Nirvana Diet

A Diet For the Mind

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Running best exercise for brain

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Running is the best exercise for the brain. Want to be smarter, fitter & happier… start running.

 

There is a lot of confusion about what type of fitness is the best use of your energy, from intervals to high intensity but research is now showing endurance running is the way to go. As I think back on my fitness and health journey, one of the most important things I did was to take up running. Now when I say running, I mean a run/walk that is somewhere in between that can work for most fitness levels.

 

A lot of research is coming out about the value of running, sustained aerobic activity versus high intensity interval training, for the health of the brain. Granted the study was done on rats, but just saying… it is something to think about. Another way to look at it is distance running. The greater the distance the rat ran, the greater the benefit or neurogenesis experienced.

 

The problem is research also shows that starting in our 20’s we start to lose 1% annually of the volume of the part of the brain, the hippocampus, associated with learning and memory. It should be no surprise then that the first part of the brain to go with Alzheimers is the hippocampus.

 

Running at 5 mph (miles per hour) is considered a moderate pace. Stated in minutes per mile, a 5-mph run is equivalent to a 12-minute mile – which for many people is a brisk walking pace.. You can also increase the intensity of a 12-minute mile by running uphill or on an uneven terrain, such as the beach. Eventually you might want to take it up to a 10 minute mile for part of the time. All of this of course depends on your level of fitness and capacity to go from walking to running. Here is a good link to get started if this is something you think is for you.

 

Also don’t forget… the motivation you have to start a new habit is critical.

 

What could be more important than taking care of your brain? So think about getting started….

Breaking the sugar habit

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Breaking the sugar habit has everything to do with getting in touch with your feelings. I can’t emphasize enough how many people tell me that their real problem with food is about feelings and using food to fill a need it cannot fill. A big one is comfort. The usual food of choice for this need is sugar and starchy food which is also of course highly addictive. The two things go together. That is why the real goal is to learn how to unblock your feelings, identity your needs and find a way to get them met that does not include any addictive substances such as sugar.

 

Eating sweets can be a reward after a long day, a way to unwind, a source of what feels like a quick fix in a difficult world. What I suggest is that you start breaking the pattern which some equate with an addiction by identifying the pattern.

 

Once you do this you can be better prepared to deal with it when it comes up. When you get a thought to eat, changing or breaking the pattern starts with asking yourself if you are really hungry. This gives you a clue as to whether you are using food for its true purpose as fuel or using it to feed a feeling. There is a psychology to losing weight  that starts with understanding our relationship to food and eating.

 

Then try to unpack your feelings. Why do I feel this way? What is my feeling trying to tell me? What do I really need that I am mistaking for food and eating? If it’s a reward you need, something that feels good, you can identify other ways to fill that need.

Some rewards that work for me are: taking a walk, a delicious dinner made from healthy foods that I love and look forward to; going out to meet a friend after a long day; or buying myself a really great book to enjoy reading. Find ways to take feed your self-care in place of harmful foods that contain sugar and starch.

 

Research is showing that when tasting sugar, the brain lights up in the same regions as it would in an alcoholic. When we eat sugar it causes dopamine—the so-called reward chemical to spike and reinforces the desire to have more while sugar also fuels serotonin which is calming.

 

Most importantly if you take anything away from this, research shows sugar is toxic to your health and well-being. .

Studies are also showing that it is processed food that produces the changes in the brain that resemble an addiction to alcohol and other addictive drugs. This is the main reason why I advocate getting rid of the processed food… that means anything that comes in a box or package or anything that is not real.

 

When you look for things that give you the same comfort or feeling that sugar does, don’t turn to things like wine. All you would be doing is trading one for another.

 

If you are hungry or feel you need a pick me up, go for the healthy food. Berries are great, I love eating big juicy red strawberries or copious amounts of blueberries. They are low glycemic, meaning they produce very little sugar in your blood and body. They won’t trigger your addiction to sugar, and even if you ate a lot of them there are virtually no negative consequences and they contain valuable antioxidants.

 

The good news is if you eliminate sugary treats, after initial intense cravings you will find your cravings virtually disappear and you feel quite content without them. Some people are very sensitive to this. One day, you might be tempted to try a dessert and you will find that you will be back in the cycle. The next day, your body is craving sugar again, so you give in, just this once. The next day it happens again. And then again.  So it goes until you find your clothes are tight and you feel terrible.

 

That’s because most people do not realize that sugar truly is a highly addictive substance for many people. Studies with rats have shown that the brain changes created by heroin are similar to those created by sugar intake. This includes artificial sugar which works on the brain the same way as actual sugar.

 

I cannot impress on you enough how misled we have been in terms of sugar and processed foods. More than anything understands getting out of this is a process and sugar is one of the most addictive unhealthy substances out there.

 

If you need support I recommend you try one of the hypnosis series I created especially Ending Emotional Eating and start taking back control.  Breaking the sugar processed food habit is one of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being.

 

If you have some tips on how to break the sugar processed food habit please share it below.

