I Can Have This. Do I Want This?

Picture with delicious foods saying Ever notice how the foods you tell yourself you can't have are the same ones you feel you have no control around?

A mindset shift can lead to behavior change.

Acknowledge that you have the freedom to eat anything you want.

(Because… you do.🤷)
✳️ Unless you have an allergy!

Then, practice paying attention (✨mindfulness✨) and notice whether you really desire the food or not.

Once you give yourself full permission, over time, something shifts.

🌟Food loses its power over you.🌟

The mindset of “forbidden” foods can make you crave them more, leading to overeating, feeling out of control and becoming trapped in an unhealthy cycle of restriction and bingeing.

Telling yourself you cannot have it DOES.NOT.WORK. 🙅‍♀️

Instead, try these two steps:

Step 1: Allow all foods.

There are no good or bad foods. Yes, foods differ in their nutritional value, but any food can have a place in a balanced diet. We need to include foods that bring us vitamin P (pleasure!) and that truly leave us satisfied, along with those that are nutrient-dense. Once you realize that no food is off-limits, habituation eventually sets in and you won’t have such an intense response to those “forbidden” foods anymore.

Step 2: Ask yourself these 2 questions: “Do I really want this?” and “What quantity will make me feel good?”

Pause and check in with yourself, keeping your deepest intentions and values in mind. This self-awareness is crucial and helps you make a mindful decision, avoiding mindless eating. Sometimes you might really want it… and other times you might choose not to have it. But you might want it tomorrow. Once you realize it’s a choice and that you have complete freedom to decide, you’ll find you’re back in control. You’ll notice that you don’t actually want certain foods as often as you thought or you don’t need as much of them as you thought. You will lose the all or nothing mentality and you’ll learn to enjoy an amount that feels good with no guilt.

The key is a mindset shift– from restriction to freedom of choice. This can result in lasting, positive behavior change around eating.

It takes time and practice, but this approach can help you regain a healthy relationship with food.

You will get there.💗

April 1, 2025/0 Comments

Mindless Eating

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips, Uncategorized

😂 It’s not a bad idea.

But you don’t need a sign in your fridge–

Instead, get in the habit of asking yourself if you’re truly hungry every time you wander into the kitchen looking for a distraction.

🤔 Is grabbing something to eat really what you’re looking for?

🤔 Or is it just an urge that you can either sit with or deal with through an alternate action?

🥱 Can you eat when you’re feeling bored? Of course you can!
But make it a mindful, conscious decision that you feel good about.

🔑 The key to stopping any mindless behavior is mindfulness (aka paying attention).

Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot. It generates self-awareness and autonomy. You always have a choice. Insert a pause right before automatically reaching for food. This pause is what gives you the power to act or not act in response to your thoughts and feelings.

Mindfulness comes up a lot in nutrition counseling.

(Balance too!) 🙂

🥺 Many of my clients struggle with unwanted eating behaviors like grazing between meals when not hungry or eating after dinner out of habit.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with doing these things…

➡️ But for a lot of people, they don’t feel like they are in control, these habits are getting in the way of their health and/or weight loss goals– And that doesn’t feel good to them.

💫 When it comes to changing eating habits, introducing mindfulness is essential.

It is the first step towards behavior change.

👁️ All mindfulness really means is: PAYING ATTENTION.

Behavior changes can’t happen without this.

You can’t change what you’re not noticing.

⏸️ Pause before automatically reaching for food.

Check in with your body.
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Am I hungry? 🤔
What am I feeling right now? 🥱
Do I really want to eat this? 🤨
What sounds good to my body right now? 🧐
How much of it do I need to feel the way I want to feel? 🥰
If I’m not hungry, what is it that my body is calling for? 🤯

💫 You’re interrupting a habitual behavior by bringing in awareness and creating an opening for a different response.

The PAUSE is where mindfulness happens. 👀

And mindfulness is how change happens. 🪄

March 1, 2025/0 Comments

Should You Brush Your Teeth to Prevent Snacking?

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Tips

Is brushing your teeth after dinner to prevent eating more food later in the evening a good tactic?

It depends…

👍🏻 Yes if you struggle with mindless snacking and eating out of boredom when you truly are not physically hungry and truly do not want to eat at night but can’t seem to break the habit.
✅ Bonus tip: Floss too to really signal the end of eating for the day.

