Author name: laura@lauracipullo.com

Is your definition of “health” healthy?

Rethinking Health: Broadening Your Wellness Perspective by Rebecca Jaspan, MPH, RD, CDN, CDCES   What is your definition of “health”?  At Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition, we believe that the definition of health is multi-faceted.  It not only includes physical health, but also mental, emotional, social, and spiritual health.  We are more than our physical bodies and we have needs beyond our physical needs.  Consuming ourselves with the pursuit of only physical health often does more damage to our overall well-being.    When receiving treatment for an eating disorder or disordered eating, it can be difficult to see yourself as more than a body.  It may seem that the only way to pursue health is to be strict with your eating and exercise routine.  I challenge you to question some of those thoughts.  Do you ever skip social events because you’re worried about what you will eat?  Do you exercise even if you’re too tired?  Does the thought of not having control over a meal give you anxiety?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may mean that it is time to redefine what “health” means to you.    To help my clients redefine “health”, I do the following exercise.  Grab a piece of paper and a pen and follow along. First, write down your definition of health.  You may notice a relatively narrow definition consisting of elements relating to food, exercise, and body.  Think about some other parts of your life and your values.  What else is important to you?  What else do you enjoy doing?  Maybe thoughts around family, friends, school or work, travel, and hobbies come up. Draw a circle and place these elements of your life on the circle in a pie chart.  Think about what percentage of your brain space these elements take up and draw them on the pie chart.  For example, if the time, energy, and thought devoted to your job consumes 50% of your brain, draw it as 50% on the pie chart. Notice what your pie chart looks like.  How much space does food and nutrition consume?  Or exercise?  Ask yourself if the amount of brain space you devote to certain activities serves you.  How can your pie chart be more balanced and include all elements of health? Redo your pie chart in a way that feels more balanced to you and that reflects your values.  What parts do you increase and decrease?  Rewrite your definition of health.  With this exercise, hopefully you have noticed where you currently put the most energy and how distributing it differently will help you create more balance.  “Health” is fluid and flexible and you may prioritize different aspects at different times in your life.  You may revisit this pie chart every so often when you feel out of balance or your values change.  The ability to be flexible with your definition is a good sign that your definition of “health” is truly healthy. 

