Articles
Emotional Eating
We don’t always eat just to satisfy physical hunger. Many of us also turn to food for comfort, stress relief, or to reward ourselves. When we do, we tend to reach for junk food, sweets, and other comforting, but unhealthy foods. You might reach for a tub of ice cream when you’re feeling down, order a pizza if you’re bored or lonely, or swing by the drive-through after a stressful day at work. Emotional eating is the use of food to make yourself feel better or to fill your emotional needs rather than your stomach. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems. In fact, it usually makes you feel worse. Afterward, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for overeating. Occasionally using food as a pick-me-up, a reward, or to celebrate isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when eating is your primary emotional coping mechanism, that’s a bad sign. You get stuck in an unhealthy cycle where the real feeling or problem is never addressed. Emotional hunger can’t be filled with food. Eating may feel good now, but the feelings that triggered eating are still there. And you often feel worse than you did before because of the unnecessary calories you’ve just consumed. Compounding the problem, you stop learning healthier ways to deal with your emotions, you have a harder and harder time controlling your weight, and you feel increasingly powerless over both food and your feelings. No matter how powerless you feel over food and your feelings, it is possible to make a positive change. You can learn healthier ways to deal with your emotions, avoid triggers, conquer cravings, and finally put a stop to emotional eating. To stop emotional eating, you must find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, although that’s a huge first step. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment. Alternative Coping Mechanisms: Once you’ve identified the triggers, it’s essential to replace emotional eating with healthier coping mechanisms. Activities like exercising, meditating, journaling, or talking to a friend can help redirect your focus and alleviate emotional distress. Find activities that bring you joy and provide an outlet for your emotions, allowing you to break free from the reliance on food for comfort. Mindful Eating: Practicing mindful eating is another effective strategy to break the cycle. When you eat, pay attention to the physical sensations, taste, and texture of the food. Slow down, savor each bite, and listen to your body’s cues of hunger and fullness. By being present in the moment, you can differentiate between genuine hunger and emotional cravings, helping you make healthier choices. Building a Support System: Surrounding yourself with a supportive network can make a significant difference in breaking the cycle of emotional eating. Seek out friends, family, or support groups who can provide encouragement, accountability, and guidance during challenging times. Sharing your journey with others who understand and empathize can empower you to overcome emotional eating habits. Seeking Professional Help: In some cases, emotional eating may be deeply rooted in underlying emotional or psychological issues. Seeking professional help, such as therapy or counseling, can provide valuable insights and strategies for addressing the root causes of emotional eating. A trained professional can guide you through the process of breaking the cycle and developing healthier coping mechanisms. Combining these 4 strategies will help you not only heal any psychological issues you may suffer from, but also heal your relationship with food. You can even indulge in your favorite foods and feel full on much less. It takes time for the body’s fullness signal to reach your brain, so taking a few moments to consider how you feel after each bite—hungry or satiated—can help you avoid overeating.
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Benefits of low-impact exercise
Many low-impact exercises offer the benefits of high-intensity workouts but are far easier on the body and generally don’t require special equipment beyond a good pair of shoes and comfortable workout clothes. Low-impact exercises include swimming, yoga, pilates, dancing, bicycling, and even some types of strength training. THE ADVANTAGES OF LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE ARE CLEAR Weight control Some people think only high-impact exercises will burn calories. In fact, low-impact workouts can be just as efficient. Reduced chance of injury Low-impact exercise puts less stress on your joints and muscles. Activities like swimming, for example, are often suggested to people trying to rebuild their strength after an injury. Improved flexibility Many low-impact exercises enhance flexibility, which helps to reduce stiffness and muscle pulls. Workouts involving yoga, swimming, and Pilates help strengthen your core and improve flexibility. Allow you to be more active Typical exercise programs encourage you to balance intense workouts with “active rest” days that allow your body to recover. Low-impact exercises put less stress on your body, reducing the need for rest days. You can remain consistently active. Mental health benefits Studies show that something as simple as walking for just one hour every day decreases the rate of depression, boosts your mood, gives you energy, and helps reduce anxiety. TYPES OF LOW-IMPACT EXERCISE Exercise walking The goal is to walk fast enough to elevate the heart rate and gently work the muscles. It can be done outdoors, on a treadmill, or in a shopping mall. Elliptical trainer or step machine These machines simulate the movements of jogging, running, and walking upstairs without the wear and tear to the body, providing aerobic benefits without the pain. Stationary bicycling. A stationary bike mimics the pedaling motion of a bicycle, providing aerobic exercise without the jostling impact of riding on uneven ground. You use a stationary bike as part of a spinning class or at home. Swimming and water aerobics. Exercising in the water combines added resistance and natural buoyancy to provide aerobic exercise with minimal impact on the spine. As Jim Rohn once said “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live”.
