One Way to Improve Digestion…

Here’s why you should learn mindful eating 👇👇

Did you know that it’s possible to support your digestion, lose weight more easily, stop eating when full, and enjoy your food more….

Just by mindful eating?

I’m not saying it’s easy (it will take some practice), but here are some tips:

➡️ Block off plenty of time to eat when you won’t be distracted (at least 20 minutes)

➡️ Set your phone aside and turn off notifications

➡️ Take small bites, chew thoroughly, and focus on enjoying the food

➡️ Check in with yourself to notice when you feel full

Sometimes we get caught up in the latest trends and flashy ways to improve our health, but focusing on the basics is often even more powerful.

Double tap ❤️ if you want to see more posts like this.

Save this post 📥 for a reminder!

Foods for Vagal Tone

Nutrition for the Vagus Nerve?

It’s true!

Foods can increase vagal tone through the gut-brain axis. For example:

🥦 Fiber sends signals through the vagus nerve to the brain and back to slow gut movements and make us feel full.

🥗 The Mediterranean Diet is associated with higher heart rate variability, which is a measure of vagal tone.

🐟 Probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins improve heart rate variability too.

The vagus nerve regulates everything from heart health to metabolic health to immune function, and it is strongly influenced by what is going on in the gut! That means that anything you do (or eat) to affect gut health will probably also affect vagal tone.

We love to nerd out on how everything in the body is connected. If you are trying to make sense of what is going on with your own health or how your symptoms relate, we can help.

Visit our website to schedule an appointment today! 📱

Reference

Young HA, Benton D. Heart-rate variability: a biomarker to study the influence of nutrition on physiological and psychological health?. Behav Pharmacol. 2018;29(2 and 3-Spec Issue):140-151. [link]

How to Get Out of a Funk!

Can movement shift your mindset?

For sure!

💃Break out of a mental funk by turning on some music and dancing it out

🏃 Shift negative thinking with a good workout or run

🏋️‍♂️ Push yourself a little extra hard to train your brain you really can change

We love to compartmentalize our health—thinking that physical health is separate from mental health—when actually they are intimately and intricately connected.

Comment below and tell me your favorite way to get moving! ⤵️

Let's Talk About Stress & Food!

Want a stress hack most people never think about?

Food.

Here’s why:

➡️If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.

➡️Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.

➡️Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.

➡️Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that eating in a way that supports balanced blood sugar levels sends the body a signal of safety (not stress) and helps to support healthy cortisol levels.

It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

You with me?

Here’s how I eat to combat stress:

🥣 Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)

🚫 Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)

🥦 Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)

🥤 Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Have you noticed that food affects your stress level?

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My Favorite Antioxidants for Mitochondria 🧬

⬇️ WHY WE NEED ANTIOXIDANTS ⬇️

Antioxidants protect our cells from toxins and free radical damage, but they are especially important for protecting our MITOCHONDRIA.

(for those in the back row—check out my recent posts about mitochondrial function 😉)

The thing is that mitochondrial DNA is less protected than nuclear DNA inside cells, so it is even more susceptible to damage from toxins.

Here are some of my favorite antioxidants to protect mitochondrial function:

▪️ Resveratrol

▪️ CoQ10 (CoQ10)

▪️ Acetyl-l-Carnitine

▪️ Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA)

It also helps to eat lots of fruits & veggies 🥦🫐🍅🥑🍋

When you’re ready to stop grabbing random supplements from the shelf of the health food store and instead get a personalized plan from a professional, message me for how to get started or visit our website to schedule your first appointment. 🙌