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tomatoes on the vine

Cook and Learn with Otamot

Cooking with Otamot: A Nutrient-Packed Culinary Journey by Rebecca Jaspan, MPH, RD, CDN, CDCES   What is Otamot? Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a night cooking and learning with fellow dietitians and Otamot.  I first learned about Otamot at the 2019 Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo and have been a fan ever since.  Otamot is a veggie-packed tomato sauce that founder, Andrew, created by accident when trying to get his daughter to eat more vegetables.  The sauce contains 9 vegetables and 13 vitamins and minerals in addition to significantly more fiber than the traditional jarred tomato sauce.  As I learned during the event, Otamot can be used in a variety of delicious and nutritious ways.  I cooked along with the presenters as we made a winter white bean chili and tomato flaxseed crackers while learning about ways to create a nutritionally complete plant- based diet.    Is a plant-based diet healthy for me? Plant-based diets have become increasingly more common due to health and environmental reasons.  Even many athletes are shifting more plant-based due to its cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory benefits.  While at first going plant-based may sound difficult, a carefully planned plant-based diet can include all essential nutrients with little supplementation.  Consulting with a registered dietitian to ensure you are getting everything you need may be helpful. Nutrients of concern in a plant-based diet are Vitamin D, calcium, B12, iron, and zinc, vitamins and minerals which are mainly found in meat and dairy products.  As demonstrated by the chili and crackers, it is possible to consume all of these nutrients through food on a plant-based diet.    Vitamin Rich Plant-Based Foods Vitamin D and calcium are imperative nutrients for the building of bone.  Athletes need to be extra mindful of these nutrients as to not break down their bones through the stress put on them during activity.  While Vitamin D is found in dairy products, plant-based sources include mushrooms, fortified soy milk, cereals, orange juice, almond milk, and rice milk.  When these foods are eaten with a source of fat such as olive oil, avocado, or nuts and seeds, the Vitamin D is absorbed even more readily.  Calcium is also found most prominently in dairy, but is found in many plant-based sources as well.  Soybeans, beans, peas, lentils, leafy green vegetables, some nuts and seeds contain calcium.    How to get enough Vitamin B12 For vegans, B12 is one of the hardest nutrients to consume as it is mainly found in meat and dairy foods.  B12 is found in nutritional yeast, fortified plant milk, tempeh, and fortified breakfast cereals.  While zinc is found in more variety of foods, many Americans are deficient.  Plant-based sources of zinc include tofu, hemp seeds, chia seeds, lentils, oatmeal, quinoa, spinach, and avocados, to name a few.  In the chili and cracker recipes, they were chock full of high zinc ingredients such as flax and chia seeds and white beans.    High Iron Plant-Based Foods You may know that the most iron-rich food is red meat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get it from vegetarian and vegan foods.  Iron is found in tofu, lentils, beans, nuts and seeds, and some vegetables.  When these foods are combined with foods high in Vitamin C, the iron is better absorbed.  In these recipes, peppers and tomatoes high in Vitamin C are combined with white beans in the chili and tomato sauce was combined with seeds in the cracker to ensure these recipes are good sources of plant-based iron.    Check out the recipes for the winter white bean chili and tomato flaxseed crackers made with Otamot tomato sauce and you just might get hooked on including more plant-based recipes in your diets!   Winter White Bean Chili Serves 4 Ingredients  1 tbsp olive oil1 medium sweet onion, diced, ¼ cup reserved for garnish3 cloves garlic, minced2 tsp chili powder2 tsp cumin1 tsp paprika, preferably smoked1 chipotle pepper plus 1-2 tsp of sauce adobo sauce1 red/orange/yellow bell pepper, diced1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced (optional)1½ cups Otamot Organic Essential Sauce1 cup vegetable broth1/2 cup water2 15-ounce cans no salt added white beans, drained and rinsed   OPTIONALKosher salt, to tasteBlack pepper, to taste1 avocado (optional)¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream (optional) 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)   Preparation: Heat the olive oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté untilthey begin to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes.  Turn down the heat to low, add the garlic, chilipowder, cumin and paprika and sauté until the mixture is fragrant, 1-2 minutes more. Finely chop one chipotle pepper and add to pot with 1-2 tsp of the adobo sauce from thecan, the diced bell peppers and the Otamot Organic Essential Sauce. Add the vegetable broth, water, and white beans to the pot, and season with kosher salt andblack pepper to taste.  Increase the heat to bring the chili up to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30-45 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend together. Serve the chili in bowls and garnish with Otamot Nut & Seed Crackers, diced onion,yogurt/sour cream, diced avocado, chopped cilantro (if using), and freshly cracked blackpepper.   Tomato Flaxseed Crackers Serves 4 Ingredients 1 cup almond flour2 tbsp flaxseed meal1 tbsp sunflower seeds1 tbsp hempseed¼ tsp onion powder¼ tsp garlic powder¼ tsp Italian seasoning¼ tsp fine sea salt¼ cup Otamot Organic Essential Sauce1 tbsp olive oil   Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir until well combined.3. Add the Otamot Organic Essential Sauce, olive oil, and continue to stir until a thick doughcomes together.4. Lay the dough onto a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface, and cover with a secondpiece of parchment.  Press the dough out flat with your hands, then spread with a rolling pinuntil roughly an ⅛ inch thick. Remove the top piece of parchment and bake on a sheet pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes,or until the cracker is golden brown and crispy. Allow to cool

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happy teen girls eating ice cream together

Directing our Teen Daughters and Sons Towards Self-Love and Self-Acceptance

By Laura Cipullo, RD, CDCES, CEDRD-S How to teach our teens self-love and self-acceptance With the holidays abound and COVID-19 creating social distance, I am unfortunately seeing a rise in the number of young clients with eating disorders in our nutrition practice. Perhaps, our teens are home alone and relying more on social media which can cause them to become even more depressed and dependent on the dopamine fix created by the social media likes. Perhaps, some teens become obsessed with exercise while trying to stay healthy or sane staying in the same room all day. Or just the opposite, some teens become depressed, lay on the couch and graze on food all day. Eating can become a focus, but too much so. How do we as parents, teach our children to tolerate the discomfort, build self-esteem and self-acceptance during this chaotic time? Most importantly, teach your teen to use their breath. Create a pause. Dharma teacher, Pema Chodron, recommends a “pause practice,” taking three conscious breaths whenever you or your teen feels stuck. This can allow yourself and your child to reconnect with the present moment. Teens can also learn Ujjayi breathing or Alternate Nostril breathing. There are many different types of breath-work that can lead an anxious mind and body to a chemical state of calm. Yoga is also an easy way to introduce different forms of breathing. For instance, when I teach yoga, I encourage Ujjayi breathing also known as belly breathing. Next, encourage your teen to build their self-esteem and self-acceptance by guiding them to Ted Talks, books, and workbooks or journals that offer a balanced perspective, emotional space, pages to practice letting go and or concrete exercises to develop a healing toolbox. Here are some of our favorite teen-friendly gifts to offer to your loved one: 1. Brave, Not Perfect By Reshma Saujani Read her book and listen to the Ted Talk. We’re raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave, says Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code. Saujani has taken up the charge to socialize young girls to take risks and learn to program — two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population, she says. “I need each of you to tell every young woman you know to be comfortable with imperfection.” 2. Burn After Writing (Pink) By Sharon Jones The phenomenally popular secret journal filled with private prompts for personal reflection, self-exploration, and fueling creativity. Burn After Writing allows you to spend less time scrolling and more time self-reflecting. Through incisive questions and thought experiments, this journal helps you learn new things while letting others go. Imagine instead of publicly declaring your feelings for others, you privately declared your feelings for yourself? 3. Wreck This Journal Now in Color By Keri Smith An unlikely journal helping your teen to think outside the box or color outside the lines. 4. Getting Over Overeating for Teens and or The Don’t Diet Live-It Workbook By Andrea Wachter, LMFT Written for teens who struggle with overeating, binge eating or body image, Getting Over Overeating uses an integrated approach that includes mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and intuitive eating. Parents and health professionals can also utilize the language and activities to help the adolescents they are concerned about. Readers will come to better understand the root causes of overeating and learn skills such as emotion regulation, assertive communication, moderate eating, and how to handle cravings. Most importantly, they will find healthier ways to fill up and apply what they’ve learned to live a happier and more balanced life. 5. The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness and Compassion Skills to Overcome Self Criticism and Embrace Who You Are By Karen Bluth PhD Written by psychologist Karen Bluth and based on practices adapted from Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer’s Mindful Self-Compassion program, this workbook offers fun and tactile exercises grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion to help you cope more effectively with the ongoing challenges of day-to-day life. You’ll learn how to be present with difficult emotions, and respond to these emotions with greater kindness and self-care. By practicing these activities and meditations, you’ll learn specific tools to help you navigate the emotional ups and downs of the teen years with greater ease.