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Candida 101
Candida albicans is a yeast/fungus that is found in all of our digestive systems. When kept in balance with our good bacteria, Candida doesn’t cause any problems. But Candida is “opportunistic” – which means, given the opportunity, it can, and will, grow out of control. When we have an overabundance of this yeast in our bodies we can develop issues. There are many strains, with Candida albicans being the most common. What causes Candida to grow out of control? It can start with just one course of antibiotics. Antibiotics wipe out bacteria both the good and bad. When our good bacteria levels are down, this can set up the perfect environment for Candida to take over. That is why it is absolutely essential to rebuild your good bacteria after a course of antibiotics. If you have had multiple courses of antibiotics, without replenishing with a high quality probiotic – the likelihood of you having a Candida overgrowth is quite high. Other things that contribute to Candida overgrowth include: • A high sugar diet: in order to survive, yeasts need sugar. So high sugar diets feed yeasts. That is why many people find relief from many issues from ketogenic diets (higher fat, low carb) – they literally starve the yeasts. • Antibiotics – in addition to taking antibiotics for infections, we are exposed to antibiotics in our food supply – when we eat animal products that have been treated with antibiotics, it could be affecting our gut bacteria balance. • GMOs/Pesticides – did you know that Roundup (the top pesticide used on our food and environment) was patented as an antibiotic before it found it’s purpose as a pesticide? So when we eat foods treated with Roundup – it could be affecting our bacteria balance. The top foods treated with Roundup are soy, corn, and wheat – see a pattern here? These are some of the top foods people are reacting to. • Medications – many medications can impact our gut bacterial balance including birth control pills, NSAIDs, and many others. COULD YOU HAVE CANDIDA? • Digestive issues – such as bloating, “beer belly”, constipation and/or diarrhoea • Toenail fungus • White coating on tongue • Hormone imbalances • Autoimmune conditions • Skin issues/rashes • Food intolerances • Recurring urinary tract and yeast infections • Chemical sensitivities, allergies • Depression, anxiety, mood swings • Brain fog, forgetfulness • Headaches, migraines • Stubborn weight gain • Fatigue • Frequent infections • Alcohol intolerance (get drunk easily, poor recovery) – Candida releases a toxin called acetylaldehyde, which is the same chemical that makes us drunk from alcohol. So those with Candida overgrowth may already be “pre-drunk” from the Candida. • Sugar cravings (yeast needs sugar to survive, so you crave it) WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT IN A NUTSHELL Follow a very clean-eating diet where you remove all the sugary, carbohydrate-rich foods for a month, eating vegetables, protein and fat – the yeast cannot survive on these. Anything remotely sugary like fruit, sugars, honey etc must be removed. You can use a good Candida-killing supplement programme too – and together this will sort it out. Here are our recommendations: 1. Eat fresh veggies, animal protein and healthy fats ONLY for a month – no rubbish 2. No dairy – make your own almond milk (NEVER buy it, the bought ones are all full of other nasties 3. No grains or seed oils – stick with the healthy fats like butter, olive oil, lard etc 4. Take Olive Leaf and MaxiProbiotic daily 5. Use Pure Hydrolysed Collagen daily too – as if you have Candida you will have leaky gut as well, and this is a marvellous way to very quickly heal leaky gut 6. You can use Keto Sweet – the new sweetener sweeping South Africa which has no carbs, no calories, no sugar – but tastes exactly like sugar 7. Try to have a relaxing time during the month while dealing with this. You’ll find these products above in our online store here
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Beating Food Addiction
Unfortunately, this is a very real condition, but one that you can conquer. Most of us eat a bit more than we should now and then, but I’m referring here to people who develop an addiction to food – addiction is not only about drugs and alcohol. Food addiction is commonly called compulsive overeating or binge eating, where a person eats more than is needed and finds it hard to stop. A food addict often feels guilty and gets depressed, even feeling self-disgust. How does this happen, how can you identify whether you have a food addiction, and what can be done about it? Overeating can be a way to ‘bury your sorrows’, to deal with pain, abuse or loneliness, or seek ‘comfort’ in food. But there is another way you can become a food addict – by eating junk food. It’s highly addictive, nutrient poor (so your body wants more), and it becomes a learned behaviour. The more junk food you eat, the more you want to eat, and the worse you feel. The weight piles on and a vicious circle can ensue, leading sometimes to bulimia and even self-harming. In this stressful world in which we live there’s never been a more important time to eat whole, real food and eliminate junk/processed food. If you’ve been eating processed food for a long time, you probably don’t even think about fresh food. If you regularly eat processed/prepared food from the supermarket or takeaway food which gets put into a microwave for convenience, you may be in this category. Foods which are typically addictive are pizza, chips, chocolate, fried