Conscious Eating Archives - Be the Change Nutrition

Why You Don’t Need a Cheat Day

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

🚩 Needing a cheat day is a red flag that your diet isn’t working for you.

Otherwise, you wouldn’t feel the need to cheat on it. 🤯

When you’re satisfied with what you’re eating day-to-day, you’re much less likely to feel the need to overindulge. 😊

The big problem with cheat days:

They perpetuate a binge/restrict cycle & not a healthy relationship with food & eating.

‘Cheat’ implies you’re doing something bad or wrong.

You’re not cheating on anything. You’re just EATING.

Monday- Saturday:
🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day):
🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹

🍩 If you’re really craving a donut, eat one– Don’t wait for a cheat day and eat six. And then a whole pizza. 🍕 And then a pint of ice cream. 🍨 All because it’s your one day to eat whatever you want since you’re going to go back to restricting tomorrow. 😕

Tips:

💖 Switch from an all-or-nothing mindset to one of balance. I personally love the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time choose wholesome, nutrient-dense foods and 20% of the time allow yourself to enjoy other foods. Or maybe you feel more comfortable with 90/10 or 70/30. Do what feels right to YOU to support your physical and mental health.

💖 Drop the good/bad food mentality. Food has no moral value. You’re not a good person for eating “good” food and you’re not a bad person for eating “bad” food. See all foods as deserving a place in your diet if you enjoy them. Foods differ in their nutritional value, but it’s what your diet looks like as a whole that matters. Variety is a healthy thing for getting the wide range of nutrients you need plus the pleasure and satisfaction you crave.

💖 Build trust with your body and around food. It makes sense that you feel no control and want to binge on foods you restrict. The way to break this is to begin to allow them back into you diet. Knowing that you can have that chocolate again tomorrow or another time takes away the urgency to eat it all right now. Once you realize that you can have anything you want, those foods lose their allure and power.

💖 Figure out the reasons why your current diet feels limiting. Why do you feel you need a cheat day? Where can you fit in any favorite foods you’re avoiding?

Honor your cravings.

Enjoy food mindfully and with self-awareness.

And without guilt or shame.

Notice what feels good to your body and what doesn’t.

Give yourself permission to incorporate those cheat day foods sensibly into your diet!

If this sounds scary, but you want to get there… I can help you.

All👏🏻foods👏🏻can👏🏻fit!!

May 6, 2024/0 Comments

5 Reasons You’re Overeating

Conscious Eating, Meals, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

We all overeat sometimes.
And it’s OK! 👍🏼

BUT… If it’s happening over and over and you want to stop…

Then it only makes sense to look at ✨WHY✨ you’re overeating so you can make a change.

There are many reasons for overeating, but here are 5 that are biggies:

1. SKIPPING MEALS OR UNDEREATING AT MEALS. 🍎
Under-fueling/inadequate calorie intake will catch up with you, often resulting in overeating later. Plan ahead so you don’t miss meals and ensure you’re eating enough to satisfy you.

2. IMBALANCE OF MACROS AT MEALS. 🥗
Macros (=macronutrients) are carbs/protein/fat.
No, you don’t need to count them, but if you’re lacking any one of them, you may find yourself overcompensating later. Strive for balance and variety.

3. YOU’RE TIRED. 🥱
When you’re sleep deprived, food can be seen as a quick energy source. It’s easy to overeat when what you really need is to rest.

4. WAITING TOO LONG TO EAT BETWEEN MEALS. 🕒
Not everyone needs a snack between meals, but if you’re ravenous when it comes time for lunch or dinner and end up overeating, you might find having a snack in between helps.

5. EATING WHILE DISTRACTED. (phone, TV, etc) 📺
If your overeating correlates with scrolling on your phone, playing on your computer or watching a show, then try putting the screens away and paying more attention to your food when you eat.