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hanukkah gifts and cookies

8 Gift Guide For The 8 Nights Of Hanukkah For Your Picky Eater

Hanukkah Gift Guide: Encouraging Picky Eaters to Explore New Foods By Paige Mandel, MS RD   While holiday celebrations may be a bit different this year, it is more important than ever to create new and exciting traditions with your children, from making their first latke to opening presents each night. If you are a parent, caretaker, family member or friend of a selective eater, what an awesome opportunity to use the 8 nights of Hanukkah to help guide their transformation journey to becoming an adventurous eater.   Whether you feel like you’ve exhausted all your resources to encourage your child to try new foods, or could use an extra tool or two, or eight, we’ve compiled a Gift Guide to support you and your child, through interaction, enjoyment and education! 1. Good Enough to Eat: A Kid’s Guide to Food and Nutrition  Lizzy Rockwell’s children’s book Good Enough to Eat, is a hands-on educational tool to introduce the benefits of nutrition and healthy eating to your kids. Knowledge is power-  from carrots to cookies, this book dives into the nutrient groups and function, which foods contain which nutrients, kid-friendly recipes and much more, to help your kids understand how food serves as fuel, to grow big and strong through the foods they eat.   2. Eat your Greens, Yellows, and Purples Children’s Cookbook This cookbook contains 25 delicious and simple recipes, making fruits and vegetables approachable while also teaching kids the fun facts of healthy eating. Gather your ingredients and get your kids in the kitchen creating yummy, healthy meals together. Teach your kids how carrots help their vision while baking carrot and orange muffins or why peppers boost their immune system while making a red pepper hummus.   3. Food Scientist Placemat A colorful and descriptive, sticky adhesive placemat with “The 5 Senses Test” will encourage your children to use their 5 senses to explore both known and new foods. Put your imaginary lab coat and goggles on, as your child becomes their own food scientist, identifying what colors, shapes and sizes they see on their plate, what their food feels like, what they hear when they take a bite, what they smell, what they taste, and answer the big question “do I like it?”. Trying new foods and flavors becomes a fun science experiment, while also saving the mess! This Food Scientist Placemat is available on Amazon, in a 40-pack set of individually folded mats, and makes a great gift solution for your young picky eaters!   4. Copy-Kids: Eat Fruits & Vegetables This video series, produced for children aged 6 months to 5 years, is a great tool to help influence your child to enjoy eating fruits and vegetables! Just turn it on, provide your kiddo with a sample of the featured fruit or vegetable in the selected episode, and watch the power of compelling imitation entertainment. Available on Amazon Prime Video or DVD, Copy-Kids presents 12 7-minute episodes featuring adorable children aged 9 months to 4 years, eating with giggles and fun: bell pepper, bananas, oranges, carrots, strawberries, avocado, raspberries, tomatoes, apples, broccoli, blueberries. Amazon Prime Series Season 2 features: kiwi, pineapple, peas, peaches, green beans, grapes, corn, celery, cauliflower, cabbage, blackberries, watermelon and an additional episode from leading Speech & Language Pathologist and Pediatric Feeding Therapist Dawn Winkelmann.  This is a simple yet revolutionary tool for parents who want their kids to develop a life-long habit of healthy eating.    5. Food/Cookie Cutter Shapes Use cut-out molds to create your child’s favorite animal or movie/cartoon character, making trying new foods more fun! From your Power Ranger loving eater to your princess obsessed eater, they’ll turn any food- sandwiches, bread, pancakes, cheese and even lunch meat, into Mighty Morphins, Disney Princesses, and even Zoo Animals. Choose your child’s favorite shapes/characters/animals/designs, and watch their food come to life, to bring joy to the table and the meal-time experience more exciting.   6. White Board Menu If you feel you are always asking yourself, what should I make the kids for dinner, or feeling like you’re scrambling at meal times to get creative, this is for you (and your kids)! Help your children get involved in the meal prep with a plan. Use a dry erase menu planner to plan ahead with your kiddos, providing routine and structure to their meals. Whether its Mac and Cheese Monday, Taco Tuesday, or Sharing Saturday, use this tool to create a plan for you and your kids to reduce the meal-time decision making worries. This can reduce the anxiety of the unknown for your kids, knowing what will be served. The added layer of choice in making the menu can lower your child’s guard and increase their eagerness surrounding food. You can start with a more simple weekly menu linked here, or get more detailed into daily breakfast, lunch and snacks, linked here.   7. Fun Plates and Utensils Find your way in to meal-time excitement for your kiddos with new plates and utensils for them to look forward to! Trying a divided plate can help your children and picky eaters eat with ease. The Construction Divided Plate and Fairy Garden Divided Plate  both come with a matching utensil set designed to work together to combine eating and play as well as to help develop independence and fine motor skills. Bento Animal Food Picks, Funky Spoons and Forks as well as Kids Monkey Training Chopsticks all can spark interest to make eating enjoyable and entertaining. Spicing up your serving utensils can do wonders on your child’s interest in food.   8. Grow your own Garden Inspire your kids to grow their own food with their very own garden! Combine the fun of crafting with the science of gardening while your kids see their garden grow from a seed to a fruit, vegetable, herb or plant, stimulating curiosity for your picky eaters. This can provide a sense of responsibility for your children as well as get them excited to try