Changes in dietary guidelines

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Changes in dietary guidelines and the recommendations proposed are confusing, but here’s some advice as to what you should eat. It’s also time to wake up and start taking charge of what you put in your body and what we are doing to the environment.

 

What foods should you eat?
Dietary Guidelines Dietary guidelines are updated every five years since 1980 by the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) put together jointly by Dept. of Health and Agriculture.
Here are the basic recommendations: Limit sugar, salt and saturated fat (meat, dairy, cheese).

 

While changes in dietary guidelines suggested de-emphasizing nutrients, it singled out sugar and fat both of which are which in addition to protein make up caloric nutrients. The problem is that sugar and also starch comprise what we call the carbohydrate nutrient and the main force driving obesity due to the effect on what is called glycemic load. The glycemic load (GL) of food is a number that estimates how much the food will raise a person’s blood glucose level eating it.

 

There are three basic macro nutrients that comprise a calorie: protein, carbohydrates and fat. Carbohydrates come from sugar, starch and fiber. Foods that contain sugar that are not real are very addicting and harmful. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can’t digest; therefore it does not affect your blood sugar levels. When you are looking for a carbohydrate you should select the one that has the most fiber and the least net carbohydrates (carbs-fiber). Grains are also carbohydrates and when selecting one you want to choose the one that has the lowest net carbs and the most fiber and protein. Some grains like quinoa or legumes such as lentils have protein and a lot of fiber which offset’s the negative effect of the sugar.

 

The point is to focus on net carbohydrates and balance that with the right amount of protein. In that sense the dietary guidelines were not helpful in explaining what reducing sugar means and recommending a de-emphasis of focusing on nutrients is also steering people in the wrong direction. People need to be better educated about what really is making them fat. Its carbs loaded with starch and sugar. This does not mean that you should not pay attention to the type of protein you eat as saturated fat found in animal protein and packages foods is the other reason people are so overweight.

 

Changes in dietary guidelines report also singled out teenage boys and men suggesting they said should “reduce their overall intake of protein foods” and add more vegetables. It is not clear why they singled out teenage boys and men.

Changes in dietary guideline recommended we that think in terms of overall patterns of healthy eating which means a diet, such as eating a Mediterranean type diet or Vegan. Vegan’s refrain from eating animal products but also any animal derived products such as eggs and dairy.

 

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, and replacing butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil. Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods. Meat and dairy is limited in favor of fish, vegetables, legumes and grain. The problem with this is whole grains even those called ‘whole’ contain a lot of sugar (carbohydrates) and would not be a good choice if you are trying to lose weight.
Once again the main things to learn to dislike are carbohydrates comprised mostly of sugar and starch (that includes grain) and saturated fat. High-fiber foods that are low in net carbohydrates can act like a sponge and binds to cholesterol, helping to remove excess cholesterol that’s floating in the bloodstream.

 

When you shop, you should get in the habit of looking at the back of the package to see what the food contains. Plant based food that grows from the ground naturally has a healthy glycemic ration to begin with. That means it contains fiber to offset the sugar. This is not as much the case with fruit, so that might be a food that you limit when trying to lose weight. The best fruit to eat is blueberries for its glycemic efficiency and anti-oxidant values.
The other important change in the dietary guidelines was to no longer pick on eggs as the culprit in high cholesterol for years we have been told to limit cholesterol to 300 miligrams a day less than the amount in 2 eggs.

 

Dietary guidelines recommend removed the limits on dietary cholesterol thus in effect advocating eggs, but once again it should be stress that a diet that includes unsaturated fat is both filling and supports the rise of healthy cholesterol (LDL) or low density lipoproteins as opposed to saturated fat which increases (HLD) cholesterol that comes from high density lipoproteins.

 

LDL’s can be found in foods such as fish high which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, trout, herring, or king mackerel, at least twice a week. Other good sources of unsaturated fats include chia seeds, avocados, almonds, walnuts, and olive oil (avoid hydrogenated and canola oil.)

 

The problems are that dietary guidelines are almost identical to those of the last 35 years which has paralleled the time when both obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed. Suggesting a 10% cap on the calories that come from sugar added to foods and that only 10% of saturated fats per day of calorie intake. They did not provide an easy way to know how to monitor that it also did not mention processed meats which were recently found to be carcinogenic by the World Health Organization (WHO). You can download and access an easy to follow guideline on how to eat healthy and lose weight that has worked for many of my clients here.

 
Finally, top administration officials within the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, who were tasked with writing the guidelines, decided not to include some of the recommendations made by a Dietary Guidelines advisory panel that reviewed the latest nutrition science. For instance, the advisory committee had recommended including sustainability as a factor in making food choices, but administration officials nixed that idea.

 

The committee had also advised telling Americans to cut back on red and processed meats. But that recommendation sparked a push back from the meat industry, and the final dietary guidelines do not include any specific advice to cut back on these sources of protein. This actually would be a great idea, to talk about the harmful effects of eating red meat not only for the body but for the environment.

 

According to a 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), our diets and, specifically, the meat in them cause more greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, nitrous oxide, and the like to spew into the atmosphere than either transportation or industry.

 

It’s time to wake up and start taking charge of what you put in your body and what we are doing to the environment.

