Food Talk with QualityFood

We live in a time where we are bombarded with messages on eating in a certain way or another to get “that healthy fit body”. The overwhelming information be it from the online world, Social Media, Media or even on food packages can leave us confused, overwhelmed and jumping from one trending “Best Diet” to another, without getting the results that we truly desire. 

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. The only expert on your body is YOU. But first, you need to learn how to listen to your body’s unique wisdom so that you can guide it into its best health and shape. 

Our bodies are super wise, and they are seeking balance as much as we are. They know what they require to stay energetic, healthy, balanced and keep that Metabolism on fire, staying active and healthy. What stands in the way, is listening to everyone else’s recommendation except ourselves. What I mean by this; we adopt a trending diet, a blogger’s or vlogger’s advice, or a magazine’s recommended diet for that Bikini. and this put us out of touch with our own body.  

It’s important to know that your Body is Unique in its Metabolism to guide yourself into a more natural and healthy eating lifestyle, the way it assimilates food and Primarily Your Mindset. So what works for one, does not necessarily or work for another. 

We are all different in our lifestyle, eating habits, foods we like, foods that cause us allergies and as well, how we think about Eating and Food.  

The Mind plays a massive role in influencing our digestion, calorie-burning, metabolism and all assimilation and nutritive functions of the body.  

In the first episode of Food Talk on QualityFood, I discussed two ways in which our Minds influence our Bodies: 

First, our Minds and Bodies are always communicating with each other. As we do not think in a vacuum, with every thought we think, there is a biochemical reaction in our bodies. When we’re stressed, with our thoughts, we produce more stress hormones like Cortisol, when we are in a relaxed or neutral state, we create more of the feel-good hormones like Dopamine.  

Needless to say, that you can notice that your stomach does not digest food properly when you are stressed and you feel heavy, uncomfortable and sometimes bloated. 

Second, we know from research in the field of Psychophysiology, that part of the Digestion process starts in the head. This is what they called the “Cephalic Phase Digestive Response” which accounts for 30% to 40% of our digestive response to any meal we are eating. How is this activated? Recall the times when you are walking in the Grocery Store. You get that smell of excellent food that captures your attention or see that delicious looking meal in the display fridge, or even the smell of food your mom is cooking in the kitchen, what you notice is that your mouth starts watering, your stomach starts churning and you kind of start looking forward to eating that meal. This is when your Mind gives instructions to your body to release the right enzymes that will aid in digesting, processing and assimilating the food which all help in the calories burning process. 

Tips to keep in Mind and start applying: 

1. Make sure you are always doing self-scanning to see how you are feeling. Make a conscious effort to keep this mindful practice as this will help you become Self-conscious about what is happening in your body as well as your surroundings so you can make different choices and actions that help in making you feel better. 

1. Make your meals tasty and Nutritious: You want to think of your Meals as something you want to look forward to eating (since that eye, smell, the thought of your food is participating to up to 40% of your digestion) as well as Nutritious; as this is the fuel for your Body and Mind. How do you do that?  a) As you are in the Grocery Store or Shopping Online, make sure you choose Quality Food that is fresh, natural, colorful, rich in nutrients that will make your meal as delicious and as satisfying as possible. b) When you are not cooking, make sure you choose your Meals in the same manner: have a variety of nutrients, fresh, as natural or as close as possible to home cooking. 

Remember: You want to enjoy that meal at the same time make sure it’s rich in the variety of ingredients and high nutrients.  

In the next blog post, we’ll talk more about how we can help our bodies be on their healthiest state by making some shifts in our Mindsets about how we think of our bodies and food to guide you into a more Mindful Eating lifestyle that suits your own Body and Health. 

Jocelyne Elias 

Wellness Psychology 

Mental Wellness Expert 

Applied Neuroscience & Brain Health