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woman thoughtfully eating

Connecting Body and Mind with the Hunger-Fullness Scale

Mastering Hunger and Fullness: A Guide to Reconnecting Your Body and Mind by Rebecca Jaspan, MPH, RD, CDE, CDN   How do you know when you are hungry?  How do you know when you are full?  When we are babies, we are born with innate hunger and fullness cues.  We eat when we are hungry and stop when we are full.  Our body and mind are perfectly in sync—our stomach rumbles and sends a message to the brain to eat and without question, we eat until satisfied.  As we grow up, this mind-body connection becomes more and more detached.    Ignoring our hunger cues becomes commonplace for a variety of reasons.  You get pulled into a meeting and work through lunch, you skip breakfast in order to lose weight, or you don’t eat between meals even though that 3pm snack helps you get through the afternoon slump.  In our busy lives we also tend to multitask- we eat breakfast in the car, lunch at our desks while working, and dinner in front of the TV.  Each time we override internal cues to eat or eat mindlessly, our body loses trust in our brain.  Eventually, these cues become increasingly murky and our brain can no longer distinguish what it means to be hungry or full.    When we aren’t in touch with our physical body a number of situations may arise.  Our body may tell us we are hungry, but our brain signals that is a bad thing and we push this feeling away.  Pretty soon the hunger gets so difficult to ignore that we may overeat or binge until past the point of fullness. This can cause shame, guilt, and more restriction.  On the other hand, you may graze on small meals and snacks all day and never let your body get hungry at all.  Eating when ravenously hungry and eating when already full are both often unpleasant eating experiences.  When we can learn to listen to our hunger and fullness and reconnect mind and body, we regain trust in our bodies and transform once unpleasant eating experiences into highly enjoyable ones.    How do we heal this connection between mind and body?  Enter the Hunger-Fullness Scale.  This tool helps you learn how to tune into what your body needs and begin to eat more mindfully and intuitively.  Using the hunger-fullness scale helps us to visualize and quantify our hunger and fullness cues and by listening to these cues, we gain trust back in our bodies.  Credit: alissarumsey.com   Before you sit down to eat a meal or snack, ask yourself where you are on the hunger-fullness scale.  Ideally, we want to stay between a 3 and a 6 or 7; hungry and ready to eat to satisfied or no longer hungry.  As you eat, continue to tune in and think about the scale.  If you are having trouble identifying what number you fall under, ask yourself some more questions.  Do you eat regular meals?  Do you go too long without eating and wait until you are starving?  Do you graze all day without feeling hungry?    Do this exercise a few times a day when you eat meals and snacks.  Keep in mind that this scale may change on any given day.  Some days you may be having a hungrier day and eat more meals or snacks before feeling full.  Other days a smaller meal or snack may be satisfying.  Additionally, sometimes it is normal to eat when we are not hungry such as when you are full from dinner but dessert sounds appealing.  Learning to listen to our bodies’ innate hunger and fullness cues is a critical step in building trust in our bodies and bringing back the joy to eating. 

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young woman playing music

Can music change how you feel about your body?

