you to best identify any connections that might be present between your eating and your mood. Once this connection is identified, you must work to take control of these emotions in a healthier manner.
For example, if you turn to emotional eating when you are stressed, consider adding more stress-relieving activities throughout your day to minimize the chances of indulging in this coping mechanism. Consider journaling when strong emotions come up to rid yourself of these pent up feelings rather than turning to food.
Eliminating emotional eating from your routine can be challenging, but as long as you are finding ways to handle your emotions in a healthier way and can better understand your appetite levels, you are working in the right direction!
Why Women Are Prioritizing Nutrients for Period Health
Do you struggle with intense premenstrual symptoms (PMS)? Premenstrual symptoms can range from mild to intense and can impact a host of different aspects of one’s health from our gut health to our energy levels. In order to minimize the potential negative symptoms from menstruation, women have been incorporating certain ingredients known to help minimize premenstrual symptoms and to make periods less negatively impactful.
Cramps is one of the most common symptoms women experience during their menstrual cycle. Omega-3’s are one of the ingredients that can offer relief from painful cramps due to their anti-inflammatory properties. Omega-3’s also impact the way your uterine contracts which also holds impact over potential cramping. Fish and nut seed oils are examples of ingredients rich in omega-3’s.
Menstrual pain can go as far as impacting one’s lower back and legs. This pain can cause a disruption to daily life. Vitamin D is another essential nutrient that is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and in turn minimizes the impact of cramps. Salmon and sardines are two ingredients that are known for their high levels of vitamin D.
In addition to adding ingredients to one’s diet, people have also been eliminating certain foods/beverages from their diet to reduce negative menstrual symptoms. For example, caffeine is an ingredient that can actually further exacerbate menstrual symptoms rather than help them. Caffeine can cause jitters, restlessness, diarrhea, and can contribute to painful cramps. The caffeine causes your blood vessels to become smaller which makes your uterus contract leading to more cramps. Instead, consider drinking herbal teas in the morning that have anti-inflammatory properties.
The Transition To Pasture-Raised Meats and Eggs and How It Can Impact Your Health
As of late, more and more people have been transitioning to pasture-raised meats and eggs rather than their generic counterparts, but are there truly benefits to this substitution? Let’s break it down.
It is important to note that there is a difference between grass-fed and pasture-raised products. While grass-fed is definitely better than its more generic counterparts such as cage-free or caged animals, pasture-raised might beat them all in terms of its health properties.
Pasture-raised animals have to spend a significant amount of time on the land and uncaged. While they eat different ingredients that go beyond simply grass, the benefits of their freedom is what gives them the edge in terms of health benefits. Animals who are pasture-raised are known to have higher levels of nutritional value. Pasture-raised animals also eliminate the amount of pesticides that farmers need to use on the soil. Lastly, pasture-raised animals lead a happier life due to their freedom and environment. Their stress levels compared to other types of animals makes a significant difference on the taste and nutritional value of the animal.
While pasture-raised animals products are becoming more common in regular grocery stores, it can be hard to find products you trust in the grocery aisles. Purchasing animal products straight from their source is the most assured way to know how the animal was raised and its potential nutritional value. Shopping at farmer’s markets is a great way to connect directly with the farmer so that you are better able to understand where the food you are consuming is coming from.
The high vitamin levels that pasture-raised animals offer make it a clear winner for a healthy lifestyle. Consider adopting this eating trend to your routine to see if you notice a difference between your current routine and the new routine.