chicken from vendors, burgers, fizzy drinks and any number of other processed and takeaway foods. Why food makes you feel better Unfortunately, food addicts need a ‘fix’ and only feel better when they eat that food they crave. Cravings are part of food addiction just like any addiction. Foods high in sugar, damaged fats and chemicals stimulate the brain’s ‘reward’ center, releasing ‘feel good’ hormones such as dopamine – a neurotransmitter which gives a sense of pleasure. In time, the brain becomes accustomed to dopamine, and more food is needed to release the same amount of dopamine, just as a drug addict needs higher doses as time goes on to create the same ‘high’. Sex, exercise and eating all trigger dopamine, they are all part of a normal life therefore they are designed to do this. However, overdoing anything always comes at a price. The food industry know all about this, and getting you addicted to their food is now a ‘science’, sadly. Too much sugar is added say to chocolate, and this sweetness is then hidden by an infusion of salt and spices (even though you can’t taste them). In fact most supermarket/takeaway foods (including savoury foods) contain more sugar than a bar of chocolate. This sugar is hidden and goes by more than 50 names, but you are left wanting that food again and again as your addiction grows. This never happens with real, whole, fresh food! Studies have been done which show withdrawal from junk food–especially sugary food–is as severe as withdrawal from alcohol and drugs in many cases, including shaking, anxiety and a change in body temperature. Sugar is the most addictive of all foods and here’s the biochemical reason why: Blood sugar increases forcing the pancreas to secrete insulin, which then breaks down and blood sugar levels plummet Lowered blood sugar levels send a signal to the brain – more sugar is needed The brain releases hormones causing a craving for sugar, leaving the person feeling weak and agitated until they get their “fix” A sugar addict will now binge-eat on sugary items to satisfy their craving Are you a Food Addict? If you have any of these signs, you could be a food addict, test yourself – DO YOU: Eat to deal with emotional problems/stress? Obsess over food most of the time? Continue to eat, even though you know you’re hurting your health? Eat to the point of nausea and even vomiting? Feel you have no self-control regarding food? Ever lie about what you eat or how much you eat? Ever wake up at night to eat? Hide food at home or at work? Continue to eat even though you are really full? Regularly regret you have eaten as much as you have? Feel angry or aggressive if you cannot get the food you crave? If you answered yes to 3 or more of these, you may have an addiction and should seek help. Food Addiction has Health Consequences There are consequences both long and short term but you are worth rescuing from an addiction. The consequences are both physical and psychological and include: Damage to the gut Insomnia Anxiety and depression Obesity Type II diabetes Osteoarthritis Gastrointestinal problems Heart disease Hypertension Gallbladder disease Overcoming Addiction Whatever the cause – whether social, genetic, junk food or any other cause, the bottom line is this: changing what goes into your mouth. Like alcohol and drugs, ‘cold turkey’ may be difficult so take it slowly – but set a goal, depending on how severe your situation is. Food is essential to survival so stopping food of course is out of the question – it’s not the same as smoking. New behaviours need to be learned. So here are a few ideas you might want to consider: Learn more about healthy food, and how it benefits the body and removes cravings. A good start is my book 63 Days to Optimum Health, which teaches you over a period of time to change bad eating habits into good ones. If you want to embrace a new way of eating, consider the low carbohydrate, higher healthy fat lifestyle – it is still the most successful of all eating plans for weight loss and excellent health. If you can’t get there quite yet, try the Paleo eating plan. Eliminate sugar from your diet – you can include Keto Sweet Zero which tastes identical to sugar but without the dangers. (And please do not eat fructose as a sweetener, it is a desperately dangerous alternative. So are artificial sweeteners) Avoid fruit for the first month – or have just ½ cup blueberries as your fruit for the day Don’t go on diet! Follow the eating plans recommended in points #1 & 2 above, but don’t actively diet. Just learn to eat WHOLE, real, fresh food as it occurs in nature Substitute. In the early days if you are an “all day eater” and it’s usually chocolate, then substitute fresh raw nuts for chocolate instead. Begin slowly reducing portion sizes – use a smaller plate. Only eat when you are hungry – if you must snack, make it healthy, whole food Try to only eat 3 meals a day – get to this point as soon as you can, without snacks Stop all fizzy drinks – get used to water, but tea and coffee are fine too Remove temptation – don’t buy it and it won’t be in the house to eat later. Purge your cupboards of tempting food and replace them with healthy food alternatives Always cook your own food from scratch This will all take time, but start now – why wait for new year’s resolutions, start today for a better 2021 where you truly take control of your body if you have found you are struggling with food addiction. One thing you will find helps with food addiction dramatically – L-Glutamine! It’s the most marvelous way to quell cravings and appetite!