👎🏻 No if you are trying to fight real hunger signals from your body. Maybe you had a light day of eating or your dinner was small. Or hey, maybe you’re just hungry– hunger isn’t always consistent day to day. It’s okay to be hungry later at night and it’s okay to have something to eat if you need it! 💖

Personally, I’m in the habit of brushing my teeth shortly after dinner because I don’t typically get hungry later. BUT– there are days when, for whatever reason, I’m hungry. Rather than lie in bed feeling uncomfortable and unable to sleep, I’ll have a snack. And I’ll feel so much better! (And then I’ll brush my teeth again!)

February 15, 2025/0 Comments

Make Ramen into a Nutritious, Balanced Meal

Conscious Eating, Meals, Nutrition Info, Snacks, Tips

There are always ways to nutritionally improve any of your favorite foods– even ramen!

🍜 Tips to Making a Healthier, Balanced Ramen Noodle Soup:

🍤🫘 Add a protein source like chicken, tofu, tempeh, edamame, shrimp or hard boiled eggs. Consider black beans, chickpeas, lentils, cannellini beans or peas too– while these aren’t quite as high in protein, they still provide health promoting plant-based protein plus the benefits of fiber.

🥬🍄 Mix in some frozen spinach for antioxidants and additional vitamins, minerals and fiber. Thaw first by rinsing in a colander– or add it frozen to your hot soup to cool it quicker. Try cauliflower rice, peppers, mushrooms, carrots or mixed veggies for additional nutrients.

🥄🥜 Stir in a big spoonful of peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter for healthy fats and satiety– this makes your soup creamier and absolutely delicious.

🧂🤏 Use less of the seasoning packet if you’re looking to reduce sodium in your diet. Ramen seasonings vary in sodium content so check your label. If it’s got 20% or more of the recommended daily value it’s considered high-sodium. You can still use the whole packet; it’s just smart to be aware of how many high-sodium foods you’re eating over the course of your day.

🔎 👀 Read the ingredients to see what you’re getting. I like the Lotus brand that makes ramen from whole grains like brown rice, millet and buckwheat vs enriched wheat flour and oil, so you get a little more fiber…

🤫 They’re at Job Lot now for $1!

Remember: Protein, fat and fiber help keep you full longer. If satiety is a goal, add these to your carb-rich meals and snacks to turn down your hunger hormones.

December 15, 2024/0 Comments

How to Stop Overeating Sugar

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Sweets and Treats

If this is you, here’s my advice:

🍪 Stop telling yourself you can’t have something you really want. (You’ll only want it more!) What we resist persists. Give yourself full permission to eat it and it will lose its power over you. Food freedom and a healthy relationship with eating may take a little time but you will get there.

🍪 Make sure you nourish your body with nutritious, wholesome, satiating foods FIRST. It’s crucial that you take care of yourself with the right foods so you’ll be satisfied with a moderate portion of a treat AFTER. When you’re truly hungry, going for the cookies straight away is likely going to lead to overeating them and not feeling so great.

🍪 Examine your definition of the word healthy. Individual foods are not healthy or unhealthy. Not eating a cookie doesn’t make you healthy just as eating a cookie does not make you unhealthy. Health is about much more than what you eat. Look at the bigger picture and how that cookie fits into your diet and life as a whole.

🍪 Ask yourself if you really want them! Sometimes we tend to eat something just because it’s there. It will be there tomorrow too. Remind yourself of this. If you really want it, pause and ask yourself how much of it you need to feel satisfied. Make a mindful decision, enjoy your choice, feel good about it and carry on with your day.

If sugar feels addictive, there is usually something else going on: Read about it here.

You don’t need to eliminate every gram of sugar in your diet to reach your health goals, however there are guidelines for how much added sugar you should be eating: Check out it here.

December 1, 2024/0 Comments

Girl on yoga mat meditating. Maintaining a healthy body is a lifestyle, not a destination.

Will This Make Me Fat?

Conscious Eating, Meals, Nutrition Info, Tips

Answer: NONE of them! Read on for an explanation…

“Is ____________ fattening?”

Common question!
🤥 But– It’s a myth that an individual food is “fattening.”