🫢 Surprised that I didn’t mention lack of willpower?
Overeating typically has nothing to do with willpower.
Telling yourself you have no control is disempowering.
Get curious about other potential reasons and make changes!

April 23, 2024/0 Comments

Meal Idea: Breakfast for Dinner

Conscious Eating, Meals, Nutrition Info

🥚 Do you love eggs but have a time crunch in the morning that prevents you from eating them for breakfast?

👉🏻 Enjoy them at dinner!

Eggs are a ✨nutrient-rich✨ food to include in a healthy diet.

An average egg contains ~6g of protein. So if they are your main protein source at a meal, you may want to eat 2-3 (depending on what else is in your meal).

💡 Ideas for making eggs into a balanced meal:

🍳 Cook an omelet, scramble them or fry ‘em up. (This is your protein & fat)
🍞 Pop some whole grain bread in the toaster or make home fries. (Carbs with fiber)
🍍 Whip up a fruit salad or green smoothie to round it out with colorful produce. (Micronutrients and fiber)

😋 Or try my favorite:
2-Egg Banana Pancake Roll-Ups!
🥚🥚🍌
https://btcnutrition.com/2-egg-banana-pancake-roll-ups/

🥰 And the answer is YES– the yolk IS nutritious and delicious so please eat that too! Almost half of the protein is found in the yolk, not to mention important nutrients like choline as well as fat-soluble vitamins A ,D ,E & K.

April 6, 2024/0 Comments

Build a Balanced Bowl

Conscious Eating, Meals, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

✨Create a delicious, balanced bowl in 4 easy steps.✨

These bowls give you an ideal balance of carbs, protein, fat and fiber to stay full.

They’re a perfect way to get a wide range of micronutrients (vitamins & minerals).

Memorize this template and you’ll be able to put together dozens of different meals!

Pick one carbohydrate source or combine 2 or more.

Rice + beans pair well as do quinoa + winter squash.

Aim for a variety of veggies over the course of the week.

Steam, oven-roast, grill or saute them.

Frozen are fine too- microwave or steam & they’re ready in just minutes.

If you’re looking for a vegan meal, choose one from the bottom 3 and keep in mind that many of the carbohydrate sources like lentils, beans, quinoa and some pastas are actually pretty decent sources of protein… so mixing and matching these can meet your protein needs.

Flavorful sauces & crunchy, salty, sweet and spicy toppings will boost the nutritional value as well as keep your food interesting.

🍠🥦🍗🥑🍚🥬🍄🧄🍤🥜

There you have it: Pick a carbohydrate, protein, veggies and fat/flavor!

✨Get creative and discover the combos you find the most satisfying.✨

March 14, 2024/0 Comments

Emotional Eating

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Tips

Emotional eating is not bad or wrong! 🤗 It’s normal and OK.

Your body is sending you a message that something is going on.

It’s OK to have this as an option.

🚩 But there can be negative consequences if food is your one and only way to respond to your emotions.

➡️ If you want to break “emotional eating” you need to practice the PAUSE.

This pause between the stimulus (emotion) and response (eating) is where you’ll find your freedom to choose:

1. Notice what you are feeling. Identify it. Feel it. 😟

2. Take a few deep breaths and PAUSE. ⏸️

3. Think about what you need right now and CHOOSE your response. 🤔

❣️ Maybe you choose to just feel whatever you’re feeling, knowing that it will pass.

❣️ Maybe you choose to turn to food. Here’s how: Be intentional about what you want to eat. Put an amount that you feel will satisfy you on a plate or in a bowl, sit down with it and slowly enjoy it, allowing it to soothe you. This is completely the opposite of mindlessly grabbing a bag or box of whatever and zoning out in front of the TV. Instead, it becomes a conscious choice.

❣️Maybe you decide that food isn’t going to help you feel better so you choose an alternative response. This is where knowing what you like to do and having a list of options comes in handy.

