The comforting food and drink rituals we began when the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down in March have set in as bad habits that leave many of us tired, bloated and unhappy. Now we’re heading into a school year that presents the impossible juggling act of educating our children while trying to get our own work done.
This is the perfect time to pause and think about the foods we put into our bodies and how they make us feel. With everything else upside down and backwards, why not make a New Year’s resolution in August? Here’s some advice from a registered dietician, a health coach and lifestyle coach to help focus on self-care.
Make a plan
Jendy Newman is a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. She’s noticed a mix of responses to the pandemic stay-home orders. Some of her patients are eating healthier. They aren’t going out to restaurants, and they’re avoiding unhealthful impulse buys at the grocery store because they’re ordering online. But Newman has also noticed that being home all the time has made some people lazier as they increase their screen time, snack more and exercise less.
To change unhealthy habits, she recommends several steps.
First, focus on why you want to change the habit. Do you want to lose weight, feel better or lower your blood pressure? Then pick some concrete specific strategies that are doable. Pick something you can do now and then advance the next week. Small gains feel good and make it likely you’ll stay focused on your health goal. For example, set a goal of not snacking after 7 p.m.
Enlisting the support of people in your household is important. Newman recommends talking to the people in your home about your diet changes. Ask them to do things to support you like taking the bags of chips and putting them in the cupboard or moving the ice cream to the back of the freezer. Remind them not to offer you food or drink that you are avoiding. Don’t expect perfection, she cautioned. Resetting your eating habits may take some trial and error. Just focus on shifting in a healthful direction, Newman said.
Take time to plan and prep food for the week, she said. “Planning meals when you’re tired doesn’t go well.”
This doesn’t have to be an elaborate process. It should only take five to 10 minutes a week to figure out three things you’d like to eat for breakfast, three things for lunch and three things for dinner.
Focus on meals that have a healthy protein, produce and whole grains. Eliminate processed foods that are high in sugar and salt. Use curry mix, herbs and spices to add flavor and nutrients to your meals. Spices have plant phytochemicals that are believed to have health benefits. For example, curry mix has turmeric, which is an anti-inflammatory.
This is the perfect time to start a healthier diet, Newman said. “It’s good to get started while the produce is enticing.”
Focus on digestion
Rebekah Trigg started her company, Health Coach By Beka, three years ago. She’s also the co-owner of Funky Fresh Juice Co. Trigg received certificates from the Health Coach Institute and studied at Andrea Nakayama’s Functional Nutrition Lab. Functional nutrition considers every aspect of one’s health, diet and overall lifestyle to give nutritional advice that fits the individual.
She offers one-on-one coaching and a group cleanse several times a year. She recently led a 21-day cleanse with 10 of her clients. Most people seek Trigg’s help with digestive problems. People experience digestion problems for many reasons, Trigg said, with stress, irritants and allergies among the most common.
One of the things Trigg explores with clients is how they’re eating. Are they chewing their food? Are they eating while stressed out? These factors affect the four stages of digestion. The first stage, called the cephalic phase, occurs before food enters the body.
“The senses trigger the brain, which triggers the body to prepare for food,” Trigg said.
Trigg counsels clients to rest and digest during this early stage of digestion to help the body consume food. Use all of the senses to prepare for digestion by getting into a mode of appreciation for what you’re about to eat. Conscious breathing, singing, smelling the food, taking in the colors of the food, and showing appreciation by blessing it or writing positive aspects of the meal in a journal are all ways to optimize digestion.
Trigg recently ate a grapefruit over the kitchen sink using her hands and recalls enjoying the feeling of it on her fingers.
“I think one of the worst things is to criticize ourselves about what we’re eating while we’re eating it,” she said.
Her 21-day cleanse is based on eliminating common irritants such as gluten, dairy, alcohol and caffeine and focusing on eating whole foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains and plant-based proteins. Trigg permits cleanse participants to eat chicken and fish.
“People don’t have to be vegan to be healthy,” she said.
She has found that cutting out certain things has greatly benefited her clients. The first thing to eliminate are non-water drinks. This includes sugary beverages and fake-sugar beverages.
“Splenda is not the solution,” she said.
In addition, eliminate anything packaged or processed in favor of fresh, plant-based foods. Most people who come to her with digestive issues feel better after they eliminate gluten, she said. This is difficult for many people, but her clients who make this dietary change often see amazing results in a short period of time, usually three days.
Other changes she recommends: stay hydrated, get enough sleep and manage stress.
“Drink half your body weight in ounces each day,” she said. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water per day.
She recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Have a regular bed time and wake-up time, at least Monday through Friday, she said.
Stress is a more complex issue. It requires addressing your mindset and emotions — a tricky thing during a time where many are feeling stressed out.
“Stress is the worst thing going on for people’s health, especially now,” Trigg said. “You can eat good foods and be stressed and you won’t feel good.”
Trigg says to start by identifying your most obvious stressors. Some commons triggers are the commute to work or taking on too many tasks or an unhealthy relationship.
Focus on media consumption, including social media, and see how it affects your mood. Sometimes watching news or looking at social media at the beginning of the day can affect your mood for the entire day. Looking at these things at night can affect sleep.
Exercise is an essential tool for combating stress, she said.
“Movement plays a role in hormone balance, mood, sleep, healthy neural pathways and emotional regulation, among many other benefits,” she said.
Trigg also helps clients with their mindset by urging them to focus on their thoughts and the messages they are giving themselves.
“Are we kind and loving to ourself internally or constantly critiquing? I help people shift this conversation in their mind to balance more positivity,” Trigg said.
Intentional joy
Daron Deonier, aka Barre Foodie, has helped people reach their health goals for the past five years as general manager and fitness instructor at Pure Barre, through her cooking segments on KGW, recipes on social media, and currently as a personal stylist and image consultant at The Difference, a boutique in downtown Vancouver.
She believes that feeling good is part of a whole lifestyle. She advocates self-nurturing by eating a healthful diet and getting exercise, in addition to wearing clothes that make you feel good and surrounding yourself with things that elevate your mood.
When helping clients change their diets, she advises them to refocus from the idea of “I can’t have that” to “I choose to have this.”
In addition, switching from processed foods to whole foods creates a closer body-mind connection.
“The body starts to tell you what it wants once you get away from processed food,” she said. Her focus isn’t on deprivation, but on enjoying the sensual nature of eating.
To create a fulfilling eating experience, she suggests preparing food with intention. Make a salad with lots of colors and textures, and then arrange it on a plate in a visually pleasing manner.
“Create your own layers of special,” she said, by putting flowers on the table.
Play in your closet and find clothing that makes you feel good and wear them to dinner.
“Color is powerful,” she said.
Set aside the black leggings and gray T-shirt in favor of happy colors to lift your spirits.
If you’re eating alone, connect with others by sharing your recipes or food photos online.
“Joy is contagious,” Deonier said. “Put more good energy out there and there will be an impact.”
Deonier also believes in setting your intention for the day by meditating in the morning.
“Can you imagine driving your car in a foreign country without a new map? Why start your day without finding direction?” she said.