Some foods contain more fat, carbohydrates or calories than others. Also, foods vary in nutritional value:

🥑🥜 A food high in fat (ex. avocado, nuts, peanut butter) can also contain beneficial nutrients making it a healthy addition to your diet. High-fat does not equal bad or fattening.

🍌🍠 A food high in carbs (ex. banana, sweet potato) can also contain beneficial nutrients making it a healthy addition to your diet. High-carb does not equal bad or fattening.

🍪 Some foods are more ultra-processed and have fewer beneficial nutrients (ex. cookies, brownies, ice-cream). These foods taste delicious and provide enjoyment! Lower-nutrient does not equal bad or fattening.

While it’s smart to be aware of where different types of foods fall on the nutrition spectrum, you can still incorporate ANY kind of food into your diet without it being “fattening.”

💫 Change your mindset from:
“Is it fattening?”
to…
“How does this food fit into my day of eating as a whole?” 💗

October 27, 2024/0 Comments

Image of emoji faces to help you connect what you're feeling with the message it's trying to give you.

Emotional Eating: The PAUSE

Conscious Eating, Tips

Feeling out of control with emotional eating? 😩

First of all, eating for emotional reasons is OK! 🤗

But for some people, it can become problematic because it becomes an automatic, unwanted response to feeling something uncomfortable.

There IS a way to break out of this!

Try this:

✨ Rather than feel something and immediately react with eating, take a moment to notice and name what you are feeling:

Ex) Sad, tired, bored, stressed.

✨ Identifying your emotion inserts a PAUSE between the trigger (the emotion) and the response (eating).

✨ Hitting the pause button gives you the space and the freedom to make a decision.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Maybe you want to eat– and that’s OK!

Ex) I’m sad. (PAUSE) I’m going to make a cup of tea and enjoy a few chocolates because that is exactly what I need right now.

👉🏻 Eating becomes a conscious choice that doesn’t leave you feeling out of control.

🤷🏻‍♂️ Or maybe you use the pause as an opportunity to choose an alternative action. After naming the feeling, ask yourself what it is trying to tell you.

Ex) I’m tired. (PAUSE) Putting my feet up on the couch for 15 minutes will help me feel better.

I’m bored. (PAUSE) Accomplishing a task on my household chore list will help me feel better.

I’m stressed. (PAUSE) Calling my best friend will help me feel better.

👉🏻 Identifying and naming what you are feeling gives you the chance to step away from it and make the decision that will help you feel better….

Maybe eating…. But maybe not.

September 11, 2024/0 Comments

Bento box with carrots, blueberries, cottage cheese, turkey, banana, wrap and lara bar.

Bento Box Cheat Sheet: Printable!

Conscious Eating, Meals, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

Lunch idea! 😃➡️ Make a BENTO BOX!

Bento Box with baby carrots, everything but the bagel cottage cheese, turkey slices, blueberries, banana, PB&J in sprouted grain wrap and a Lara Bar

Bento Box Cheat Sheet

Aim for variety & balance, not perfection:

🍎🥕🍍🥦 FRUIT AND/OR VEGGIE
(carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, jicama, cucumber, tomatoes, radish, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, pineapple, grapes, melon, mango, apple, orange, peach, plum, cherries, figs, dates, raisins, apricots)

🥚🥑🥜🧀 PROTEIN & FAT
(cheese, nuts/nut butters, tuna, chicken, turkey, tofu, tempeh, avocado, yogurt, cottage cheese, hard boiled egg, jerky, edamame)

🥪🍚🍿🫓 CARBOHYDRATE
(tortilla/wrap, whole-grain bread, popcorn, beans/bean salad, pasta/pasta salad, crackers, hummus, rice, potatoes, granola)

🍫🍪🍵 😁 ANYTHING ELSE THAT BRINGS YOU JOY!

Soooo many great possible combos…

Here are a few of my lunch boxes that I remembered to snap a photo of–

There is a bit of overlap. 😅 You’ll notice I have my go-tos :

Chicken, cheese, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, dried apricots, carrots, celery, Tahini Medjool Date Cookies & an apple:

Bento box with tahini medjool date cookies, turkey, cheese, macadamia nuts, carrots, celery, dried apricots and an apple.