The psychology of weight loss

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There is a psychology to weight loss, eating and food. It’s called your weight/health story. If you have an emotional relationship with food and eating you need to change your story.

Take the Emotional Eating Assessment to find out more.

Research shows the first step you need to successfully change, lose weight AND keep it off, is to identify and change your (weight) story. Stories are how patterns and behaviors are wired into the brain.

We all know how to lose weight, go on a diet… simple eat less and exercise more. The problem is, as soon as the diet is over, we go back to our old ways because the diet is viewed as a short term fix and does not deal with the underlying cause of the problem (changing the self-image and the programmed behaviors).
In order to lose weight successfully you must re-program and install new habits that you begin to prefer that then become your new default way of eating. To do that you must change your story this includes the limiting beliefs that hold the story together and keep you stuck.
The problem is the decision to change is a conscious one, but unless you create coherence and alignment between the conscious goal to change (lose weight) and the unconscious stories, the old story wins out all the time.
Using guided meditation and  hypnosis you can program the new identity (you thinner, fitter and happier) and manage the emotions when the brain realizes the discomfort (cognitive dissonance) of the change. If you don’t know what guided meditation is download and check out Letting Go one of the many you will be using.
New research in neuroscience is showing how using guided visualization and meditation we can create new neural networks, strengthen the part of the brain most involved in making changes, increase positive emotions and reduce stress. All of this is critical to your success.

Richard Davidson PhD using functional MRI (fMRI) technology identified that the left side of the frontal lobe – known as the left prefrontal cortex – is more active when people feel happy and the right prefrontal cortex is more active when people feel sad.

This research shows how learning how to meditate stimulates the left prefrontal cortex and helps to train people to be more focused, experience more positive emotions and makes the actions to change come easier. Check out Buddha’s brain and neuroplasticity.

In order to really create this alignment between the conscious and unconscious mind, you must do the preparation work that will begin to change your weight story. This is done with personalized sessions with me along with the guided meditations that will set you up for success… coherence between what you want and what you do. Skipping this step can make the difference between succeeding or not.

Getting control of your weight and health is the most important thing you can do… it is the foundation for everything.
To find out if The Diet for the Mind, the foundation for lasting weight loss I have created is right for you, schedule a free consultation.

Doing this foundational work can make the difference in finally losing weight successfully.

Best food to eat for weight loss

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The best food to eat for weight loss is really simple… just eat real food

 

Why eating real food is so important:
The goal is to eat food as close to its most natural state as possible. Food that is processed including fast or packaged  food has conditioned our taste buds and brain to seek overly salty sweet foods that result in having more food thoughts and more hunger.

 

Eating real food is naturally appetite suppressing. The downside to eating real food is that it involves planning: shopping for the food, cooking and finding interesting ways to prepare the food so that it is tasty and not overly time consuming. It can also be more expensive.

 

The problem with not eating real food is that it can lead to a food addiction and of course to health and weight problems. Foods containing sugar including aspartame  and flour can be as powerful as any addictive drug or substance.  An addiction is different than a “bad habit” because it includes uncontrollable cravings that come from a change in the brain chemistry that affect the powerful pleasure reward circuitry of the brain. This can produce a chemical imbalance and create a viscous cycle for which the only way out is to practice abstinence which gives the brain a chance to heal.

 

Using the Nirvana mind training techniques can help to develop a negative association with your trigger foods. If you fall into this category there is a special eating plan found in the of the Nirvana eBook I created that is designed to neutralize cravings, and abstinence/binge behavioral cycles. The goal is to automate the act of eating, allowing the mind/body to establish a routine of consistency so the addiction can be managed. Addictions are chronic conditions that are fundamentally diseases of the brain.

 

The ability to return to eating these foods in moderation afterwards is individualized. Some people many be able to allow themselves one evening a week to moderately enjoy some foods you consider to be worth it without it being a trigger while some may have to practice complete abstinence.. The goal is to isolate the trigger foods and develop a negative association with them much like a non-smoking does with an ex-smoking habit.
What is real food?
Food that is real does not come from a factory, a box or a package, but comes from the ground or is found in nature. Real foods have a built in mechanism that allows you to reign in your food intake naturally. Protein and unsaturated fat that comes from oil, avocado, nuts stimulate natural appetite suppressing hormones. Fruits and vegetables provide a tremendous amount of fiber and volume of food per calorie that makes you feel full. Real foods naturally have a glycemic index that balances insulin levels. Real foods do not create eating disorders, addictions, obesity and are the best preventive medicine to ward off 21st century diseases. The food pyramid and the messages on packaged foods are misleading, and confusing.

 

No one is binging on carrots. It is fake foods, genetically modified food, sugar, starch, salted food, and processed grains that are killing us. So what’s the best diet for weight loss, it’s eating real food. The diet then becomes your preferred way of eating… that is you just enjoy and prefer to eat this way. From that place you will lose weight and keep it off. I think you and your health ares worth it. In fact, one of the best ways to heal a food issue is what I call culinary therapy. Want some ideas check out my daughter Hunter’s blog.