We recently explored the emotional connection behind comfort food cravings. While these foods bring back happy memories, sometimes they can lead to overeating.

So, how can you break the cycle and eat less without feeling deprived? The answer might surprise you: breathing.

The Power of a Breath

Taking a mindful breath before you eat might seem insignificant, but it can have a profound impact on your relationship with food. Our nervous system has two key branches:

• Sympathetic (fight-or-flight): This is activated during stress, hindering digestion and overall well-being.
• Parasympathetic (rest-and-digest): This promotes relaxation and optimal digestion.

By taking deep breaths before eating, you activate the parasympathetic system, leading to several benefits:

• Reduced Cortisol: Deep breathing lowers stress hormones, potentially boosting metabolism and improving digestion.
• Relaxation and Focus: A few mindful breaths can promote...

 I like to eat. My favorite is pancakes. 

What's yours?

Let me ask you a question.

If there were no boundaries and you had only one food choice, what would you want to eat? 

I like pancakes. I like their sweet taste. They look like sunshine, smell like comfort, feel like mom is in the kitchen. Family. Memories. Love. Comfort. Safety.  

Now your turn. What's your favorite food and why?

Up to recently when I really started to examine what I eat and why my sweet tooth enjoyed (and still does) pancakes. And when I eat them, I feel immediately good. 

What food do you tend to lean towards when you want comfort? Why? How do you feel at that moment? What is it that you are actually really craving?

I know those are a lot of deep questions.

So let's break it down into a simple structure. When we do, you may find a simple (not easy) way to tackle your comfort cravings. 

The big Ah-ha for me...

Are you ready to dive into a crucial discussion about honoring hunger and fullness? At times, it's something we all need to address, especially when the holiday season rolls around, or life gets busier than usual. Let's explore why it's essential to pay attention to these physical signals and why treating your body like a "baby" can lead to healthier habits.

Before we delve into it, here's a quick reminder: if you find topics like this intriguing and wish to explore them further, consider joining our upcoming three-step system to prevent overeating, which is incredibly valuable during the holidays. Additionally, you might want to keep an eye on  "My Power Journal," currently available for pre-sale. Stay connected with us by subscribing to our newsletter at coachingbynada.com/newsletter. You'll receive updates about our training and exclusive offers.

Why Honor Hunger and Fullness

Now, let's talk about the concept of honoring hunger and fullness. It's a topic that...

In our fast-paced lives, we often rush through our meals, hardly taking a moment to savor the flavors and nourish our bodies. Enter "Fooditation," a mindful approach to eating that invites us to slow down, connect with our food on a deeper level, and truly appreciate the sensory experience of every bite. It's not just about what you eat but how you eat it, and it can bring a sense of tranquility and connection to even the busiest of schedules. So, let's explore the art of fooditation.

Fooditation: meditation + food

Benefits:

Fooditation offers a range of benefits, including improved digestion, portion control for weight management, and enhanced relaxation for stress reduction.

Creating the Right Environment:

Think about the environment you create when you eat. Are you dining by candlelight? Using your favorite china or tablecloth? Drinking from a crystal goblet? Your meal isn't just about the food; it's about the entire experience. When you eat, you're also...

Snacks are a common part of our daily lives, whether we're feeling bored, slightly hungry, or simply in need of a little something to chew on. However, when we're on vacation or trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, finding nutritious snack options can be a challenge. In this blog post, we'll explore some concise and practical choices for healthy snacks on the go, allowing you to enjoy your vacation while still feeling good about your food choices.

Step 1: Assess Your Vacation Style

Consider

1.1. the type of vacation you'll be embarking on—whether it's a road trip, a flight, or a cruise.

1.2. Determine the duration of your vacation and

1.3. the location you'll be visiting. Take note of nearby shops, grocery stores, fresh markets, and hotel options to help guide your snack choices.

Step 2: Scout What You Already Have

2.1. Before heading out, take stock of your pantry and gather items such as nuts, seeds, whole wheat or sweet potato crackers, dried fruit,...