Beef jerky, Laughing Cow Cheese, mixed nuts/seeds/coconut, apple, peanut butter, peppers, cucumbers & a couple of chocolates:

Turkey, Mary’s Gone Crackers, strawberries, tomatoes, carrots, celery & peanut butter:

Chomps meat stick, grapes, Babybel cheese, walnuts, wasabi almonds, Mary’s Gone Crackers, carrots, celery & peanut butter:

Tuna salad wrap, Babybel cheese, blueberries, blackberries, carrots, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts & dates:

Tempeh and guacamole in sprouted grain wrap, apple, carrots, cottage cheese, dried apricots & brazil nuts:

Cottage cheese, grapes, carrots, celery, apples, oranges, Crunchmasters crackers, peanut butter & a TRUBAR & banana that I had for an afternoon snack:

Peanut butter, jelly and arugula in whole grain tortilla, orange, grapes, carrots & Babybel cheese:

Once you know the basic combo of foods to include for balance, you can easily build yourself a tasty, nutritious bento box from foods you (hopefully) have in your kitchen. Most require little to no prep time.

Remember: Fruit/Veg, Protein/Fat, Carbohydrate & anything else you love that makes you look forward to lunchtime. 💗

Print your Bento Box Cheat Sheet here!

August 28, 2024/0 Comments

Vegan Food Ideas

Conscious Eating, Meals, Nutrition Info, Snacks, Tips, Vegan

Fun fact about me: I was vegan for over 12 years! 😲

It’s been more than 10 years now since I returned to being omnivorous, but I am supportive of anyone who chooses to follow a vegan diet and wants to learn how to do it in a healthy way. 💓

Here are a few important nutrients you want to ensure you are getting adequate amounts of in a vegan diet:

✔️ B12 (you will need a supplement)
✔️ Iron
✔️ Zinc
✔️ Omega-3 fatty acids
✔️ Protein
✔️ Calcium & D

You may wonder… What do vegans eat?

In a nutshell, anything not containing animal products. Vegans eat 100% plants!

Here are a few examples of some balanced, nutrient-rich vegan breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks:

👉🏻 Vegan does not necessarily equal healthier.

There are high-nutrient vegan diets as well as low-nutrient vegan diets. 😊

(Just like there are high-nutrient omnivore diets and low-nutrient omnivore diets.)

And just like with any way of eating…

✨Variety and balance are key!✨

August 3, 2024/0 Comments

Bowl of caramel popcorn with the question: Are you a food addict?

Food Addiction?

Conscious Eating, Motivation, Nutrition Info, Tips

Food addiction is a highly controversial topic.

Can you really be addicted to a specific food??
🤔🍰🍪🍫

🥨 Yes, food can FEEL addictive for many people.

It’s easy to believe food can be addictive because it actually can activate our ‘feel-good’ brain receptors…

🎵🐶🚲🌞 But so can many other pleasant things in life like:

Music, massage, exercise, being out in the sunlight and fresh air, looking at your dog or planning a fun weekend.

🤗 Food is actually supposed to make us feel good!

So why can it feel like an addiction?

➡️ Restriction and/or not allowing yourself to get pleasure from food. (aka Dieting!) 😵‍💫

Inadequate intake of carbohydrates, protein or fats can leave you with seriously intense food cravings.

Addictive behaviors like binges occur as a result of deprivation.

How to overcome these feelings of addiction?

🍴 Stay nourished. This means ensuring you are eating ADEQUATE calories, a VARIETY of calories and a BALANCE of calories. Have a registered dietitian review your diet. You may need to establish a new routine of eating and/or change the types of foods you’re eating.

🫤 Stop telling yourself you’re an addict. You’re only reinforcing your behavior when you take on a victim mentality. Instead, get curious. See yourself as someone who is learning how to eat in a healthier way. Look for the message and opportunity for change that’s behind your unwanted eating habits.

😍 Normalize instead of moralize. Normalize the food you feel addicted to. Fit that food right into your day of balanced eating. See that food as neutral and not ‘bad’. Allow it! Give yourself permission to get enjoyment from it. It may mean incorporating those chips into a balanced lunch or having that cookie as dessert after a balanced dinner. Work towards seeing the addictive food as just another food choice in your diet.

You CAN learn how to eat and enjoy the foods you feel addicted to in a way that you feel good about! 💞

June 3, 2024/0 Comments