This blog post is a very short one but exciting one. If you have only visited my website and seen only my blog post your missing out on a whole lot!
I wanted to write this blog post to let you know that I am officially an AUTHOR! This year I have been on a journey of exploring new talents and creativity and creating eBooks has become my new favorite thing.
Now, I am going to be writing a wide range of eBooks from children’s books to weight loss guides. My inspiration for starting my children’s eBook series is my son. He is now three years old and he likes to learn but he loves his ABCs. He can’t get enough of it but I wanted to teach by doing letter of the week but I realized that I was not finding the type of books I wanted when it came to that so I created it! So if you have little ones at home you will love the ABC series from A to Z and two more letters will be released this month. As some of you may know I have my Acid Reflux autobiography about my journey with Acid Reflux which was my very first eBook. I am excited to add many new titles but for now check out below all the books that are available:
Now if you have been following my blog for quite some time you know that I have LPR (Laryngopharyngeal) re flux. I have been dealing with this re flux for many many years before I was officially diagnosed at the age of 23 and 10 years later it is still here. It hasn’t been the easiest journey for me but it has certainly changed my relationship with food. Then fast forward to now I have gained almost 40 pounds within the past three years whew! Sometimes I feel like I am in an up heel battle with my relationship with food. With acid re flux there are so many foods that you can’t eat and that have to be avoided that you feel like you can’t eat anything at all, and then with all this weight gain, I feel like everything I eat is going to hurt me because I am going to keep gaining more weight.
It’s exhausting but I want to get it right. I don’t want to be stuck in the battle of being afraid of the foods I eat. What would you say your relationship with food is? When we talk about our relationship with food this takes us back to intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is all about fixing your relationship with food. Intuitive eating has 10 principles and some of those principles are honor your hunger, make peace with food, and challenge the food police. I love that intuitive eating makes us take a deeper dive to the traumas that may be causing us to eat the way that we do in order to have a better relationship with food. When you are in tune with yourself and the way you eat it makes eating easier. You don’t have to beat yourself up if you had a piece of chocolate today or french fries tomorrow. The goal is to still make those right choices but even when you make the wrong food choices to not beat yourself up about it the goal is to enjoy food , be healthy, and be happy with YOU.
What’s your story?
– Vanessa Jo A short blog post read time: 3 to 5 minutes
To simply put it, eating healthy shouldn’t be so hard but the reality is that it is. The reason why it is so hard is because we are surrounded by fast foods whether it be fast foods down the block or processed foods in our supermarkets. Eating junk foods is like poison to our body. It doesn’t do anything good for us but makes us prone to conditions such as heart disease and it does not have any nutritional value. I know doing groceries and cooking food can be time consuming and sometimes we don’t have the time for it and buying groceries can cost a fortune (trust me I know) but it is worth it and it outweighs the risk of all the things that can happen when you eat an unhealthy diet for such a long time.
So the question really is how should we eat? From a holistic standpoint the answer I would give is eat a plant based diet and do not eat any meat. But that is not the reality for most of us and a lot of people still eat meat and do not want to give up meat. So I would say eat more plants and less meat. Eating more plants and less meat doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat what you like, it just means the things that are not good for us such as sugary and highly processed food should be eaten in moderation and really it’s that simple.
When it comes to processed foods, if it comes in a packet and has a lot of ingredients that you can’t pronounce more than likely you shouldn’t eat it. Stay away from refined carbohydrates, white flour, white sugar, and anything that has high fructose corn syrup. Try to aim to eat more organic food when possible and eat animal products that are organic and grass fed. The most important factor when it comes to eating food is that your body must be able to digest and absorb nutrients. Take your time when eating food and don’t rush it, chew your food thoroughly.
Even though eating healthy sounds boring it really doesn’t have to be. Even when it comes to eating vegetables you can give any vegetable flavor and seasoning. It doesn’t have to be bland, season your foods with all the flavors and tastes that you enjoy ( go easy on the seasoning because of salt) but, give your food flavor and have fun. Hence, eating healthy doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be hard.
Let me tell you something about water: it’s everywhere! From soil moisture and ice caps to the cells inside our bodies. Just like the surface of the earth, the body is made up of 60 to 70 percent. Our cells need water for our bodies to function at an optimal level. Water is one of the best cleansers our bodies need and also a healing agent for our bodies. When we don’t drink enough of it, it can lead to many signs and symptoms that we may not even realize comes from not drinking enough water.
Let me tell you some more interesting facts about water. Water is not only in the blood, but the heart and the brain is also ¾ quarts water. The lungs are made up of 83 percent water. Water helps us to lubricate the joints, regulate body temperature, and nourishes the brain and spinal cord. That alone goes to show you how many body systems can be affected if you do not drink water so the next time your joints hurt think to yourself are your joints properly lubricated? When our brain realizes that we have not had enough water it then signals the hypothalamus to release diuretic hormones which in return tells our kidneys to enable the blood to absorb and retain more water, leading to darker urine. Why do the kidneys do this? Because the body has to hold onto whatever water is available so that you do not go into full dehydration.
Now, when we drink water we need to make sure that we have the perfect balance not to drink too much and not drinking too little. Below I will list some of the symptoms we can experience when we are either dehydrated or over hydrated.
Dehydration causes:
-Drops in energy -Mood Swings -Skin moisture decreases -Blood pressure -Brain can temporarily shrink
Over hydration causes:
-The brain slows down -Sodium electrolytes become diluted causing cells to swell -Kidneys can’t keep up with hydration and may cause headaches vomiting seizures so drink 8 to 10 glasses a day
Did You Know?
When we don’t drink enough water our body responds to that by not telling us to drink enough water, and when we do drink water our body responds to that by telling us to drink more interesting right?
Each day we lose two to three liters of water from activities the body carries out such as breathing, sweating, urine, and bowel movements
Drinking water can lower the chance of stroke, manage diabetes and reduce the risk of some types of cancers
If you did not get a chance to read my previous blog post on heart health and women, please go and check that out. So, this year women’s history month I wanted to keep the topics simple, so I choose to speak about women and heart health. As I said in my last post women suffer from heart disease just as much as men do. It is the number one killer in America. That is really concerning but as we know our country is filled with a lot of fast foods and processed foods and it is everywhere and it is easy for busy people like ourselves. Even though it is unavoidable we can still work on getting better and making healthier whole food choices.
In my last blog post, I realized that I left out one key important thing the signs of a heart attack in a woman. The symptoms may be different from how men experience it which is why we must not leave this out and talk about it. So, let’s jump straight into it. Listed below are the signs and symptoms of a heart attack in women.
Signs and Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women
Pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of your chest. The pain can last more than one minutes stop and return
Pain in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.
** The thing when it comes to signs and symptoms is that certain signs and symptoms can be signs and symptoms of something else and not necessarily a heart attack. Some people may experience some of these symptoms daily and may not be able to tell the difference. This is why it is very important to pay attention to your body on a daily basis. If you have any of these symptoms, please do not hesitate to get checked out. Go to your nearest urgent care center or emergency room.
Written By: Vanessa J
For more information please visit the American Heart Association website and talk to your primary care provider.
NutriFoody Wholly Holism 