The Power of Music: Shaping Body Image and Emotions At Laura Cipullo Whole Nutrition + Yoga, we treat clients who commonly experience negative body image, feel hyper critical of their appearance, or even struggle with Body Dysmorphia Disorder (BDD). We aim to help these clients lessen the intense feelings of body dissatisfaction and move in the direction of body neutrality and eventually body appreciation. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), people who have negative body image feel that their “bodes are flawed in comparison to others” and they are “more likely to suffer from feelings of depression, isolation, low self-esteem, and eating disorders.”   Those who do not struggle with eating disorders can still struggle with feelings of body dissatisfaction. According to an article published in the European Eating Disorders Review in 2013, “in the United States, 69-84% of women exhibit body dissatisfaction.” Sadly, young girls and women are incessantly inundated with images and messages from mainstream media dictating how we should look, what we should wear, and how we should feel about ourselves which influence how we feel about our bodies, usually negatively. These messages aren’t exclusive to print and visual media, they are also commonly found in song lyrics and music videos.   New research involving music discusses a fast and seemingly effective way for clients to fight against negative body image. An article entitled “Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of listening to body positive music on implicit and explicit body esteem” summarized the results of three studies that assessed the effect of body positive music, body objectifying music, and neutral music on women’s “body esteem.” One study showed that women who watched the body positive video “Try“ by Colbie Caillat reported higher body esteem than after watching “Good for You” by Selena Gomez, which was determined as a body objectifying video by researchers.   Body Positive – Excerpt from “Try” by Colbie Caillat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8 Wait a second,Why, should you care, what they think of youWhen you’re all alone, by yourself, do you like you?Do you like you? You don’t have to try so hardYou don’t have to, give it all awayYou just have to get up, get up, get up, get upYou don’t have to change a single thing You don’t have to try so hardYou don’t have to bend until you breakYou just have to get up, get up, get up, get upYou don’t have to change a single thing You don’t have to try, try, try, try   Body Objectifying – Excerpt from “Good for You” by Selena Gomez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TsVjvEkc4s&list=LLBqXokI6KDdYKCzphWpC3lA&index=2371 Gonna wear that dress you like, skin-tightDo my hair up real, real niceAnd syncopate my skin to your heart beating ‘Cause I just wanna look good for you, good for youI just wanna look good for you, good for youLet me show you how proud I am to be yoursLeave this dress a mess on the floorAnd still look good for you, good for you   A noteworthy conclusion from another study discussed in this article revealed that women with underlying “low body esteem” reported lower body esteem after listening to body positive AND body objectifying music versus after listening to neutral music, or music that did not have anything to do with one’s appearance – positive or negative. This means that appearance related songs may negatively affect someone who struggles with body image. On the other hand, for those without underlying body image issues, body positive music seems to have a beneficial effect on how one thinks about their body and alternatively, listening to body objectifying music lowers their body esteem.   It is refreshing to know that there is a fast and effective way to improve one’s body image, although it is important to recognize that this is one piece of the complex puzzle involving self-perception. Yet, based on this research, listening to a 2-3 minute song, which is generally easy and accessible for most people, can make a positive impact on one’s body image!   10 Empowering / Body Positive Songs (For Those Without Underlying Body Image Issues) “My Skin” by Lizzo “Bad Lieutenant” by Kate Nash “Good as Hell” by Lizzo “Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara “Video” by India Arie “Confident” by Demi Lovato “Light On” by Maggie Rogers “She Used to Be Mine” by Sara Bareilles “Firework” by Katy Perry “You Mean the World to Me” by Freya Ridings   10 Neutral Songs Not Relating to Appearance (For Those With Underlying Body Image Issues) “Higher Love” by Kygo, Whitney Houston “Happy” by Pharrell Williams “Adventure of a Lifetime” by Coldplay “Grow As We Go” by Ben Platt “Happier” by Bastille and Marshmello “Rhythm is a Dancer” Remix by Breathe Carolina “Over and Over” by Hot Chip “Sister of Pearl” by Baio “Awake” by Tycho “Going Up the Country” by Canned Heat     Resources Coyne, S. M., Davis, E. J., Warburton, W., Stockdale, L., Abba, I., & Busby, D. M. (2020). Mirror, mirror on the wall: The effect of listening to body positive music on implicit and explicit body esteem. Psychology of Popular Media. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000273 https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/body-image-eating-disorders https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745223/

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young woman looking happily into mirror