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Anatomy of a laugh
ANATOMY OF A LAUGH When we laugh, we engage our entire body in the act. At least 15 different muscles in the face are called into action, along with our respiratory system and other muscle groups. But more importantly, laughter sends serotonin levels soaring in the brain, erasing mild depression in just a few minutes. Give happiness levels a boost The quickest way to feel better is to get moving. A brisk walk can get endorphins flowing, giving you the same feel-good boost as a shot of morphine, without the risk of drug addiction. Exercise helps you manage pain better and helps you sleep better Spread your happiness. Your happy emotions can affect others, make the people close to you happier – and make the people close to them happier. Surround yourself with positive people to remain positive too. Fake it until you make it. If you act happy, people see you as happy, and you see yourself through their eyes. You feel happy. Start with a smile to help you break free of the doldrums.
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ADRENAL FATIGUE
In spite of the pandemic of people suffering from adrenal fatigue, there is still no official ‘diagnosis’ or even recognition in the medical community, whereas natural health practitioners recognize it as adrenal insufficiency or ‘burnout’ due to chronic stress. Your adrenal glands are two tiny walnut-shaped glands witting on top of your kidneys but they are responsible for an enormous amount of hormone production for everyday biological functions. One such hormone is cortisol, referred to as our ‘stress hormone’ although it’s only one of many. Unchecked stress results in constant high levels of cortisol, overloading the adrenal glands and resulting symptoms typically include (among others): • Anxiety • Chronic fatigue • Digestive issues • Headaches • Sleep disorders/insomnia • Increased risk for heart disease • Low thyroid function • Weight gain and inability to lose weight • Problems with concentration and memory • Reproductive problems • Autoimmune conditions • Hair loss • Brain fog • Low libido • Depression • Muscle loss • Weight gain Stress can be psychological, physical or emotional by nature – they all affect adrenal function. Some of the things you might not associate with stress per se include: • Lack of sleep and insomnia • Poor diet and too much/not enough exercise • Environmental toxins and pollution • Financial hardships • Negative relationships • Death of a loved one • Stress at work WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1. Eat healthily for a start – this is half the battle won – eating lower carb is healthier – and dump the sugar and seed oils 2. Eat more animal protein – protein supports adrenal function – get enough animal protein 3. Dump the junk food/processed food etc (and wheat!) 4. Take some smart supplements like Super Cee and Pantothenic Acid daily 5. Get plenty of REST and start saying NO to people who drain you 6. Use my Pure Hydrolysed Collagen – it really gives a fantastic boost! 7. You must have magnesium citrate – this also helps enormously This is just a start! Wishing you a speedy recovery! You’ll find all these top quality products in my online store https://sallyanncreed.co.za/shop – and it’s worth trying to live according to my latest book, 63 Days to Optimum Health (also from my online store). Disclaimer: You can simply click on the name of each product mentioned above (in bold) and a hyperlink will take you directly to the product for an easy purchase. Originally published on https://www.facebook.com/SallyAnnCreedSA/ in 2020.
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Berberine Complex for so much more than weight loss
Berberine is one of the most exciting natural products in current medical research and has nothing short of amazing properties. Other than for weight loss, it’s a powerful: Anti-viral Anti-inflammatory Anti-bacterial Berberine is most commonly taken for Weight Loss Powerful anti-ageing properties on skin Anti-inflammatory for skin and entire body High Blood Pressure Diabetes Dysglycaemia Reduces Insulin Levels High Cholesterol Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Some studies say it’s much better than metformin. AND you can take it WITH metformin if you wish – it seems to work synergistically for even better glucose control. It greatly improves muscle insulin sensitivity, and promotes blood glucose and fatty acid uptake into muscle cells. It also improves metabolism and mitochondrial function leading to a cascade of health benefits. So here are MORE new reasons people are taking it according to studies: Treating Fatty Liver Irritable Bowel Syndrome and SIBO Improves endothelial function – Heart Healthy Lowers cortisol (stress-reducing) Anti-depressant properties via increased serotonin production Who wouldn’t want to take it? Get it from https://sallyanncreed.co.za/shop – it’s called Berberine Complex Disclaimer: You can simply click on the name of each product mentioned above (in bold) and a hyperlink will take you directly to the product for an easy purchase. Originally published on https://www.facebook.com/SallyAnnCreedSA/ in 2020.
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