How do we deal with comfort eating?

"I am stressed, I eat. I am stressed more, I eat more."

"I love sweets."

"When I eat, I can't stop."

Many of us are aware of the emotional eating struggle and the devastating health challenges it brings along with it. But we don't seem to be able to stop it. Why? 

Here's the problem, HABITS,  

Our urge to go to the refrigerator to find comfort foods that will make us feel better takes over. Why? Because that is what we have known for so long and is intimately familiar to our minds. It is habitual. You literally are addicted to this behavior loop. 

Then we end up paying the price for a brief moment of pleasure. Each of those moments accumulates into inevitable excess weight, inflammation, aches and pains, and disappointment in ourselves. 

Most of the time it isn't even about the food. It's about an emotion, a feeling we're trying to soothe WITH the food. 

And...

In this message, I share with you how to connect with source of emotional eating by doing this one thing.

Many of our habitual patterns, including eating, come from our childhood. In this blog post I shared how the smell of fried cabbage and pancakes remind me of mom standing in the kitchen on Saturday night while i am watching Chip and Dale to the rescue. It simply reminds me of my mom's love. So it's natural to my body, when I am stressed, to want fried and sweet food. 

Can you think of childhood memories connected with food experiences and accompanying emotions?

• Who was in the picture? It might be someone you care about, for example,  a family member. 
•  What was the food? Can you think of that foods sensual qualities: texture, smell, taste, color, temperature.?
• How old were you? It might be the 5 year old you or younger you.
• What was the emotion and feeling associated with it? Think about love, safety, care.
• How does it reflect...

There is a difference between QUALITY TIME and FOOD TIME with ourselves and loved ones.

We often collapse these two into one. Why is that? Why do we eat foods that we know are not healthy for us? Knowing that we still feel the impulse to do it. Then we feel guilty about it and a vicious cycle continues. It is so deeply ingrained in our psyche. It has become a tradition or memory that we feel emotionally connected to. 

What if it were true when we tap into the origin of 'comfort' foods, we could tap into how to change the patterns that don't serve us? What if this is the way out of old habits with unhealthy comfort foods and into a new and better definition of comfort, and food?

How did the whole thing with family traditions and food start? 

When was the first time you remember you felt connected with your family at the dinner table? 

A Vicious Cycle

I was 5. My mom was cooking cabbage.  I was watching Chip and Dale To The Rescue. Remember...

Nadya here, to help you decide whether or not it’s time for a cleanse.

 

Prefer to listen? Click here

The body is designed to be self-cleaning and to excrete toxins, but here’s the problem…. It can’t always handle the toxic overload present in today’s environment. Chemicals not excreted accumulate in our fat cells and cell membranes become internal toxins. These toxins corrode the body from the inside out, making it harder to lose weight, have more energy or feel good in your body.

Yeeech.

So what is a cleanse?

A cleanse is a gentle way of clearing excess toxins from the body so it can operate at it’s highest potential. Think of a cleanse as something that delivers an all access pass to boundless reserves of energy that you didn’t know you had! You’ll find that every part of your body works better simply by “switching on” your metabolism through cleansing.

My clients find that cleansing helps them:
...

I eat because I love. And I am a lazy cook.

I often get asked what and how I eat.  As I sat down to journal my reflection, allow me to share with you my current meal situation.

I start prepping my meal when I am about 30% hungry. 

To prep, I ask myself, how can I feed my body with love? What can I make to nourish my body? 

On days I feel a lack of energy, what can I make to lift my energy?

On days I feel down, what can I eat to feel good?

When I am tired, what can I eat to relax?

I make my meal accordingly.  I cook like I would feed someone I love. 

Hey, I am still on my way. I still sometimes struggle to give myself time to cook. I do not want to stand in the kitchen and cook!

So I prep.

I find the time on the weekend to pre-cook for the week. I prep the foods that may take time. On some weeks, I make brown rice, on some, red potatoes. I may even chop veggies and place them into Single serving containers. I am also not...