🌟 A lot of people identify as “emotional eaters” when in fact, they haven’t eaten enough or the right types of foods earlier in the day. So, when stress arises and the urge to eat hits, it’s easy to believe that it’s because of the emotion…. When it’s really got more to do with undernourishment.

💗 At Be the Change Nutrition, I help you untangle your unwanted eating behaviors and come up with a strategy to change them and get you feeling back in control of food again. 💗

February 29, 2024/0 Comments

Just Eat It: A Book Review

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

I love reading about the science of how food affects our bodies AND anything having to do with the psychological aspects of eating.

The two are definitely intertwined.

Having an understanding of each is crucial to being a dietitian in private practice working with people looking to manage everything from diabetes to digestive distress to disordered eating. This book perfectly combines food science with intuitive eating and it’s absolutely packed with tons of important information and practical tips.

👍🏻👍🏻 Two thumbs up for Just Eat It by Laura Thomas, PhD.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to get off the dieting roller coaster, stop obsessing over food and figure out how to just eat normally again. If you struggle with a poor body image or orthorexia (an unhealthy preoccupation with healthy eating) this is a must read.

Just Eat It explains how the messages we’re exposed to about food and our bodies can cause disordered eating habits and a negative body image. There are reasons why our relationship with food is so unhealthy and why so many people hate their bodies and stress over everything they’re eating. It’s basically been taught to us.

It’s something we’ve learned and now it’s something we have to unlearn.

You will not find any meal plans or diet dos & don’ts in this book. 😮‍💨

Just Eat It emphasizes the importance of self-compassion and mindfulness– Along with how to work at these things to help you go from disordered eating to intuitive eating and feeling good about yourself.

You’ll read about giving yourself permission to eat (and addressing all the fears that come with that). You’ll learn the steps to take to help you trust your body to guide you towards what, when and how much to eat.

She explains how by taking foods off a pedestal they lose a lot of their allure. When you stop restricting them, they actually become less exciting and tempting. A few more valuable things you’ll learn are: The biology of how fullness & satiety work, how to tune in to your body cues & feel your fullness, how to pay attention to the way different foods make you feel, how hunger hormones work and how to differentiate between emotional & physical hunger. You’ll find out how to deal with your (irrational) inner food critic and rewire your brain. She also debunks several nutrition myths that may be preventing you from properly nourishing yourself.

I loved this book so much because it aligns with a lot of what I work on with my clients at Be the Change Nutrition. Yes, we talk about food, but creating a healthy relationship with food & your body involves so much more and that’s what you’ll find in this book.

If you’re not living your happiest, healthiest life because of your food and body issues…

🍩Just Read It! 🍩

February 20, 2024/0 Comments

Hunger Scale (printable!)

BTC Office, Conscious Eating, Meals, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

Years of dieting can cause a disconnection from your internal signals.

A Hunger Scale is a tool to help you connect to your hunger & satiety cues.

It’s a way to increase awareness, which is the first step towards behavior change.

3 Ways a Hunger Scale can be helpful:

1️⃣ Do you go too long without eating, often finding yourself at a 0-2?

Use it to check in with your body earlier to notice signs that you need to eat.

2️⃣ Do you tend to overeat to the point of feeling uncomfortable (8-10)?

Use it to check in with your body while you are eating to learn when you’ve had enough.

3️⃣ Do you find yourself mindlessly reaching for food between meals?

Use it as a pause button to check in with your body & identify what’s triggering the urge to eat.

The scale can help you decide if you need food or if you are actually comfortable and could respond differently.

Aim to stay within 3-7 most of the time.

That being said, there are going to be times when you may need or want to eat when you aren’t hungry and that’s ok.

There are going to be times when you eat beyond a 7 and that is ok too.

There are many factors involved besides hunger/fullness when it comes to eating.

Look at it as a tool to get curious & gain insight into your habits and behaviors.

At first you may not know how your body feels or what it needs.

Practice and it will get easier and easier.

