Day 87 - "Love to Eat? No Worries!"

In an article from the April 2011 edition of Health Magazine, writer Kimberly Goad talks about how emotional eating isn't all that bad for you. In fact, according to MD Michelle May, "trying to talk yourself out of getting a mood boost from food only sets you up for bigger overeating problems - like binging." Therefore, caving into our mood boosting eating habits isn't always bad. We are, after all, born and raised to connect food with love from the moment we enter into the world - getting fed from our mothers. Now, the foods we crave have high amounts of chemicals that work in our brains to make us feel good. Here are some tips from Health on how to best eat emotionally:

Emo-eat only what you love

Health suggests doing the "Four-Really Test" before deciding on any food to eat. This means asking yourself if you really, really, really, really want it. Health tells us that if you "reach for something that you don't really want, [then] you're likely to eat more of it because it isn't satisfying."

Make it blow your mind

Before you make any kind of food decision, make sure you are totally focusing on the choice at hand. "If you don't take a moment to enjoy everything about it, then the real reason you're eating it won't be served". You'll then be more likely to eat other high-calorie foods and more of them.

Don't eat it on an empty stomach

Follow your mother's old rule: Don't eat until you finished your dinner. According to Julia Ross, "if you've had a good meal with protein, vegetables, and a healthy fat, your dessert has a better chance of being emotionally satisfying."

Bag the guilt

According to Ross, "nobody should feel guilty if they use food to celebrate or feel comfort."

So what are some good foods to eat to help boost your mood? According to Health, caffeine can actually be a big mood booster when drunken in moderation during breakfast. B vitamins are also important mood boosters by eliminating mood swings and anxiety. Finally, foods rich in protein are "naturally high in tyrosine, an amino acid that helps boost dopamine, the brain's feel-good chemical."

Exercise: It's a freestyle Swim Workout day! Here's the workout for today (I completed it in about an hours time):

2x250 warm up (100 drill - finger tip drag/catch up arms, 50 kick, 100 swim)

8x100 on the 2:00

12x75 on the 1:30

8x50 on the 1:00

200 cool down

TOTAL: 2800 Meters (1.75 miles)

Eat: Today I want to talk about five more fruits and their benefits to us. Nectarines and peaches both contain vitamin C. Interestingly, the two fruits are so closely related that you can sometimes (though rarely) find them growing on the same tree. Pears contain vitamin C and fiber. In fact, one medium sized pear contain 4 grams of fiber - though most is in its skin. Papaya is full of all kinds of vitamins and minerals; including vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, folate, and potassium. Finally, pineapples contain vitamin C and manganese.

Relax: When I got home from work tonight, I enjoyed catching up on today's Biggest Loser episode. I absolutely love the show. While watching it, I also was able to sew up some flowers that I started this morning. While it was work, it was still relaxing.