Juliebw’s BodyBlog

Fiber is a unique type of carbohydrate that passes through the human digestive system virtually unchanged, without being broken down into nutrients.. Fiber influences the digestion process from beginning to end. You can stick about five chips in your mouth and with a couple of bites, they are moving their way down your digestive tract. However, try that with broccoli, it’s impossible. It is going to take a bit more chewing to get it broken down enough to swallow. This slows down how much you can put in your mouth and it provides a sense of satiety. Due to the slower digestive process, fiber keeps your blood sugar at an even level. When fiber is broken down in the colon, the acids produced by this process provide nourishment to the lining of the colon. These acids also provide the body with fuel, which aids in your metabolism. Fiber also aids the body in eliminating fat. Fiber leaves the body in the same form it entered. As it makes its way down the digestive system, it grabs fats and carries them to the colon where the fat and fiber have created a little ball, the water is extracted, and the ball is eliminated from the body. An important fact to keep in mind though, is an apple cannot carry three slices of pizza, it is all in proportion. 

How much fiber do you need? The USDA recommends 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories consumed. Fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber include: 

• Apples 
  

• Beans 
  

• Berries 
  

• Broccoli 
  

• Brussels sprouts 
  

• Carrots 
  

• Cauliflower 
  

• Oranges 
  

• Pears 
  

• Peas 
  

• Prunes 
  

Here are other good sources of fiber: 

• Bran muffins 
  

• Brown rice 
  

• Multi-grain cereals 
  

• Oatmeal 
  

• Popcorn 
  

• Whole-wheat bread 
  

It is not as hard as you think to get in your daily fiber. ½ cup oatmeal, 1 small banana, 1/2 cup cooked black beans, 1 small apple, ½ cup peas, and 1/2 cup berries- will provide you with your daily intake. 

Therefore, if you are looking to lose weight or you just want to be healthy- You need to increase your daily fiber intake. Another quick note: add fiber slowly to your diet. If you add too much, too quickly, it can cause bloating and stomach cramping. Gradually add a serving every other day until you get to your daily amount. Be sure to be drinking plenty of water, getting in at least your eight minimum glasses a day. 

*Always check with your doctor if you have any questions, concerns, or are being treated for any health conditions before following any new diet plan. 

As a young child of divorced parents, I would go spend a week each summer with my dad and his new wife. I admit I was a picky eater as most 5 year olds are therefore; my mother would pack snack cakes into my suitcase for me to eat. My stepmother did not like fussy eaters and would more often than not send me to bed early because I refused to eat what she fixed for dinner. There I sat in this dark room all alone. I was scared and hungry and I would indulge in my little snack cakes for comfort. I learned at a young age that food provided me comfort.

Emotional Eating is a real epidemic in this country. If a friend were to come up to you and confess, they have a drinking problem or a drug problem, would you help them find a counseling program, or a service to get the help they need? What about a friend that eats to cover their emotions? Emotional eating is a real problem with experts estimating over 75% of overeating is caused by emotions.

Have you ever grabbed a chocolate bar because you had a rough day and you felt you deserved that treat?

Emotional eating is defined as eating food in response to feelings instead of hunger. I think we can all honestly confess to indulging in this behavior once or twice in our lifetimes. Some reasons people turn to food are depression, boredom, loneliness, anger, anxiety, frustration, stress, relationship problems, financial problems, and low self-esteem. You do not have to worry about your problems when you are sinking your taste buds into a nice salty bag of potato chips. It is a immediate comfort for stressful situations.

The first step in combating this behavior is to identify your triggers. Some possible triggers are: at the movies, you feel you’re suppose to indulge in a bowl of buttery popcorn. You are hanging out with friends at a restaurant and everyone is ordering appetizers and desserts. Having a negative self worth can also trigger emotional eating. You are bored, mad at a coworker, tired, or angry so you eat to fill the void.

The second step is to understand the difference between physical hunger and emotions. True hunger is a real physical pain that occurs over time; emotional hunger happens suddenly. When you are truly hungry, you do not crave any certain type of food, anything will satisfy you. However, when you are eating out of emotions you are craving a specific food and nothing else will do. Lastly, emotional eating leaves you feeling guilty about what you ate.

 When you have had a bad day and are craving something bad, try changing your behavior by reading a book, listening to music, taking a relaxing bubble bath, calling a friend, doing some household chores, exercising, or writing a letter until the feeling subsides. Having an arsenal of healthy snacks readily available will leave you more prepared for that unexpected situation or emotion.

Statistics show that when you experience a feeling of boredom you crave salty or crunchy food like potato chips. When you are happy, you crave carbohydrates like steak or pizza, and when you are sad, you crave sweets such as cookies or ice cream. You need to find healthier options for those cravings.

Instead of:                      
        Replace with:

Potato chips                   �
�         veggies, natural baked chips, mixed nuts, Wasa Crackers

Ice cream                   �
�             frozen yogurt, fat free puddings, light ice cream

Cookies                  �
�                Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars) You can find Prograde Cravers at http://Juliewilcoxson.getprograde.com

Pizza                   �
�                    Thin Crust whole grain pizza or make your own healthier version.

It is always important to keep a food journal. Write down the foods you ate, the time of day you ate them, and rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very hungry). Make it a habit to divide your portions into a portion sized container or baggie. Never eat out of a bag or container. Be mindful of why you are eating and always remember that Food is a necessity. It is neither a reward nor a punishment.

I read something that other day that struck me profoundly. It had me thinking about a majority of the moms out there. It was an article talking about healthy eating and how it is a choice. Something I preach everyday. However, the part that got to me read, “You are the most important person in your life.” I would like you to read that part again.

The reason it hit me hard is that I know many moms that would disagree. They would argue no way; my children are the most important people in my life. Well as a mother of two beautiful girls, I would agree. This was my same kind of thinking about 8 years ago. I did anything and everything for my daughters. I spent so much money on buying them those adorable outfits, I fed them the best nutrition, I took them to the park everyday, to make sure they had enough sunshine (Vitamin D), and I made sure they got the right amount of sleep every night. However, if you were to look at me, I wore my same baggy clothes to hide the extra weight I still didn’t lose, I ate whatever quick fix I could muster up, I stayed up late cleaning the house, and catching up on my television shows; only to wake up the next day with bags under my eyes.

Now does any of that sound like you? Does it make any sense? If you saw your friend putting that, much time and effort to care for someone else while letting her self go, wouldn’t you give her advice on how she needed to start taking care of herself. We all love our children, just because we put the same amount of care in ourselves, does not mean we love them any less and it surely does not mean we are selfish.

We have to be the most important person in our lives. That is how we show our love to our children. If our health fails, than we cannot take care of anyone. They will have to take care of us. By letting ourselves go, then we are teaching our children that we are not as worthy as everyone else. It took me a long time to understand this concept and to come to the place in my life where I could say that I actually love myself. After all, how could I not, my two daughters are walking around with part of me.

Be the Best Role Model You Can Be,

In Health,

Julie Wilcoxson