💗 Reconnect with your body and eat for the way you want to feel!💗

Print your FREE Hunger Scale here!

November 29, 2023/0 Comments

Wait 15 Minutes

Conscious Eating, Meals, Motivation, Snacks, Tips

Is this you? 👇🏻

You’re hungry.

You enjoy a delicious dinner.

You finish your plate.

You refill your plate with more food.

You’re FULL.

You wonder why you ate so much…

AGAIN. 🙄

Let me introduce you to a little tip that can help.

Doesn’t it feel nice when you eat just the right amount of food?

When you reach that point where you’re no longer hungry, yet you’re not uncomfortably overfull.

It’s easier said than done.

Most of us have eyes bigger than our stomachs.

Let’s face it, food is delicious and brings us great pleasure.

We are extremely fortunate to have access to such abundance.

But the problem with this is:

Our waistlines are expanding and we have astronomically high rates of diet-related diseases because of overeating.

The key is to be able to enjoy enough food to satisfy without going overboard. ⚖️ (Balance!)

This is not easy for most people, but with some appetite awareness and mindful practice it can be an achievable goal.

Check out this study where subjects were given snacks in either a small portion or a much larger portion size.

The snacks included chocolate, apple pie and potato chips.

These are all very tasty foods that are also easy to overeat.

We’ve all been there!

Something to think about, hmmm? 🤔

Each group ate their snack and then waited 15 minutes. ⏰

✨There is a delay of about 15-20 minutes for your brain to register that your body has had enough.✨

➡️This is good to know because if you are aware of this you can consciously decide to stop eating before it’s too late.

We all know that feeling of wanting to continue eating, thinking we need more, or maybe simply just wanting more, only to realize later that we overdid it and should have stopped eating much earlier.

✨We can feel satisfied after eating less food than we think we need.✨

👉🏻 Chances are good that by then your stomach will have sent the signal to your brain that it’s had plenty & the desire for eating more will have faded.

✨You may be surprised to learn that you didn’t need as much as you thought you did.✨

You can also try this if you tend to over-snack in between meals!

Consciously decide to have a smaller snack than you normally would.

Give yourself 15-20 minutes to begin to digest and metabolize your food.

Then reassess your need for more food. 🤔

Be patient with yourself because like learning anything else new, this takes practice.

You’re essentially trying to change a habit (overeating) and that’s not easy to do.

You might find it tremendously hard to stop eating until you get that too-full feeling if that’s what your body is used to experiencing.

But each time that you are able to eat a little bit less, you are reinforcing the fact that you really do not need such large quantities of food to feel satisfied. You will gain confidence. It WILL become easier and easier with each success you have. 💪🏻

We never repent of having eaten too little. – Thomas Jefferson

November 13, 2023/0 Comments

The Square Breath

Conscious Eating, Tips

“The world may feel like it’s spinning out of control, but you don’t have to. Anchor into your breath. Slow your pace so that you can remain clear.” -Hania Khuri-Trapper

Life has a way of showing us when we need to SLOW DOWN. 🐌

🚩Anxiety, overwhelm, fatigue and feeling chronically stressed are often signs that we’re doing more than is healthy for us.

And for many people, these signs trigger a response of STRESS EATING. 😱

STRESS EATING is a symptom.

It’s a coping mechanism.

It’s there with a message.

🤔Could it be reminding you to SLOW DOWN?

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.”

-Pico Iyer

There are many different breathing exercises designed to help you change your state of mind through your breath,

…and the Square Breath is my favorite! 🥰

It’s simple, easy to remember & it really works.

It takes literally 16 seconds!

Repeat it as often as you need to.

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

💗 Breathe in for 4

💗 Hold for 4

💗 Breathe out for 4

💗 Hold for 4

💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

Other ways to slow down in a busy world:

🪟🐦 Look out the window for a few minutes.

🙆🏻‍♂️🧍🏻‍♀️Stand up and stretch.

📖 Read a few pages of a good book.

