I don’t know about you, but lately, my dinners do not look like this photo. More likely, they have been coming from boxes and bags.
In researching to bring you some healthy tips in this month’s newsletter, I learned eating like this on the regular hits more than our bank accounts. It legit affects our ability to deal with anxiety. And every day offers opportunities to spiral into anxiety, doesn’t it?
Let’s not pretend that reaching for the bag of chips or that donut doesn’t sound more rewarding. But it’s a scientific fact that what we decide to put into our mouths has a direct impact on our mood, short-term, and our mental health, long-term. And good news or bad, around here, we face the facts.
What you consume has consequences.
To help control anxiety, choose foods that promote a happy mind, like a turkey burger with sweet potato fries instead of heavy carbs. We found a super helpful list of foods that promote a healthy mind and keep anxiety in check at “Eat This, Not That!”
If you are as fascinated as we are, you can take it one step further and learn even more about your personal food-mood by experimenting on yourself.
Know thyself.
Food journaling has been around forever. But there’s a reason–it works! Most people use it to log meals and calories, but that’s only half the value. Logging how you feel a couple of hours after eating something can be an eye-opener!
In as little as a week of reviewing your eating routine in your food journal, you can see how a particular mood is consistent with something you ate. There are several options for food/mood journal apps you can have at your fingertips. Knowing how you respond to particular foods can be life-changing. My niece discovered her little daughter’s out-of-control tantrums resulted after consuming red dye. Juice, popsicle, whatever. The change is drastic after eliminating artificial red dyes entirely from her diet. Why do we think adults don’t have tantrums?
What we consume has consequences. We don’t cheat the consequences when we reach for the bag of chips or that donut.
Let’s eat to be well and feel happy! Welcome to the Integrity Team. You belong here.
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