Category: Eat Well

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All About The Gut with Anne Aniya

Anne Aniya episode 24
Anne Aniya episode graphic

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Welcome to Well Beauty Lab! Did you know that there is a connection between what we eat and how we feel throughout the day? In today’s episode, our guest Anne Anyia shares how to keep your gut healthy by introducing a genuine lifestyle of healthy eating and living! Anne is a registered Nutritionist & Certified Health Coach. She is passionate about helping women and men transform their weight, health and life by focusing on nutrition, coaching, fitness and gut health!

  • Live Well Tip of the Week: Don’t let your emotions ruin your health!
  • A Quote from Our Guest:  “All health and disease begins in your gut! Everything you eat affects your body and is digested by the gut. The gut is the center of everything!” ~ Anne Anyia

6 Takeaways That You’ll Learn From This Episode: 

  • Your gut begins from your mouth and ends at the anus. The gut is the center of your health and it works to digest and absorb everything you eat. Our gut health really includes our entire digestive system! Everything starts in your gut!
  • Anne discusses how the state of your gut also affects your mental health! This includes stress, anxiety, and even depression! Stress can shut down your gut. 
  • Yo- Yo dieting is when you jump from one diet to the next in order to lose weight. This may cause you to hate food instead of seeing food for what it really is. Jumping from diet to diet and eating processed or sugary foods can also negatively impact your gut health. 
  • A genuine lifestyle change will help you on your weightloss journey. The number on the scale is not a true reflection of your weight loss journey! If the number on the scale hasn’t changed yet, this doesn’t mean that the healthy changes you are making are not positively affecting your gut health! Non-scale victories are better! If your clothes fit you better, if you have better energy, if you’re less bloated, then these are more important victories! 
  • Anne also discusses the benefits of prebiotics and having a healthy diet before depending on supplements!
  • The more natural and holistic your diet is, the better it is for your gut health! Some holistic and natural options to maintain in your diet include drinking plenty of water, vegetables, some fruits, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, fish & salmon, avocados, dark chocolate 90%, and things that are rich in fiber, which also assist in good bacteria. In addition to incorporating a more natural diet, make sure to find an exercise you enjoy and be consistent with it! 

Connect with Anne Anyia:

Instagram

Website

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Intuitive Eating with Christyna Johnson

WBL Podcast Christyna Johnson

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Have you ever considered changing the way you look at food? Food is not always the enemy. We just have to find a diet that works for our individual body type. This does not always mean restricting yourself from foods that you enjoy!

In this episode, we discuss the meaning of intuitive eating as it relates to finding a balance of the foods and lifestyle that work best for you. We will also cover the importance of acknowledging your unique body type, despite the pressure of society to try and categorize one’s diet into  what everyone else is doing or saying that works for them!

  • Live Well Tip of the Week:  Food is not the enemy. Your mindset is!
  • A Quote from Our Guest: “Understand that everyone doesn’t have the same genetics. We shouldn’t be pursuing to have the same ideal body as everyone else  in order to fit the standard of popular belief.”~ Christyna Johnson 


4 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode: 

  • A nutritionist is an experienced professional, who is not required to have a degree or certification in order to become a nutritionist. They also do not have legal standing or legal protection behind their title. Whereas a registered dietitian is a credentialed individual with at least a bachelors degree in nutrition, and required to complete additional training and certifications. 
  • Intuitive eating is a form of self compassionate eating. This means eating in a way that is internally wise and compassionate towards your own dietary fulfillment and needs. This also means becoming rebellious towards the expectations and influences of outside sources where it concerns your personal dietary needs (outside of a medical professional). This includes rebelling against the ‘diet culture’ or diets that are trending for everyone else. Example: You do not have to become gluten free  just because it’s the popular thing to do. You should only  choose it if it works well for you. 
  • There are often financial challenges associated with intuitive eating, due to the expense of allowing yourself to consistently eat the foods that you desire to eat (that work best for your needs). In this situation, it is important to learn to become creative in how you approach your diet. 
  • Listen to yourself, be intune with yourself. Unhealthy food habits can be addressed by a proper dietitian. For those who are looking for financial assistance, there are often health grants and resource centers within your community that are available to provide financial assistance towards professional health services. 

Connect with Christyna: 

Website: https://encouragingdietitian.com/media/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encouragingdietitian/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/encouragingRD

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4 Beginner Steps to Clean Eating

If you’re one to keep up on the latest trends in health and wellness, chances are you’ve heard the term “clean eating” a lot recently. Different from popular diets like keto and paleo, clean eating is less about a restrictive diet and more about a lifestyle. It’s about fueling your body with whole foods that are minimally processed, if at all, that provide you with the best nutritional benefits. So how does one start to eat clean? Aside from eating a diet rich with fruits and vegetables, there are other ways to eat clean without eliminating entire food groups. Keep reading for four easy steps that you can implement in your daily life as you start out on your new health journey. 

 

1.  Read Nutrition Labels

There’s no denying that the easiest way to eat clean is to avoid packaged goods entirely, but that’s just not realistic in this day and age. Instead, if you’re reaching for that box of crackers and maybe a dip to pair with them, take a look at the ingredients listed on the package. A rule of thumb is that if you can’t pronounce it, it’s not clean. The shorter the ingredient list the better! 

Don’t fall victim to “all natural” marketing claims either. Natural does not always mean minimally processed, so it’s always best to do some digging of your own to make sure there are no added sugars, unhealthy fats, or preservatives. 

2.  Set Yourself Up for Success 

Once you’ve made the decision for yourself to eat clean, make sure you’re not regularly putting yourself in tempting situations. Refrain from buying too many “cheat” snacks or foods that do not support your new lifestyle. It is easy to tell yourself at the store that these foods will only be for special occasions, but we all know how a late night sweet tooth can catch up with you. 

Instead, look for clean alternatives to your favorite foods. You’d be surprised how many brands have emerged that offer products with whole food ingredients that are better for you. Don’t worry, eating clean does not mean that you’ll have to say adios to those post-dinner cookies, they’ll just be healthier!

3.  Cook at Home 

The easiest way to get off track with your new lifestyle is eating out too much and not knowing what the food you’re eating is made with or how it’s prepared. The healthy-looking salmon on the menu could easily be smothered in butter or unhealthy oils which are hard to keep track of! When you’re starting off on your journey aim to scale back on eating out and when you do, select entrees that are more whole food based like a salad. If you really want to impress your friends and family with your new commitment, bring a side of dressing from home so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body.

If you aren’t used to cooking on your own, try making an experience out of it. Spend some time each week looking up clean recipes online and invite friends over to try them out on the weekends. You won’t have to say goodbye to your social life and your friends will get some delicious, healthy food at the same time. Who knows, you may inspire them to join you on your journey! 

4. Implement an 80/20 Mindset

Everything in moderation, right? As people we are creatures of habit, and it isn’t always easy to make a major lifestyle change. For the best chances of making a change and sticking with it long term, drop the “all or nothing” mindset and instead opt for 80/20. 80% of the time you will follow your new lifestyle, while giving yourself flexibility the other 20%.That’s not to say you should do a complete 180 during your flex time, but showing yourself grace and treating yourself to a small treat here and there will keep you more motivated along your journey. Over time you may even surprise yourself and stop craving processed foods all together!

After all is said and done it’s safe to say clean eating isn’t just the latest fad diet, it is here to stay. Increasing your awareness of the foods you eat will not only help your physical health, but your mental health as well. The mind body connection is very powerful and eating clean is the first step to optimizing your overall health.