🎶 Play a favorite song and just listen.

🍵 Make a cup of tea.

⏸️ Basically… Find a way to hit the PAUSE button in life.

No matter what life brings your way, whatever happens that you cannot control…

➡️You always have control over your response.

SLOW DOWN. BREATHE.

October 18, 2023/0 Comments

Free Printable Food and Wellness Journal Sheet

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

The first step towards change is 👀AWARENESS 👀of your behaviors.

✨You need to know and understand your habits in order to form new ones.✨

Keeping a wellness journal like this for a few days (or longer) can give you valuable information.

Journaling makes you MINDFUL of everything you’re eating & drinking, how you’re sleeping, your movement and your mood.

All of these are interconnected and contribute to your health. 🍴💧💤🏃🏻‍♀️😬☺️

Reflect after a few days.

Are your meals and snacks balanced? 🍗🍠🥦🥑

How are your moods and energy levels and how do they affect your eating? 😢🙂🤪

Same with sleep. 🥱

What kind of activity are you doing to move your body? 🏌🏻‍♂️🤾🏻‍♂️🚴🏻🏋🏻

Are you eating fruits and vegetables daily? 🍎🍌🥗🥕

How much added sugar are you consuming? 🍭🍫🍰🍦

Do you find yourself reaching for food when you’re not even hungry? 🧐

You will notice what’s going well 😀along with what you’re not happy with. 🙈

I’ve also included space for setting personal goals for your day & remembering something you have to be thankful for.🙏🏻

There is also room for acknowledging an accomplishment, identifying something you want to improve upon and brainstorming ideas for what you want to eat tomorrow.

And don’t forget, your dietitian is always here to help you in your wellness journey.

💗💗💗💗💗

Print your free Food and Wellness Journal sheet here!

October 9, 2023/0 Comments

Why You Don’t Need a Cheat Day

When you’re satisfied with what you’re eating day-to-day, you’re much less likely to feel the need to overindulge. 😊

Monday- Saturday:
🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day):
🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹

Tips:

All👏🏻foods👏🏻can👏🏻fit!!

5 Reasons You’re Overeating

Meal Idea: Breakfast for Dinner

Build a Balanced Bowl

Emotional Eating

Just Eat It: A Book Review

If you’re not living your happiest, healthiest life because of your food and body issues…

🍩Just Read It! 🍩

Hunger Scale (printable!)

3 Ways a Hunger Scale can be helpful:

Wait 15 Minutes

We never repent of having eaten too little. – Thomas Jefferson

The Square Breath

“The world may feel like it’s spinning out of control, but you don’t have to. Anchor into your breath. Slow your pace so that you can remain clear.” -Hania Khuri-Trapper

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.”

-Pico Iyer

Free Printable Food and Wellness Journal Sheet

Contact BTC Nutrition

Covered by Insurance?

Join Me on Social Media!

Social

When you’re satisfied with what you’re eating day-to-day, you’re much less likely to feel the need to overindulge. 😊

Monday- Saturday: 🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day): 🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹

Tips:

All👏🏻foods👏🏻can👏🏻fit!!

If you’re not living your happiest, healthiest life because of your food and body issues…

🍩Just Read It! 🍩

3 Ways a Hunger Scale can be helpful:

We never repent of having eaten too little. – Thomas Jefferson

“The world may feel like it’s spinning out of control, but you don’t have to. Anchor into your breath. Slow your pace so that you can remain clear.” -Hania Khuri-Trapper

“In an age of speed, I began to think, nothing could be more invigorating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing can feel more luxurious than paying attention.”

-Pico Iyer

Contact BTC Nutrition

Covered by Insurance?

Join Me on Social Media!

Social

Monday- Saturday:
🥗🍋🥦🍎🥚🍓🥒🫑🥬🥕🍵

Sunday (cheat day):
🍕🍔🍟🌭🍩🍰🍦🧁🍭🍺🍷🍹