How Rephrasing Your Self-Talk Can Shift Your Narrative

Transforming Mindset: The Impact of Positive Self-Talk By Paige Mandel MS, RD   Often times, many thoughts rise to the surface when we begin to think about food and our bodies. Whether it is food or non-food related, as we go throughout our day, we talk to ourselves and tend to label our experience instinctively, defining ourselves by our associated feelings. Once you create this label in your head, you believe that thought to be a truth, and you start to draft your narrative.   In approaching food decisions, eating a meal, looking in the mirror, getting dressed, or just going about your day, your perception of the physical body is magnified by your thoughts and feelings, amplifying negative self-talk which could trigger anxiety and/or guilt. The more you allow yourself to act on these negative thoughts, the more your narrative adapts to this perception versus reality. This is where the work comes in. It’s entails enhancing quality of life and mindfully acting upon core values rather than self-perceptions. Enter, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT).   ACT is a therapy that uses your learned experiences, and creates distance from the uncomfortable, unpleasant, and unwanted thoughts or feelings which ultimately provides an effective tool for you to handle them when encountered. This distance from perception creates space for meaningful quality of life. There are six core principles of ACT meant to guide you in learning to accept your inner thoughts by committing to your core values and shifting your narrative to yield a more enjoyable, mindful life.   ACT trainer Russel Harris, eloquently defines the six principles1 :   1. Cognitive Defusion Learning to perceive thoughts, images, memories and other cognitions as what they are—nothing more than bits of language, words and pictures—as opposed to what they can appear to be—threatening events, rules that must be obeyed, objective truths and facts.  Step 1: Bring to mind an upsetting and recurring negative self-judgment that takes the form “I am X” such as “I am incompetent,” or “I’m stupid.” Hold that thought in your mind for several seconds and believe it as much as you can. Now notice how it affects you. Step 2: Now take the thought “I am X” and insert this phrase in front of it: “I’m having the thought that….” ‘Now run that thought again, this time with the new phrase. Notice what happens. In step 2, most people notice a “distance” from the thought, such that it has much less impact. Notice there has been no effort to get rid of the thought, nor to change it. Instead the relationship with the thought has changed—it can be seen as just words.   For instance, when approaching a fear food, a food you have inherently labeled as “bad” for whatever reason, your instinct may be to avoid this food as that alternative may seem easier in the moment. For the sake of example, let’s call this food pizza. In this case, avoiding the pizza will make it even harder to allow yourself to eat it in future situations, let’s say at a social gathering or restaurant. Such avoidance keeps you from pursuing your values and goals, of “normal eating,” allowing all foods to have a place in your intake.  Yet, when you implement ACT, you force your self-dialogue off track to be curious about the situation in front of you. If your self-talk narrates “I am gross because I ate the pizza/if I eat the pizza,” or try rephrasing that dialogue to “I am having the thought that I am gross because I ate the pizza/if I eat the pizza.” This rephrasing does not avoid the uncomfortable experience, but rather creates distance from your self-perception and reality, explicitly stating that you are simply having a thought, just like the many thoughts and ideas that run through your head throughout the day, as opposed to a characterization of your reality.   2. Acceptance Making room for unpleasant feelings, sensations, urges, and other private experiences; allowing them to come and go without struggling with them, running from them, or giving them undue attention.   3. Contact with the present moment Bringing full awareness to your here-and-now experience, with openness, interest, and receptiveness; focusing on, and engaging fully in whatever you are doing.   4. The Observing Self Accessing a transcendent sense of self; a continuity of consciousness that is unchanging, ever-present, and impervious to harm. From this perspective, it is possible to experience directly that you are not your thoughts, feelings, memories, urges, sensations, images, roles, or physical body. These phenomena change constantly and are peripheral aspects of you, but they are not the essence of who you are.   5. Values Clarifying what is most important, deep in your heart; what sort of person you want to be; what is significant and meaningful to you; and what you want to stand for in this life.    6. Committed Action Setting goals, guided by your values, and taking effective action to achieve them.”   You may notice that your commitment to your core values rather than your self-perception will create space for you to act as your most authentic self. These small shifts in language translate to larger shifts in self-compassion, self-acceptance and a more fulfilling quality of life.   Reference 1.         Leader in training videos for mental health professionals Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): An Overview. https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy-ACT

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woman taking probiotics

To Probiotic or Not?

Probiotics: To Include or Not in Your Diet? When choosing a probiotic supplement, there are many things to consider. Will the probiotic help your microbiome (environment of bacteria in a specific area of your body)? Is the probiotic known to help your individual circumstance? Is the probiotic safe for you or your loved one? Infants, elderly and individuals with a weak immune system should not take probiotics unless recommended by their medical doctor.  Here is a guide to help individuals choose when to take a probiotic if their medical doctor approves. Condition Probiotics Associated with Improved Symptoms Evidence Weight to lose Lactobacillus gasseri & or Lactobacillus rhamnosus Weight loss (14 -16) IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) Combinations of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, & Streptococcus (17) Improve IBS symptoms, bloating, & flatulence (17) Diarrhea due to infection by Clostridium difficile Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lactobacillus casei (18) Reduce the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and C. difficile infection & aid in treatment (18) High cholesterol Fermented milk containing Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium & Streptococcus thermophiles (19) Lowering effect of total & LDL cholesterol (19) Mood and Depression Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (LcS) (20) Lactobacillus plantarum (22) Decrease anxiety and depression (20, 22) To help find which brand to use, consider a visit to www.ConsumerLabs.com, the Clinical Guide to Probiotic Products Available in Canada, or another third-party company that tests a variety of brands for the accuracy and quality of their product. Always consult your medical doctor before taking any probiotic or supplement. Supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.   References: 1. Venugopalan V, Shriner KA, Wong-Beringer A. Regulatory Oversight and Safety of Probiotic Use. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010;16(11):1661. doi:10.3201/eid1611.100574 2. Barzegari A, Eslami S, Ghabeli E, Omidi Y. Imposition of encapsulated non-indigenous probiotics into intestine may disturb human core microbiome. Front Microbiol. 2014;5. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00393 3. Probiotics: What You Need To Know. NCCIH. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-know 4. Sanchez M, Darimont C, Drapeau V, et al. Effect of Lactobacillus rhamnosus CGMCC1.3724 supplementation on weight loss and maintenance in obese men and women. The British journal of nutrition. doi:10.1017/S0007114513003875 5. Aragon G, Graham DB, Borum M, Doman DB. Probiotic Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010;6(1):39. 6. Boonma P, Spinler JK, Venable SF, Versalovic J, Tumwasorn S. Lactobacillus rhamnosus L34 and Lactobacillus casei L39 suppress Clostridium difficile-induced IL-8 production by colonic epithelial cells. BMC microbiology. doi:10.1186/1471-2180-14-177 7. Zhuang G, Liu X-M, Zhang Q-X, et al. Research advances with regards to clinical outcome and potential mechanisms of the cholesterol-lowering effects of probiotics. Clin Lipidol. Published online January 18, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2020. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2217/clp.12.40 8. Rao AV, Bested AC, Beaulne TM, et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study of a probiotic in emotional symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome. Gut Pathog. 2009;1:6. doi:10.1186/1757-4749-1-6 9. Mallappa RH, Rokana N, Duary RK, Panwar H, Batish VK, Grover S. Management of metabolic syndrome through probiotic and prebiotic interventions. Indian J Endocrinol Metab. 2012;16(1):20. doi:10.4103/2230-8210.91178 10. Psychobiotics in mental health, neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. J Food Drug Anal. 2019;27(3):632-648. doi:10.1016/j.jfda.2019.01.002

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diverse women at party

Self-Worth From Within: Five Women Breaking the “White, Thin-Ideal” Mold

Celebrating Diversity: Women Redefining Beauty Standards By Rebecca Jaspan MPH, RD, CDN, CDE   Is your self-worth tied to your appearance?  Is your confidence determined by the number you see on the scale?  Do you feel held back until you reach your goal weight?  If you answered yes to any of these questions, know that you are not alone.  We live in a world that bombards us with images of white, thin, able-bodied women on social media, in fashion magazines, and online shopping models.  For many, what we see is not representative of us or the people we know.  This can leave us feeling alienated and even like we need to change our bodies to fit this commonplace “mold”.    At LCWNS, we help our clients find their self-worth from within.  Focusing on what is inside and learning to see ourselves as more than just a body is a key step in recovery.  When we focus on our appearance, this can hold us back from doing the things we want to do.  You may tell yourself a narrative that you’ll never be successful until you look a certain way.  At the same time, we choose how to curate our social media feeds.  We encourage our clients to diversify their social media, fill their feeds with different body types, races, and genders.  Fill your social media with people that give you positive energy rather than triggers for comparison.    While there is certainly a disproportionate representation of one specific population, there are people who are working hard to change this scene.  These five women are excelling and inspiring in their fields while defying the “white, thin ideal”.  Whether they have more fat on their bodies or different color skin, these women are diversifying the image of what a highly successful female looks like.  When you believe in your inner self-worth, you can truly accomplish anything regardless of your appearance.   1. Lena Dunham Lena Dunham is an actress, writer, director, and producer best known for her award-winning television series Girls.  Having struggled with body image herself, Dunham uses her platform to promote body positivity.  On various occasions, Dunham has described on Instagram how much happier she is at a higher weight than when she weighed less because she healthier both mentally and physically.  She has inspired her fans by showing that all body shapes can be celebrated.   2. Mindy Kaling Another body positive advocate in the TV space is Mindy Kaling.  She is an actress, writer, producer, and comedian best known for her role in The Office and creation of The Mindy Project.  Coming from immigrant parents from India, Kaling explains that she never saw a family like hers on TV when she was beginning her career, which inspired her writing.  While Kaling as heard her share of “backhanded compliments” and people telling her she subscribes to “different” ideals of beauty, she champions body acceptance.  She admits to feeling pressure to look a certain way, but expresses that she can’t change her body and accepts herself the way she is.  She has proven to those who have told people who look like her can’t be on TV very wrong indeed.    3. Tammy Duckworth Tammy Duckworth is the Senator of Illinois and a former US army lieutenant colonel.  She served as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War.  In 2004, her helicopter was hit by a grenade and she suffered severe combat wounds, including loss of both of her legs and some mobility in her right arm.  Despite these injuries, Duckworth obtained a medical waiver to continue serving in the army until she retired in 2014.  Duckworth is the first Thai American and first female double amputee elected to Congress as well as the first senator to give birth while in office.  Duckworth didn’t allow these adversities and limitations in ability and appearance to prevent her from ascending to a public figure role.   4. Serena Williams As a world-famous professional tennis player, Serena Williams is breaking down barriers in the sports world.  She has won 23 Grand Slam titles and ranked number 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association eight separate times.  She has also won four Olympic gold medals.  Despite her incredible athletic talents, Williams has been subject to criticism for her appearance, sexism, and racism, and she is on a mission to change that dialogue for younger women.  She advocates embracing natural beauty and having unwavering confidence.  Williams was told she was too muscular or not pretty enough to be a tennis player and she ignored those negative comments and turned inward to loving herself and her body.    5. Brene Brown Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston and author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers.  Her TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability, is one of the top five most viewed TED talks in the world with over 45 million views.  In her work, Brown talks extensively about shame and its relation to body image.  And Brown herself defies the “thin ideal” we so frequently see in public figures.  She says “what we think, hate, loathe, and wonder about the acceptability of our bodies reaches much further and impacts far more than our appearance.  The long reach of body shame can impact who and how we love, work, parent, communicate, and build relationships”.  She speaks about the pressure women feel to measure up to culturally-defined standards of perfection manifesting in a lack of self-worth and the importance finding self-worth from within. 

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gluten free foods

RD Recommended Gluten-Free Brands + Products

Top Gluten-Free Brands and Products: RD’s Picks by Laura Cipullo, RD, CDE, CEDRD, CDN www.LauraCipullo.com BAKING (Cake Mixes, Brownies, Icing) Simple Mills Hudson River Foods   BREADS  Udi’s Bread  Whole Grain Chia Millet Ener-G Bread  Seattle Brown Loaf Brown Rice Loaf Food for Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread Rice Almond Bread Raisin Pecan Bread Canyon Bakehouse 7-Grain Cinnamon Raisin Bread Bob’s Red Mill  Hearty Whole Grain Bread Mix   CEREALS Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Cereals Whole O’s Mesa Sunrise Arrowhead Mills  Organic Maple Buckwheat Flakes Erewhon  Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal Barbara’s Honey Rice Puffins Brown Rice Crisps Chex Gluten-free Corn Chex Rice Chex Van’s Gluten-Free Blissfully Berry Cocoa Sensation Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal Certified Gluten-Free Rolled Oats Simpli Gluten-Free Oatmeal Bakery on Main Gluten-Free Bakery Instant Oatmeal   CHICKEN NUGGETS Applegate Farms  Ian’s Natural Foods  Bell & Evan’s  Tyson    CRACKERS Van’s  Gluten-Free crackers – any flavor Mary’s Gone  Gluten-Free Crackers – any flavor Crunchmaster 7 Ancient Grain crackers Multi-seed crackers – any flavor Multi-grain crackers – any flavor Back to Nature ​Multi-seed Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper Blue Diamond – Nut Thins   DAIRY FREE ALTERNATIVES (Some are DF + GF) Kite Hill Almond milk yogurt and ricotta Forager Project Cashew Yogurt So Delicious Siggi’s Plant-Based Yogurts    PANCAKES & WAFFLES Van’s Ancient Grains Original Waffles Flax Waffles Buckwheat with Berries Waffles Pancakes Nature’s Path Homestyle Waffles Pumpkin Spice Waffles Pamela’s Products Baking & Pancake Mix   PASTAS Lundberg Family Farms  Gluten-Free Organic Brown Rice Pasta DeBoles  Multigrain Pasta Varieties Hodgson Mill  Gluten-Free Brown Rice Pastas Jovial Foods Brown Rice Pastas Ancient Harvest  Quinoa Pasta Banza  Chickpea Pasta Tolerant Lentil Pasta   PIZZA Amy’s Kitchen Gluten-Free Pizzas Udi’s  Gluten-Free Pizzas and Pizza Crust Daiya Gluten-Free Dairy-Free   SNACKS AND BARS Lara Bars Kind Bars Glenny’s  Snack Bars Bakery on Main  Gluten-Free Granola Bars Enjoy Life  Chewy Bars Tate’s Gluten-Free Cookies Andean Dream Quinoa Cookies Quinn Snacks Pretzels Snyder’s of Hanover Pretzels Coconut Bliss Coconut Ice Cream Artisana Organics + Nuttza Peanut Free Nut Butter Alternatives Van Leeuwen Vegan Cashew Ice Cream   SAUCES La Choy Gluten-Free Soy Sauce Teriyaki Sauce Bragg’s Dressings Aminos (Soy sauce alternative – use the coconut aminos   WRAPS Food for Life  Gluten-Free Brown Rice Tortillas Rudi’s Bakery Plain Tortillas   OTHER Frozen Entrees – Mac & Cheese, Burritos, and Pizza Amy’s Kitchen Smoothies Odwalla Bolthouse Farms    

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